Betting on eSports is not overly complicated, but knowing the best strategies can help improve your chances of success. As with any sports betting, wagering on eSports can be risky, and knowing what the right bet to place is not always straightforward. Tournaments are high-pressure situations, and things can change quickly, meaning a well-thought-out bet can quickly cause you to lose your money.
Understand Esports Betting Options
The best offshore sportsbooks, like BetOnline and BetUS, offer several betting options (source: https://www.sportscasting.com/betting-sites/offshore-sportsbooks/):
- Point spread: This bet is popular in eSports that feature multiple games or maps. With this bet, the favorite team or player receives a map handicap, and the underdog gets an advantage. The outcome must cover the point spread.
- Totals (over/under): The main total bet is often shown as O/U (over/under). The bet depends on the type of game, but usually reflects the total number of points or kills scored by both teams. The bettor is wagering on whether the total number will be over or under a predetermined number. This number is set by the sportsbook.
- Futures: This bet allows punters to bet on the outcome of an event that will happen in the future. Sportsbooks offer futures bets on tournaments before they start, e.g. the winner of the tournament or who will take home the championship title.
- Parlays: Parlay bets combine several bets. Creating a parlay involves adding multiple selections of the betting slip into the parlay tab and entering the bet amount. With a parlay bet, the selection must be correct to win. Even just one incorrect bet means the whole parlay loses.
- Proposition bets: Player props are placed on teams or individual players and do not involve the outcome of the match. For example, in eSports, it can be the team to make the first kill or a specific player making over/under 20 kills.
Consider Various Bookmakers
It is best to consider all your options when placing bets on any sport. Punters should register with various betting platforms to find the best odds, promotions, and bonuses. This allows bettors to compare lines, markets, and odds that offer the best value for their bets.
Place Smaller Bets
Experienced bettors recommend placing smaller bets more consistently for the duration of the tournament. It is ill-advised to go all-in during high-stakes matches.
By placing smaller, consistent bets, the betting risk will be evenly spread and significant losses will be prevented.
Follow the Latest Esports News
Bettors may think they’re familiar with eSports because they casually play the games at home, but there’s a difference between knowing the game and being up to date on the latest news. Placing bets successfully includes understanding what happened during recent events as well as current betting trends.
By streaming live tournaments and reading news articles, bettors can identify the strongest teams and their weaknesses as well as underdogs that may cause an upset during a match. Information is your strongest weapon when placing bets and should influence your betting strategy.
Don’t Rush To Place Your Bets
Most eSports tournaments can stretch across several days and have various stages. Experts advise against placing too many bets in the early stages of the tournament since most surprises and unexpected defeats happen during this time. Teams are still figuring out their strategies and their opponents, and surprises are expected.
It is best to remain patient, watching as the tournament unfolds, and then placing bets during the more advanced stages. This will allow bettors to analyze the teams’ strategies and identify who is strongest.
Track Your Results
Learning from your mistakes is one of the best ways to improve your future betting chances. It is easy to become disheartened when a bet fails, but this experience should guide your decisions for upcoming events.
It is also crucial to track the results of any bets placed. Bettors must analyze which bets succeeded and failed and review their past bets before wagering on the next tournament.
Wrapping Up
Betting on eSports is pretty straightforward. Some simple strategies and knowledge, like reading eSports news, understanding bet formats, and making informed decisions, can help improve the odds of success and also result in a more enjoyable betting experience.