While esports isn’t a generally new phenomenon in 2023, it has grown from a niche market to a multi-billion-dollar industry attracting millions of punters. The market’s popularity has made bets on video games a popular option in leading bookies, allowing players to wager on titles like Dota 2, Counter-Strike, League of Legends, and others. However, esports punters must understand the odds and betting markets before diving in to place their bets.
This esports betting guide is designed to help beginners understand the betting odds and markets, with clear instructions on how to place your first wager.
How to place esports bets
Betting on esports at Betway is similar to wagering on traditional sports events like soccer or basketball. As such, esports punters can access basic markets like match winner (moneyline bet), double chance, number of points, and other specialized bets. However, the concept used by bookies in esports betting is quite simple, with the odds revealing the probability of every possible outcome.
Since esports betting is available to international audiences, leading bookmakers like Betway try to keep their options as diverse as possible. That allows players to access the betting odds in different formats, including decimal, fractional, and American odds like the moneyline. However, the probability of winning remains unaffected by the odds formats used.
Popular esports betting
The most common types of esports bets available in online and mobile sportsbooks include:
- Match winner/ group winner: This esports bet involves betting on the player or the group that will win a specific tournament. In some video game matches like FIFA, punters can also place a wager on a draw.
- Handicap bet: A handicap bet occurs when a bookmaker places a margin (known as the line), giving the underdog a slight advantage over their opponent to place the match on equal footing. However, handicap bets are only available when there are only opponents in the game, which means either team can walk away with the win.
- Outright winner: This future bet involves wagering on which team or player you think will emerge as the overall winner at the end of a certain tournament.
- Over/Under: You’re betting on whether the number of points or goals scored by both teams or players will be above or below a certain preset value. This esports betting market can also include the total number of kills and other things.
- Total rounds: You’re betting on whether the match will go under or above a specified number of rounds.
- First blood: This specialized esports bet is common in games like League of Legends and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, allowing punters to wager on which team or player will score the first kill.
- Map winner: Another specialized bet, the map winner bet involves wagering on the team that will win a specific map in games like Dota 2, CS: GO, and LoL.
Conclusion
When it comes to understanding esports odds and betting markets, this article will help you get started. However, it’s important to intimately know the esports video game you’re betting on to avoid losing your hard-earned cash. Additionally, don’t get caught up in the assumed simplicity of placing straight bets on the bookies’ favorites, since esports is a highly competitive market that requires a well-thought strategy when betting.
