The concept of eSports dates back to the early 1970s. In the 21st century, it has found its full realization with vast technological developments. The first eSports tournament was organized by Stanford University when teams of students had to compete with each other by playing a video game.
Today, eSports keeps growing. With new video games entering the market, new tournaments are established more often than usual. More than 400 million viewers watch eSports events worldwide. And this number doesn’t stop growing.
To address the market demand, new betting sites appear pretty often. This makes it more difficult for average bettors end up with a reasonable choice. If you want to see what a reliable bookie looks like, check out cover.gg.
Betting on eSports Leagues and Markets
Betting on eSports isn’t about several tournaments only. With the growing number of video games, the number of tournaments also gets higher.
The main betting markets have many similarities to those of traditional sports betting. There are also a great number of games and leagues. In each individual game, the betting markets may behave differently. These are some of the most common betting markets covered:
Outright winner
When it comes to football or CS:GO, betting on the outright winner is considered to be the basic type of bet. It is fast and easy. And it doesn’t require excessive research and analysis. Betting on an outright winner just needs you to guess one little thing. For example, Dota 2 odds for outright winner are related to the number of participants and how far before or into the competition you place your bet.
No matter how simple it may seem, it has certain tricks. Betting on the outright winner needs you to wait quite a bit before you find out the final outcome. That’s it! If you are lucky enough and you keep betting again and again, you will get your bet lasting until the finals!
Head-to-head winner
A head-to-head winner bet is more or less similar to the outright winner. The only nuance is that two players or teams can be involved.
Map winner
Most eSports are played in several rounds. For example, you can bet on 3, 5 or 7. Once you bet on a certain team, you will get it winning a map. As a result, you will place a bet and win a particular round or set of rounds.
Best of 3, 5, and so on.
The best-of-3 and best-of-5 matches are quite popular in eSports. Aside from the overall Bo3 or Bo5 winner, you will also bet on the accurate final score in a matchup.
Favorite vs field
You will consider favorite vs. field bets as soon as a tournament favorite becomes clear. It needs you to be careful. You may lose everything if the other teams win the tournament instead of the favorite.
Major eSports Betting Events
Tournaments for video games have boomed in popularity. You are free to attend tournaments personally if you feel like it. However, many bettors decide to follow the live streaming laid on by the organizers. Let’s see some of the best tournaments below.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
CS:GO is definitely the top game in the gaming community. Among all CS:GO tournaments, the Major Championship is the major event of the year. It consists of 24 teams that compete for a prize pool reaching up to $2 million.
Some of the other CS:GO tournaments are S-Tier, A-Tier, B-Tier, C-Tier, European Development Championship, and Intel Extreme Masters. All of them come up with competitive eSports odds.
Leagues of Legends
The World Championship is definitely the best of all the LoL tournaments that take place by the end of the season. With a prize pool exceeding $4 million, it’s a difficult event with tough competitors.
The Mid-Season Invitational is one of the most popular LoL tournaments that features excellent odds. It covers the period of one month, ending with a final Knockout stage to determine the winner.
Dota 2
The International is considered to be the top Dota 2 tournament. It attracts several millions of viewers every year. It also has a more substantial prize pool compared to other eSports events.
The Dota 2 Major Championship has taken the game to a totally new level by boosting competition. It’s done efficiently to keep Dota 3 popular with players and bettors.
Valorant
The Valorant Champions Tour covers the best of the best in terms of competition. It involves several stages with numerous tournaments organized into the final Champions event.
Other popular Valorant events include Game Changers, Red Bull Campus Clutch, Valorant Conquerors Championship, and some others.
What Comes Next?
Now that you know everything about eSports betting, you are ready to make your first bet. Analyze the market offer to come up with the right choice. Once you are done with it, take action immediately. It is important to catch a good opportunity.