Sports
betters across the world saw a massive change to their industry just a few
years ago with the introduction and incredible rise to the notoriety of
e-sports.
E-sports
are similar to normal sports in that they’re both competitive games that
require a large degree of skill in said sport. The biggest difference is that
e-sports are online and occur in the virtual world while traditional sports are
physical activities.
This
means that there are new factors to take into account and an entire industry
for sports gamblers to dive into and learn.
E-sports
can range from first-person shooters (FPS) to multiplayer online battle arenas
(MOBAs). They’re all played differently and will look nothing alike.
But,
there are thousands of competitive games that you could classify as an e-sport.
The most popular of them all are the ones that you’re able to bet on.
So,
what are the biggest e-sport games and how do you bet on them? Don’t worry,
I’ve answered that question for you.
Let’s
begin with an overview of the biggest e-sport games out there right now.
The Biggest E-Sports Games
Big
names in e-sports span many companies and game types.
Right
now, the e-sports betting world is dominated by only a few contenders. They
include Riot Games’ League of Legends, Blizzard’s Hearthstone, and Valve
Corporation’s Dota 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
These
four games encompass the majority of the e-sports bets that take place every
day.
If
you’re not familiar with these games already, now is the perfect time to immerse
yourself in a world that millions of gamers have been developing for decades.
League of Legends
League
of Legends is the most popular video game in the world and celebrated its 10th
anniversary as a game in 2019.
The
game is a MOBA and pits five players versus five players against each other to
destroy the opponents base, specifically an object called the ‘nexus’ in the
center of each base.
The
map they play on consists of three lanes, or roads, that players can travel on.
Each of these lanes has objectives the players must destroy to reach the base.
These
five players choose their characters, each with unique abilities and roles they
play within the game.
After
a few games, the concept of League of Legends is easy to understand. It may
even be easy for you to think that you’d be good at this game.
Rest
assured, League of Legends isn’t easy. Players may spend years accumulating
their knowledge to only end up in the top 20 percent of players.
The
depth of skill in League of Legends is incredibly large but it’s what makes it
a great e-sport for betting purposes.
If
you develop a proper understanding of players, mechanics, and the game, you’ll
find yourself easily making a value bet after value bet.
The
professional scene has just begun their 10th season, and it’s not showing any
signs of slowing down. This makes League of Legends a great e-sport to
familiarize yourself with because it’ll likely be in existence for years to
come.
Hearthstone
If
you’re paid any attention at all to video games in the last two decades, you
know the game World of Warcraft.
World
of Warcraft was developed and released by Blizzard in 2005. It’s, by far, their
most successful game and is still in existence today.
However,
World of Warcraft isn’t Blizzard’s only success. It wasn’t the first and it
wasn’t the last.
Because
of World of Warcraft’s incredible popularity, and the rise of competitive
trading card games such as Magic: The Gathering, Blizzard developed their own
card game: Hearthstone.
Hearthstone
is a turn-based card game that is based on the characters you’ll find in World
of Warcraft.
The
game’s popularity took off with the branding attached to it by Blizzard and has
become one of the most popular e-sports to bet on.
Betting
on Hearthstone will come down to knowing players rather than knowing the meta
of card decks, making it a little friendly to those who are new to e-sports
betting.
In
tournaments, and professional play, players bring in multiple card decks and
use each one to fight their opponent with over a series of rounds.
This
introduces many different types of bets and an interesting game to witness
unfold.
Dota 2
Dota
2 is another MOBA that has deep roots in the gaming community and is
traditionally credited with bringing the MOBA-style of gaming to popularity.
Dota
2, similar to League of Legends, is also a 5v5 game where players fight to
destroy their opponents base. There are unique characters, abilities, and roles
that each player must utilize to their advantage to defeat their opponents.
If
you thought League of Legends was difficult to grasp, you might want to hold
off on Dota 2 for a while. While it shares many similarities with League of
Legends, Dota 2 is generally considered to be the more complex of the two
games.
This
means that upsets are much more likely to occur and a deeper understanding of
the game is required to make profitable bets consistently.
Counterstrike: Global Offensive
You
probably thought Call of Duty would make this list. However, you are sorely
mistaken.
Counterstrike:
Global Offensive (CS: GO) is an incredibly popular FPS that has withstood the
test of time and consistently outdoes Call of Duty in a professional
environment.
Overall,
CS: GO is more of a team-oriented game while Call of Duty frequently focuses on
an individual racking up kills and points for their team.
This
emphasis on teamwork is why the game has become more popular than Call of Duty
regarding e-sports. It’s more entertaining to watch and creates an environment
where you can root for a team, player, or whatever brand you like best.
The
game also offers more than one game mode that is played professionally, which
keeps players on their toes and offers a wider variety of betting options for
you.
CS:
GO competitions may require players to fight in a deathmatch style, or focus on
taking certain objectives. Plus, each of these game modes’ rules may be tweaked
so that the game you’re watching is constantly changing.
All
of this leads up to CS: GO being one of the most popular e-sports to bet on
with a much livelier betting and pro scene than any other FPS.
Where to Make E-Sports Bets
You’ll
have to take your e-sports betting to where it all began – the internet.
Traditional
online betting websites, such as Bovado and Betway, will generally hose
e-sports betting.
However,
there are several e-sports betting websites that are dedicated to only
e-sports. This includes EGB and Esportsbets.
Each
of these websites will have their own rules, regulations, and bonuses so are
sure to research each one to find what’s best for you. A quick Google search
will also turn up a plethora of websites that will take your bets.
Types of Betting
E-sports
betting brings an entirely new world of types of betting.
Of
course, you’ll have the traditional winner, loser, or even sometimes draw. The
over/under is still there and your smorgasbord of stereotypical sports bets
that you’ll see on traditionally featured.
But,
you’ll find you have many additional bets you can make as well.
Let’s
go over some of the most prevalent types of bets that you won’t find in
traditional sports betting
Skin Bets
Most
video games will allow players to pick which type of ‘skin’ they’d like to use
on their characters.
These
skins are entirely aesthetic and affect the way their character looks while
they’re in-game. You’ll often find that one character has several different
skins available to choose from.
Since
sports betting and e-sports have collided, betting on which skin a player will
use in a certain match has become incredibly popular.
These
bets are fun to make and you can get a good insight into which skin a player
might use by becoming familiar with their preferences or personality.
First
Blood
The
most exciting of the e-sport bet for most is the first blood.
The
term first blood refers to the player who gets the first kill in a match. The
term is used across e-sports and means the same thing whether you’re betting on
a MOBA, FPS, or a different type of video game.
This
can be an interesting bet because a team may have a different playstyle than
the other. For example, a team that is favored to win may draft their
characters to be stronger later during the game rather than early on.
While
this team may be favored to win the game, it also means the opposing team is
more likely to draw first blood because they’ll be stronger in the earlier
parts of a game.
First Map
As
you’ll find out, most e-sport matches are conducted through a series of games.
An overall winner may be selected from the best of 3, best of 5, or even best
of 7 in some cases.
The
term for betting on the first game of a series is generally referred to as
winning the first map in the world of e-sports betting.
This
is an interesting first bet as strategies will change throughout the series of
games the teams play. A team may be better at adapting to their opponent and
more likely to lose the first game but win overall. In the same vein, a team
may be more prone to taking quick advantages and then running behind in
strategy later.
Live Betting Options
Live
betting options can be an incredibly fun and interactive way to get your sports
betting fix while a game is going on.
All
of the games listed have betting options for live betting. This may be who gets
the next kill, which team will gain what objective or a variety of minuscule
and irrelevant decisions.
These
bets are typically looked at as a fun way to be involved in betting, but there
can be serious money to be made if you know the odds better than everyone else.
Odd/Even Bets
Sometimes
you may find that bookies will offer odds or even bets, referring to the number
of games, or rounds that an overall series may take.
If
you’re confident that your team will win in three games in a five-game series,
betting on an odd number of games will be your go-to.
Because
there will always be an odd number of games played in a series, it’s more than
likely that the total number of games in a series is going to be odd. Because
of this, this isn’t always a smart bet or is it even offered by a bookmaker.
However,
if you see the opportunity, they can be a nice value bet to cash in on.
Tournament Winners
Most
e-sports play within their leagues and most bets take place within individual
games. However, all of these e-sports will, at some point in the season, hold a
tournament for players.
These
tournaments may be affiliated with the developer of the game and be a more
formal tournament, while other tournaments may lie on the fringe and be
sponsored by an outside source.
Either
way, you’ll find bets that to place on the overall winner of the tournament.
If
you feel like your team can make it through the series of games they’ll play,
this can be an interesting bet to take on.
Combi-Bets
Combi-bets,
also known as accumulator bets, is a way for you to bet on the outcome of
multiple e-sports events at once.
You’ll
be able to wager on various amounts of e-sports competitions and you’ll need to
get all of your choices correct to get a payout. This sounds incredibly
difficult, and it is. However, if you manage to correctly choose the winners of
your combi-bets, you’ll find yourself swimming in the big payouts.
This
can be an incredibly effective way of e-sports betting if you’re deeply
ingrained in the intricacies of e-sports.
Handicap Bets
Handicap
bets are going to be your friend when you’re betting on e-sports.
Typically,
in any given e-sport, you’re going to find that two to three teams dominate the
entire game and leave most of their competitors in the dust.
This
makes it incredibly difficult to bet against them whenever they’re playing.
While you could choose the safe option and always bet on them, there’s another
way as well.
Handicap
bets give the favorite team a disadvantage and provide you with better odds if
that team ends up winning despite their handicap.
These
types of bets are a bit more advanced and may take a bit of learning to be able
to use them consistently and successfully, but they’re great to keep your money
in the game even when the game seems to be dominated by one team.
Conclusion
Overall,
e-sports betting is a great addition to the gambling world and will provide you
with a seemingly endless amount of betting options for you to dive into.
Be
warned, many of these games are going to require you to become extremely
familiar with them before you’ll be able to comfortably make good bets.
However,
it’s an emerging field in the world of gambling and can be extremely lucrative
to those who put in the time and effort to understand the game of their
choosing.
If
you’re new to esports betting, it’s a safe bet to pick one game and familiarize
yourself with it before moving on to another – you’re going to need the extra
time.
