9 Strategies for Betting on eSports
Esports a massive phenomenon and more people these days consider making a bet on the outcome of a video game match or tournament. Online sportsbooks across the world are quickly preparing to cater to this new category of bettors who follow video gaming contests and place wagers on them. The question for bettors new and old remains the same, though – how do you make a successful bet and win some money out of your hobby?
We have put together a list of practical strategic tips on how to bet on eSports and win, regardless of how familiar you are with the concept of eSports in the first place. Here are our nine practical tips to help you win more often betting on a game you like.
1. Know and Play the Game
Just like with any other form of betting contest, having an inherent knowledge of the game matters a whole lot. Esports is a collective term and there are many individual games that can take hundreds of hours to learn and master.
Therefore, your first objective as someone considering eSports betting is to focus on a title that you understand well. The good news is there are already a number of great video games you can pick from, if you haven’t already, including:
- Counter-Strike
- Call of Duty
- Dota 2
- League of Legends
- Rocket League & others
There are many big and minor competitions, but the key to success is to know these games inside and out yourself. Sportsbooks admit that the reason why they often lose is because the people who bet are usually gamers themselves and they always have a better understanding of the competitive scene in each respective game than the sportsbooks’ algorithms ever could.
If you are not quite familiar with what games to bet on, visit our beginner's guide to esports for a few popular eSports titles and some general knowledge.
2. Be a Part of the Community
Participation is important. You may not be the quickest player or have the reflexes of a professional player, but through an inherent understanding of a game, you can rise in the ranks when you play. Similarly, you can leverage your knowledge of the community to build an eSports betting strategy that works for you.
By reading forums and participating in Twitch and Reddit communities, you stand to find out about the dynamics of the competitive scene long before any sportsbook could. Not only that, but even when a betting website has the same knowledge as you, that is no guarantee they can use it as well as someone who has spent hundreds of hours following the community as a hobby.
3. Pick a Simple Bet Over a Complicated One
Often, a single contest will come with a number of contests, as in ‘First Team to Score First Blood,’ ‘Most Gold Earner,’ ‘Most Kills Per Player,’ and so on, depending on the game you wish to bet on. Everyone agrees before you start focusing on these proposition bets, as they are known, it pays off better to focus on match winners instead.
This is one of the easy eSports betting strategies out there and you can quickly scale it up to include other metrics, such as betting on a tournament winner early on. For example, in the 19/20 Dota Pro Circuit Season, players can make a realistic bet that either Team Liquid or Team Secret will win the circuit.
In the meantime, have put together a list of all available types of eSports bets to help you make your mind as to what bets are better than others.
4. Don’t Break Your Budget on a Hunch
Most people who know how to bet on eSports to win will tell you to always keep track of your finances and never overspend on a single bet. You ought to be smart about your money and budgeting is always the best way to do this.
To determine your maximum bet, you can use a simple percentage rule and never spend more than 3-10% on any bet. Some players will even go further and set a weekly or monthly budget or only bet on major events.
Budgeting won’t necessarily make you win your bets any more than you would normally do, but it would allow you to spend your money smartly and give yourself more opportunities to place bets, and possibly become a more skilled bettor yourself.
5. Stick to Big Events
The upsides of sticking to big eSports events are quite easy to guess – a bigger event usually comes with broader coverage, which makes it easier for eSports bettors to inform themselves. Most top-tier organizations are always in the spotlight, and it makes collecting relevant information about a team very easy.
There are some smaller markets and competitions where you would still be able to place a wager, but it might take you a while to pinpoint which the best names in that specific tournament are and whether they will be part of the tournament for long.
6. Follow the Players, Not the Brands
While esports powerhouses have a reputation that is based on years of excelling in their respective competitive bracket, following the players can be far more impactful on how accurate your bets are. For example, when Team Liquid’s Kuro "KuroKy" Salehi Takhasomi and other Liquid members left to set up their team, many doubted their chances to succeed at the top echelons of competitive Dota 2.
Yet, the team squad has done well, although it’s too early to tell if Nigma – as the new organization is called - would be able to rival with the already established powerhouses. The opposite advice is often true as well.
Just because you like KuroKy, you shouldn’t always bet on them to win. Rather, give yourself some time to study a new team’s performance. Similarly, in League of Legends, fans and bettors seem to follow Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok.
7. Don’t Bet Early into the New Season
When it comes to a prolonged competitive season, such as the Overwatch League (OWL), for example, it’s best to leverage a popular sports wisdom and hold back with your first bets. Wait until the second or third week of the season to see which teams are doing well and which ones have fallen short of forecasts.
Naturally, you can overlook this rule if the game you are betting on isn’t based on seasons, but rather on major tournament event, as in the cases of Dota 2 and Counter-Strike. For League of Legends, though, you can wait a few games before you start betting.
8. Find the Best eSports Bookmakers
Naturally, you will want to play with the best possible eSports bookies out there. How can you tell if one website is better than another? It’s once again a matter of practice. Gamblers Bet offers a number of trusted brands that provide you with great betting markets.
And speaking of markets, this is the first thing you should look for right after establishing whether you can trust an eSports bookie. While many bookies have a great reputation, not all offer enough markets and on as many games as you might be interested in.
In our experience, however, League of Legends, Dota 2, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive are always covered, but some of you might also be looking to bet on Fortnite, Overwatch, or even StarCraft II.
9. Compare Betting Odds Online and Pick the Best
Having an account registered at two or three sports bookmakers is always a great idea. The reason why is simple. Since all bookies will try to compete against each other, you will be able to habitually find slightly better odds for the same eSports event.
Admittedly, some bettors object that it is too much hassle, but for an experienced eSports betting enthusiast, these small tweaks make perfect sense. Don’t hesitate to look for the best odds out there.
