The Winning Mindset in eSports Betting
As gamers, we had to learn very early on how to be in the zone.
Countless games have been decided in the final rounds and minutes, which often put us to the ultimate test of patience and dedication.
You know the drill yourself — you have to keep your cool and your focus when it counts. Why? Because you want to win.
Betting on eSports is very similar.
You have a choice between adopting a winning mindset or going all in on an impulse and then spending the rest of the week sobbing away.
We’ll jump to the exact foundations in a bit, but first I’d like you to know that there are two kinds of betting pros:
- The ones who are born with a winning mindset
- The ones who are not
You can figure out the group you belong to, but, in the long run, that doesn’t matter.
Because the big news is this:
The winning mindset can be learned, just like everything else.
What do we mean by mindset?
Mindset is simply a way of thinking and it directly determines your attitude, outlook and behaviour when faced with a certain event, or series of events.
When betting on eSports, mindset is the middleman between the things that are happening and your reaction to those things.
In short, it defines your attitude through this premise:
You react to things, the way you are trained to react.
I found, through literature and my own experiences, that having a winning mindset makes the difference between a successful and unsuccessful bettor.
That is exactly why we’ve placed it in the Beginner section of our betting academy — if you learn early on how to think like a winner, you will soon become one.
The Winning Mindset Foundations
I could go on and on about the importance of this, but I bet you’re anxious to actually see what I believe are the key components of a winning eSports betting mindset.
1. Be a man and take responsibility
You’re young, you’re motivated, great!
Now add a third element into the mix and start taking responsibility for your betting activities immediately.
The first step towards responsible betting is to stop having excuses for your losses.
When you missed a bet last time, whose fault was it? Your grandmas?
Maybe Darth Vader came back from the dead only to disrupt your betting activities?
Take charge and realize that YOU are the one who is responsible for your own results, whether it’s a win or a loss.
By doing so, you will keep your focus and cool, eliminate revenge bets and take full control over what is to come.
Remember that you are in control, all of the time.
How to apply this tip:
Next time you win a bet, ask yourself “How did this happen?”. Backtrack your entire process: did you bet on the favorites or on the underdogs? If you bet on the underdogs, check their form, see why did your bet come through, maybe you accidentally hit something. Aggregate all possible information about your win and put it in a spreadsheet. Do that consistently and you will be one step closer to seeing a pattern.
2. Fully embrace risk
You are a Gamopo Trooper and you get what betting is about, at the end of the day.
It’s about taking risks and either winning or losing.
You need to start telling yourself right now that you are a bona fide risk taker and that you are ready to accept all consequences that may come your way.
“He who dares, wins” – Winston Churchill
However, you should know that there are multiple types of risk taking. Most notably there are:
- Calculated risks
- Uncalculated risks (impulsive betting)
I would advise you to take calculated risks at all times.
When it comes to betting on video games, there is no such thing as a risk-free bet, so in the end you have no option here.
If you want to make betting your hobby, consider yourself a risk taker and be contempt with the fact that things may or may not go your way.
How to apply this tip:
Always do your homework before entering a bet: check the stats, team form and news about potential transfers.
Avoid taking uncalculated risks by minimizing bets that rely solely on your intuition.
I know, there will be times when you have a hunch, but just make sure you don’t go overboard.
3. Get comfortable with being uncertain
When I first started betting I constantly had that weird nervousness in my stomach, that I just couldn’t get rid of. I took every bet so personal that I simply identified myself with every situation, not realizing that I am not doing myself a favor.
It was only when a friend of mine told me this sentence, that I found my peace and started thinking rationally:
“Bro, you need to learn how to be comfortable with being uncertain. The same goes for your regular life, as well.”
Life, same as eSports betting, is not certain by default.
So, why waste your nerves on the outcomes that you can’t control.
Instead, realize that one of the things that makes betting so fun is the fact that no day is the same.
Repeat that to yourself a couple of times and soon you will get over the fact that some things are just out of your control. But hey, that’s life for ya!
4. Realize that losses are a part of betting
This is probably one of the most important things I will be able to tell you, even though it’s obvious to the point of stupidity (from my end, of course).
One of the keys to eSports betting mastery is accepting the fact that all losses are just a part of your journey.
I know what it’s like to miss a bet and I know how nerve wracking it can sometimes be.
However, I urge you to repeat and memorize this:
Never a failure, always a lesson!
This is a positive approach to failing and it is the true way of a Trooper.
Remember that there is always something to learn from a failed bet: it’s up to you figure out what.
The way you do that is (as always) do some digging around online and write down your findings.
Google a team that failed you and I’m sure you’ll find something interesting.
5. Focus on risk management
There is a common myth in the betting community that successful betting pros focus first on winning. False!
People who are successful at betting always focus first on minimizing risks, because they know that it is the only thing that is omnipresent.
Minimizing risks, put simply, is just a strategy of controlling losses.
A good way of minimizing risks in eSports betting is hedge betting by utilizing in-play.
We will dive more in on this in one of our advanced courses, but for now just remember — winning is less important than not losing.
6. Choose between profit and fun
A large majority of us are familiar with skin betting.
This was awesome while it lasted, simply because it managed to successfully combine two things: profit and fun.
Real money eSports betting is a bit different, largely due to the fact that it weeds out people that are not true risk takers.
You see, people who bet on eSports can be divided into three groups:
- People who bet only for fun — they are characterized by having a casual betting strategy and their main purpose is to hype up the matches they usually watch. They never go all-in and never take bigger risks, however their profits are also smaller, which is perfectly fine.
- People who bet only for profit — these are the sharks of eSports betting and people who are able to make a second income off of it. They take advantage of the unbalanced odds we have in eSports and take calculated bets, often betting with advanced strategies.
- People who mix profit and fun — this group is probably the most familiar and it is also a place where all people start off. People who mix profit and fun are still not completely confident in their betting skills and don’t have particular goals in place.
It doesn’t matter to which group you belong to. What matters is to make a decision and create a betting strategy accordingly.
Choose between profit or fun and go from there. And, before you ask, no it’s not the same approach.
We will be covering advanced profit-oriented strategies in our Advanced Betting Academy.
7. Focus on the process
Even though the main premise behind eSports betting is to make a profit, you need to realize that there is one more thing to it — creating a betting strategy, sticking to it and then measuring your results.
That is the thing we call the process.
When you look at betting from the perspective of going through a process, you are adopting a learning attitude.
And that is the attitude of a winner.
Focusing on your betting process means sticking to a schedule and betting with a complete discipline.
If you have a potentially great betting strategy, write down the necessary steps when taking a bet and then stick to them.
It may look like washing your car while it rains at first, but you will soon find the pleasure in having a well developed strategy. It will set you up for improvement, undoubtedly.
8. Think long-term
Continuing the positive energy from the step 7, I want to ask you a question.
How long does it take to become good at Dota 2, CSGO or any other competitive game?
A lot.
See, eSports betting is the same. You start off slow, learn the basic principles, apply them, assess and adapt.
That is actually how you become good at anything. So, it’s important to start thinking long term right away and realize that 10€ tomorrow is better than 8€ today!
9. Enjoy every win
You will soon come to understanding that there are big wins and small wins in your betting journey.
And even though the big wins is where we get all the excitement from, you should also celebrate small wins, with the same passion.
There will be times when you will have the opportunity to bet on a single match (for example, The International finals) where the odds will be pretty much even.
It is then when you need to stick to your betting strategy and be prepared to take a lower cut. But just imagine how much fun you will have watching the game!
10. Think positively, no matter what
The last, but definitely not the least, is the importance of positive thinking.
People have flagged betting as satanic and deceptive, but I would have to disagree and say that betting is awesome as long as you don’t let money control you.
One of the keys to this is to adopt a positive attitude towards betting and realize that it’s not that bad.
You are simply amplifying your existing pleasure through thrill seeking.
In order to seek those trills, you are staking a small amount of money on a bet, but hey, is there a free activity in this world? I would say, no.
Remember that money is your servant, not the other way around.
One of the missions of our community is to help people achieve positive attitude towards betting.
We are gamers first, of course, but we think that eSports betting is bound to happen either way — so why not rely on a group of other gamers to support you along the way.
To close it all off…
In the end, I would just like to tell you that none of these things work alone. You need to adopt them all in order to achieve the overall positivity and that winning mindset.
If you found anything useful here, be a real Trooper and share it with your friends, so we can get more people on the right track.
