Strategies to Bet on Esports and Win Real Money?
Esports is another term for competitive video game playing in organized events. Over the last half decade the global esports industry has evolved drastically – it has also caused spikes in the number of people looking to place a bet on esports.
The difference with esports compared to traditional sports is the wide range of games, formats, and genres that separate the different video games under the competitive sphere of esports. Before placing a bet on any, game it is essential to fully understand how matches for each genre are decided.
Game Genres
- (MOBA) multiplayer online battle arena
- First Person Shooter (FPS)
- Fighting
- Real Time Strategy
- Card Games
Popular Esports
Video games have been played for centuries and now with the advancement of technology players throughout the world compete online or using local area networks. Large organized events such as the International Dota 2, Overwatch League, NBA 2k League, and League of Legends World Championship are hosted in arenas filled with over 50,000 people with an additional 5,000,000 people watching online. Major events like this are equipped with prize pools that can reach over a million dollars. Placing a bet on these type of events, can create additional excitement for avid viewers and live streaming fans.
1.) Understanding Gameplay and Competitive Formats
One of the biggest mistakes we see when people place their first bet on esports, is not understanding the format of the video game and how the competitive scene works. It is best to stick to a couple of games you are familiar with and get a really good understanding of the competitive scene, professional teams, and different markets to bet on. Pick a certain genre or few games you play a lot with your buddies because esports bookmakers like Arcanebet, Buff.Bet, and Betway provide plenty of options to bet on esports.
If you are into traditional sports based video games like NBA 2k League, NHL, Madden, and FIFA are great options for you. For those more interested in MOBA games like League of Legends and Dota 2 than try to focus on that genre by consistently following those competitive scenes. Regardless, try and stick to placing bets on a limited amount of games.
This way, you can evaluate competitive players and teams to make a more informed bet on esports matches and results. The more time you put into analyzing stats, the more accurate your prediction will be. Betting on esports is all about beating the odds, and identifying odds makers mistakes.
At the end of the day pick a game or genre that you understand and know the techniques, concepts, and strategies required to win or lose a match. In order to bet on esports successfully you will need to follow teams, watch live streams, and find value bets. Shopping across multiple bookmakers can be one of the most profitable factors in online betting. With so many different options in 2019, there are plenty of variations in odd offerings – picking the highest odds on the market will increase long term profits and make your esports betting experience more enjoyable.
2.) Create a Strategy
If you are new to esports betting than the first thing you should learn is how odds are delivered and evaluated by bookmakers. In order to find value bets on esports events you will need to be able to identify good odds from bad. Another piece of advice we like to share is the journey of betting – you will go through ups and downs so be patient, learn from mistakes, and apply them in the future. If you have any experience in playing video games you will understand the highs and lows of winning and losing – this may help you deal with these moments while betting on esports.
For those of us trying to make some quick money through esports betting, be prepared to do a ton of research and homework. It will always take time and betting in small increments like 1-2% of bankroll per bet will result in longer term success. Managing your bankroll is equally as important as accurately predicting matches. It is the same as investing in the stock market – find value, determine amount to risk, and
3.) Shop for Value
One factor that will definitely separate good esports betting strategies from bad ones is getting comfortable enough to identify which odds offer value compared to ones that just aren’t worth the risk. Odds and their value is key to any form of betting, but it can be even more critical when betting on esports, due to its unpredictable nature during highly competitive competitions.
The first piece of advice in finding esports value bets, is that they might not always be the highest odds. While these odds obviously pay out the most, that does not necessarily mean they offer the most value. While there isn’t a better feeling than receiving massive payouts from betting on the heavy underdog, this strategy is far from sustainable and will likely result in more losses than wins in the long run.
Winning real money betting on esports, is by no means easy. It can take a long time before you start seeing the results you originally had hoped for, but with experience comes more informed and profitable bets over longer periods of time. Being able to identify and bet on favourites that may be under valued by bookmakers is a great way to find the most valuable odds with the least amount of risk.
The most reliable way to see long term gains betting on esports is by becoming more comfortable valuing odds, and identifying lines that may have been under valued by oddsmakers. Perfecting a strategy that accurately identifies what value is and how to detect it in esports odds is the best way to win real money placing a bet on esports.
4.) Choosing the Right Bookmaker
When trying to choose which esports bookmaker to sign up with, there are a few things that needed to be taken into account.
Location
- The first being where you are currently living. Bookmakers are licensed and regulated by a different commissions, with most being located offshore. Each platform accepts players from certain regions of the world. Traditional bookies accepting real money do restrict access to players from certain countries like Bulgaria, South Korea, and up until recently the USA; due to strict laws prohibiting online gambling. Be sure to find a bookmaker that accepts players from wherever you are currently residing.
Payment Method
- Before signing up with an esports betting site, be sure to establish which form of payment you will be funding your account with. Each bookmaker offers and accepts different withdrawal and deposit options, so be sure to pick one that caters to your preferred payment option.
Bonus Offer
- As advertised throughout our site, most esports bookmakers offer unique sign up bonus offers to first time players. These bonus offers consist of anything from free bets, adjusted odds, or an additional 100% of your first deposit in real money. These bonus offers do very from bookmaker to bookmaker and each one comes with its own set of terms and conditions, so be sure to fully understand which one provides the most value before committing your funds to a random bookmaker with so many terms and conditions you never really get your bonus.
Multiple Accounts – (Advanced Bettors)
- With each esports betting site listing unique odds, we often see inconsistencies in the lines they set and the value they provide. Accurately predicting matches is more productive when we have the option to choose from 3 or more bookmakers and the various odds they have set.
- For example
- BOOKMAKER A might be offering CS:GO Betting odds for Astralis at 1.58 and their opponents MiBR as the underdogs @ 2.59.
- BOOKMAKER B might be offering odds for Astralis at 1.64 and their opponents MiBR as the underdogs @ 2.49.
- BOOKMAKER C might be offering odds for Astralis at 1.72 and their opponents MiBR as the underdogs @ 2.12.
- If you have analyzed both teams stats and are confident based of past performances and experience, Astralis will win the match, then in that case, Astralis @1.72 listed by bookmaker C would be the best and most profitable option. Having multiple accounts lets you pick esports value bets that payout the most on winning bets.
5.) Diversify Bet Types
Money Line
- Money line bets are popular in North America and are considered one of the more traditional bet types available in esports betting. With regard to a bet on esports – this is when the punter picks a player/team that will win a match.
Handicap
- Put simply, handicap betting on esports is when the bookmaker offers more balanced odds after giving the underdog a positive handicap and the favourite a negative handicap. To win a handicap bet you must have either the underdog win the match or the favourite team wins by more than the initial spread.
Totals (Over/Under)
- Esports totals betting is when the player bets on a number of events in a game. The bookmaker will set a certain number and you will have the chance to choose Over or Under that number. For a game like CSGO it might be total number of rounds or in League of Legends it may be total kills.
Outright Winner or Futures
- An outright bet on esports is the process of wagering on who will win an entire championship, tournament, or in cases like NBA 2K Leagues. For example at the beginning of the NBA 2K League playoffs bookmakers like Buff88 and Arcanebet were offering odds on who will be the outright winner of the playoffs. This bet type definitely offers some great value when underdog teams with high odds prevail in the end.
- Picking the Winner of Major Events
- Picking the Winner of Esports Leagues
Proposition Betting (Prop Bets)
- Map Winner – Which Competitor(s) will win a particular map
- First Blood – Which Competitor(s) will get the first kill
- Team to Slay First Baron
How to Bet on Esports Fantasy Leagues
The alternative to straight up betting on esports matches and events is a growing sector called fantasy esports betting. Brand new platforms like DraftKings, Vulcan, and ESP allow users to be apart of fantasy leagues revolved around esports games like CSGO, League of Legends, Dota 2, and more. The idea of fantasy esports is the same as traditional sports where you pick a certain number of players with a salary cap each day, and you bank on those players earning you the most fantasy points. Scoring is based of particular scoring criteria, and is specific to each game.