eSports Betting and eSports Odds

While not yet popular in the Western world, eSports games and tournaments first started to enter the public consciousness at the beginning of the 21st century. In Asia, most notably in China, Japan, and South Korea, a culture had arisen around internet cafes and computer games. Titles like Starcraft, World of Warcraft, and a variety of first-person shooters had built a cult following within a burgeoning gaming sub-culture.

Alongside these titles, publishers and gaming companies like Blizzard Entertainment, Valve Corporation and Riot Games used the energy of these communities to grow a rabid and engaged following around their efforts. The lightning pace of the games being developed coupled with captivating playing environments presented a unique opportunity to market a gaming experience that was truly special at the time. And they certainly took that opportunity well.

We’re not alone in our admiration of games such as Dota 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and StarCraft2. The gaming industrial complex was built around these franchises with established professional leagues, teams, media and advertisers chasing the success of these titles and others by professionalizing the playing and viewing experiences of numerous communities across the world.

The economics around this industry is truly mind-boggling. For example, for the main title of the Dota World Championship more than $25 million dollars was available to win in 2018, with that figure only expected to grow in 2019.

League of Legends

One of the stars of the eSports boom, League of Legends is a multiplayer online battle arena game, also known as a MOBA, created by the folks at Riot Games. A relative newcomer, its 2009 release marked a sizeable shift in the eSports market. At the moment of writing, LOL is far and away from the leading beacon in the world of eSports with the most users and highest average playing time.

Dota 2

Born out of World of Warcraft, Dota 2 was originally created by a member of the playing community as a mod for fans and purists of the WoW franchise. Brought to market by Valve Corporation, its ubiquity with fans boils down to its revolutionary gameplay coupled with its infamous difficulty. Tesla founder, Elon Musk used Dota 2 as a training field to assess the competency of AI projects within his OpenAI company. But don’t worry, you won’t need access to a high functioning AI program to successfully navigate the Dota 2 betting odds and markets.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO)

The original first-person shooter Counter-Strike, and it’s many variants, is one of the first PC games to really take off in the early 2000s. Fast forward to 2012, and it’s the latest offering, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO), that’s really struck a chord with fans. With more than 25 million copies sold, CSGO is a mainstay on Twitch and YouTube and boasts viewership numbers higher than traditional sports broadcasters.

StarCraft 2

One of the most difficult games to play, StarCraft 2 is the epitome of strategy and analysis within the gaming world. Countless papers have been published in academic journals across the world debating the intricacies of a whole host of playing strategies utilised by players. Another game-changing title by the folks at Blizzard Entertainment, StarCraft 2 is everything you want in a sequel and more.

Heroes of the Storm

Like the other aforementioned games, Heroes of the Storm, also developed by Blizzard Entertainment, is a multiplayer online battle arena game that utilises a freemium model to maximise its playing audiences of fans from across the world. More of a niche eSport, HotS is a great way to get into eSports as the game is a much more streamlined product when compared to other titles. Simplicity is a key attraction, especially with first-time bettors.

Hearthstone

Finally, but certainly not least, is Hearthstone. You might have seen their commercials if you ever watched a sporting competition live on TV. Unlike the other mentioned games, Hearthstone is a card game with game mechanics that might have you feeling like you’re playing Solitaire or Poker. It’s all about strategy with Hearthstone and you’ll want to get acquainted with the playing styles and tactics before jumping in.

An overlooked, but, important tip to consider for eSports betting is game selection. A key metric for success is the ability to recognise opportunities in plain sight. Following a particular game and its corresponding matches and tournaments builds familiarity with the betting markets on offer while also building a keen understanding of competitive odds.

Below, you’ll find our best tips and strategies to consider when betting on eSports:

• Assess the field: One of the most important skills to have is the ability to assess the quality of the field and a participant’s chance of success. Leaning on players’ playing history and their record of play within a tournament or against a particular opponent is a great tactic to consider.
• Live Betting: Pre-matched betting is a great strategy to gain an advantage on bookmakers before the beginning of an event. However, live betting provides the opportunity to shop for a better line during key moments of an event.
• Informed Selection: An oddity unique to eSports is the drafting phase. A period of time during the beginning of an event where you’re able to gauge the lineup of competitors while also receiving key insights from analysts following the game. It pays to have the best information and this is one advantage you’ll surely want to utilise.
• Roster and Game Updates: Like any sport, changes to the lineup personnel and/or an amendment to the game mechanics governing the event are crucial bits of information to be aware of. Particularly in eSports, changes to a tournament or match can radically swing the competitiveness of a result in an instant. Track an event and make sure that you’re aware of all changes before making a selection.
• Betting a Favourite Successfully: Consistently betting favourites can be a profitable strategy in the long-term, however, it’ll require a sizeable bankroll to truly capitalise on low odds. A better strategy is to assess the strength of a favourite in all available betting markets against their opponent and bet on selections where the odds are more favourable to a higher turnover.

• • Straight odds: Just as you’d imagine, choose between a win or draw for a given match.
  • Outright winner: Prior to the start of a tournament or competition, select a winner beforehand with a winning bet being determined at the end of the event once all matches have been settled.
  • Live betting: Similar to other live betting offerings, as a match or an event develops, odds will change in real-time following the trends and developments within the match/tournament.

  It’s a great time to get into eSports as the flourishing betting industry surrounding it is growing at a feverish pace with numerous betting markets and props coming online daily. If you’re already a fan, then welcome. If not, the time to join is now. Do a little research, learn about the various titles on offer, and find a community of like-minded folks already passionate with enthusiasm and excitement.

  If that wasn’t enough, like all great passions, this one presents a unique opportunity to make some cold hard cash at the end of it all! For the best eSports odds and markets, look no further than Mr Green!