From destroying Ancients in Dota 2 to slaying dragons in League of Legends, the world of esports is a fast and furious action-packed adventure for the pro gamers behind the controller as well as the punters that bet on esports too. Want to win big on the biggest esports games and tournaments? Let us take you through everything you need to know before heading to the bookies.
Everything you need to know about esports games
Understand the game
Stick to the philosophy of only betting on what you know, so before placing a wager, make sure you understand the game. Simpler games such as FIFA don’t need much studying, but betting on League of Legends, Halo and Defense of the Ancients usually requires a certain level of expertise. It goes without saying that the more knowledgeable you are, the better your chances of esports betting success. Simply watching a game being played can do wonders for your understanding. Even if all you can do is learn the rules, it’s surely better than winging it when it’s time to add to your betslip.
Research esports teams and players
Whilst you can simply rely on the bookmaker’s odds to gauge which team is most likely to win, that method doesn’t really give you an upper hand. If you want to beat the bookies, spend some time researching teams and players. Smaller teams might not have the manpower to field specialist players for each game and can often come up short in a game that isn’t their strong suit. A player that is unbeatable at League of Legends might come undone in a game of Defense of the Ancients. It pays to do a bit of research – doing so could land you a huge win!
Comparing bookmakers
When it comes to comparing bookmakers, Compare.bet is your prime destination. As esports betting is still fairly new to the scene, prices may vary from one bookie to another as the top betting sites price competitively to win you over. This is great news for bettors. Rather than scouring the web for the best odds, all you need to do is check out our list of top esports betting sites. All of our top sites are full licensed and welcomes you with an enticing introductory bonus. Each site has an expert review so you know exactly what kind of odds to expect before you sign up.
Esports games
Dota 2
In the eyes of many fans and players, Dota 2 is the current king of esports. It’s a classic multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) video game developed by Valve. The Dota 2 Championship, known as The International, offered a total prize pool north of $20 million with the winners bagging over $10 million for their efforts.
Each player controls their chosen ‘hero’ which has its own unique skill set and style of play. There are 115 different heroes to choose from, so there are thousands of potential matchups that add to the intrigue of the game. A Dota 2 match begins with opposing 5-man teams at opposite ends of a battleground map – each with their own base that is home to a large object called the ‘Ancient’. Halfway between the camps is a river that can only be crossed at specific points. This funnels the battles into certain areas that are fortified by the teams on their respective sides of the river.
A map is won by the team which destroys the opposing side’s Ancient. Naturally, in order to achieve this, a good strategy needs to be employed with the growth of the hero’s special abilities being a key factor. The esports player’s level of skill and knowledge of their hero is vital, along with working together with the other team members.
In terms of betting opportunities, punters can choose from options such as match winner, maps, handicap markets as well as totals and correct score. Some bookmakers also offer in-play Dota 2 betting as well which is presents some great chances to use your knowledge of the game to win big by predicting what might happen as the game unfolds.
League of Legends
Although Dota 2 has stolen its thunder a bit, League of Legends (LoL) remains the most popular esports games in existence. In several ways, the two games are very similar. You’ve got two teams of five with each team member controlling their selected Champion, which possesses unique skills and abilities.
Each team starts a game at opposite ends of the battleground map where they must protect a structure known as a Nexus. The winner, of course, is the team that destroys the opponent’s structure first. As with Dota 2, the early stages are centred around building up your Champion by completing special objectives. Doing so rewards the player with gold and XP that is used to purchase extra powers.
In addition to the two teams, there are also plenty of enemies that are computer-controlled. These mainly assist in helping the defending side, making it a tough task for players on the other end. From a punter’s perspective, LoL presents some awesome opportunities to win big. You’ll find betting markets such as first team to slay a dragon, total barons killed, total number of kills, first tower destroyed, map winner, as well as outright markets.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO)
CS:GO is undoubtedly the world’s leading first-person shooter game at the moment and another development by the amazing team at Valve. Two teams of five face-off in this objective-based shoot-em-up – one labelled Terrorists and the other Counter-Terrorists.
CS:GO matches are broken down into rounds. In each round, a certain objective must be carried out, such as rescuing a hostage or defusing a bomb. At the end of the round, each player’s performance is rewarded with an in-game currency to buy better, more powerful weapons for the later rounds.
This use of multiple rounds in a single game allows for some outstanding betting opportunities, both pre-match and in-play, on either single rounds or entire matches. You’ll also find player markets – so you can back a certain soldier to complete certain objectives or land a number of kills.
StarCraft 2
StarCraft is a military-based, real-time strategy game. Unlike Dota 2, LoL and CS:GO, this is a single-player affair. At the beginning of a match, which is played over three or five different maps, both players must choose their preferred species (Protoss, Terran or Zerg) to play as. Naturally, each species has a unique set of strengths that players can use to their advantage and weaknesses that make gameplay fair and balanced.
Players set off gathering resources, setting up their bases and training their warriors in preparation for attacking the enemy. It is a very strategic game and as it is a single-player game, the personal skill level really comes to the fore. Starcraft 2 doesn’t offer the same extensive betting markets as League of Legends, with only match-winner, map winner and map score commonly offered. Nevertheless, it is a good in-play betting game as the game ebbs and flows depending on the strategy being employed
Overwatch
Overwatch is another FPS game that pits attack against defence. There are two teams of six, with each player choosing from one of twenty heroes to play. The heroes each have a particular role in the game. These roles are offence, defence, tank or support. Therefore it is important for the team to be coordinated and balanced to be successful.
Overwatch has 30 unique maps to choose from. One side will have an objective to complete, while the opposition will be tasked with preventing them from doing so. The number of betting markets for Overwatch are increasing as the game rises in popularity. The standard range includes match-winner, match winner, and outright winner. In addition, you can find several handicap Overwatch betting markets at our esports bookies as well as player performance bets, too.
FIFA
If there is one video game that needs no introduction, it is FIFA. This hugely popular football game is one of the leading lights in esports with numerous leagues around the world and a FIFA Interactive World Cup tournament that is held every year.
We view FIFA as a bridge that will draw existing sports bettors across to the esports arena. From there, punters can learn more about the other games which will boost the esports betting industry even further.
FIFA esport tournaments present a variety of betting opportunities for both pre-match and in-play. You can have a flutter on the overall winner, match winners, total goals in a game, first side to score, correct score and several others. Unlike some real football games, FIFA esports is fast and frenetic from the very first second. Back the right player and you could bag yourself some tidy profits.
New esports games
When a game is played competitively, and prizes are available to the best players, then it’s considered an esport. No game launches as an esport out of the gate. In fact, there are plenty of titles that pursue that goal without achieving it. Before getting to this stage, the game needs to build up a certain level of support, and offer high levels of playability and viewability. A great example of the importance of these factors is in the Battlefield series. It is Call of Duty’s biggest competitor but doesn’t boast an esports scene. Unlike Call of Duty, Battlefield focuses on large scale battles, featuring 32-player teams, tanks, helicopters and more. Its complicated gameplay makes it a less entertaining watch for the average esports enthusiast.
We spoke to Malte Hegeler, Head of Product Development OddsMatrix at leading iGaming software supplier EveryMatrix. In our February 2021 interview, he spoke about identifying up and coming esports and betting markets.
“Our Business Team has in place a strategy that involves monitoring betting sites, but also developments in the esports communities. We are very aware that we need to find a good balance between quickly spotting and integrating trends and considering their long-term potential.
On top of this, we often get requests from our clients, which we are more than happy to accommodate. One such example is 2020’s hit Valorant, a multiplayer, tactical first-person shooter that we will soon lunch for one of the clients. It’s a highly acclaimed title, with an already solid fanbase: on the first day of its beta launch, it had 1.73 million viewers on Twitch, coming in second for most concurrent viewers on the platform.
But it’s also particularly tricky with new titles, because it takes time until a professional scene has developed, and even more time until a betting product is created. You need to be able to provide correct odds, a live offering, as well as a substantial number of markets in order to have a good return of such an important investment.”
Ready to bet on esports?
That is a mere introduction to the world of esports games. There are hundreds of games out there that are worthy of a mention, including the likes of Call of Duty, Halo, World of Warcraft and Rocket League. This is one of the fast-growing industries in the online world, so there’s no better time than now to get on board and experience the thrill of betting on esports. We’ve compiled a list of top esports bookies, all you need to do is compare, register and place your bets!
