eSports Betting Tips

Daniel Collins

Written by: Daniel Collins

Last Updated:

Read Time: 4 minutes

The COVID-19 lockdown brought all major sports events to a complete standstill. However, gambling and sports betting businesses saw an increase in revenue. Although the big league eSports events were canceled, more and more professional gaming tournaments have been popping up online. Esports betting lovers all around the world (and those who were not already fans) turned to online gaming tournaments for sports entertainment.

Best Ways to Bet Esports

Just like betting on any other traditional sport, there are different wagering options available for eSports bettors, with each one offering distinct advantages and disadvantages. We have put together some of the options for betting on eSports to help you play and win.

Moneyline Bet

The Moneyline Bet is the most common wager in any form of sports betting. It is simply predicting which player or team will win the match. Moneyline Bet predicts the outright winner. Placing a Moneyline Bet does not require much knowledge of the teams or players; you just have to access the odds of each team, find out which is the favorite and which team isn’t. In matches where an experienced team of players is going up against a newcomer, the odds tend to differ for each side, because the favorite in the match will be clear.

However, if both teams and players are matched in skill and talent, the odds are usually close in value, because there is no clear favorite. In cases like this, additional knowledge is necessary to make a betting decision.

Most Kills Bet

Betting on the number of kills in a game is quite complex. Most kills bets are usually tied to MOBA matches. In these types of games, the player with the most kills may not emerge as the winner of the match. In games like Dota 2 and League of Legends, a team could win the match even with a lesser number of kills. Betting on the most kills requires some knowledge of the strategies and mechanics of the game. You do not necessarily have to be an experienced bettor to wager on the most kills, but it is beneficial to know the players’ tactics and each team’s synergy. Some knowledge of a player’s skill with certain characters will help in predicting the number of kill chances he/she may get. A team with a lineup of offensive champion players is more likely to get in the most kills in a match.

Knowing the favorite team in a match is just not enough to predict the team with the highest number of kills. It is necessary to pay attention to each player’s chosen hero and their style of play to gauge their probably aggressiveness and therefore possible kills in the match.

Over/Under Bet

Over/under bets – also sometimes referred to as total bets – do not concentrate on the outcome in wins and losses, but rather on the statistics of a particular element in the game. In over/under bets, you are expected to wager on whether a team or player will score more or less than a particular set score. These scores are usually set by the online betting site. For example, in an Overwatch match, you get to bet on whether teams like WGS Phoenix and Team BM will score a total of over or under 28.5.

Map bet

The majority of eSports games are based on maps rather than rounds. Some games have maps that change during the match, while some maps remain the same throughout the match. Map betting is akin to other games’ round betting. Most games employ a best out of 3 or best out of 5 formats, this means the teams face off in three to five maps or more. Map betting is simply betting on the specific outcome of each round/map. So, if you feel one of the teams will rule in a particular element, then you can wager on it. It is advisable to monitor champion picks and bans in Dota 2 or League of Legends game.

How to pick the best Sportsbooks to bet eSports

If you wish to win big in eSports betting, you need to find the perfect sportsbook. Using a sub-par sportsbook could ruin your whole betting experience. Here are some tips for picking the best sportsbook:

Licensing and Reputation

Sportsbooks obtain licensing from different jurisdictions to legalize their base. However, not all jurisdictions are equal, weaker jurisdictions cost less, but provide fewer standards. These weak jurisdictions provide little or no protection for gamblers and are of no help if a dispute arises between gamblers and sportsbooks.

Great Variety and Odds

You want to pick a site with a good number of betting lines and odds; options are always good. The more the wagering options, the more fun gambling is, and the more likely you’ll win something. Betting lines are usually categorized by competitions, games, and betting types. Looking at multiple different books can also allow you to pick the better odds on a particular result you want to bet on.

Bonuses and Promotion

Welcome bonuses and promotions are usually the most attractive features of any site. Some sportsbooks will offer to match your deposit while others offer free betting for a specific number of bets. You should go with whichever one offers you the opportunity for more winnings, also depending on your betting strategy and how much money you’re willing to put down.

Also, check out each site’s payout policies before you sign up, you don’t want to have wait for a long time before you can get to your money.

Betting Strategy and Tips

Esports betting has its complexities, and should not be ventured into without knowledge of the games. Here are some tips to guide you in your eSports betting adventure:

  • Before you go betting, learn the ropes. Try playing the games yourself so you will have a better comprehension of the game rules and more.
  • Learn the strategies and tactics of competing players and teams. Then, you will be able to predict the stronger player and/or team in a match.
  • Study past tournaments, fixture history, rankings, and other statistics related to eSports betting. This will help you understand the nature of the competition.
  • Keep up with eSports betting blogs and websites to stay up to date on news about players, teams, and tournaments. If you do this for long enough, you should be able to differentiate between real information and made-up stories.

Top eSport Games

Video games played for professional competitions are split into different categories, like fighting games, first-person shooter games, real-time strategy games (RTG), (MOBA) multiplayer online battle arena games, racing games, sports games, etc. MOBA games are the most popular genre of eSports competitive games.

Here are some of the best eSports games to bet on;

Fighting games

  • Marvel vs. Capcom
  • Killer Instinct
  • Street Fighter

First-person shooter games

  • Battlefield
  • Overwatch
  • Call of Duty

MOBA games

  • League of Legends
  • Dota 2
  • Smite

Racing games

  • Formula One
  • iRacing
  • Project Cars

RTG games

  • StarCraft
  • StarCraft II
  • WarCraft III

Sports games

  • FIFA series
  • NBA 2K
  • Pro Evolution Soccer