Gamer’s Guide to Esports Betting

Esports is an ever growing industry that shows no sign of slowing down. It’s new, it’s exciting, and many, including us at Nitrogen Sports Blog, consider esports as being on the same page as other professional sports.

Everyone is scrambling to try to understand the crazy world of esports; the idea of placing bets on these types of competitions is considered foreign, or even absurd, for some.

There’s a lot to understand. By the end of this esports betting guide, you should have a better grasp of the top games on the esports betting scene and why it’s best to place your esports bets through Bitcoin.

Esports betting using Bitcoin

Over the past few years, Bitcoin has proven itself as a preferred way for esports betting because of a host of reasons. The less hassle the better when processing online transactions, especially when it comes to high frequency wagers on upcoming and live events.

Thanks to Bitcoin, players can avoid going through third-party entities such as banks, and the transactions are quick with barely any details required.

Players enjoy more privacy online than ever before with the nature of cryptocurrency. Plus, any fees you may encounter will be cheaper than the traditional transaction fees you’re used to.

All you need is to pick your preferred Bitcoin wallet to store all of your Bitcoin, attach it to your account and you can begin placing those bets on esports matches.

Depending on your prefered esports game, there’s a variety of betting lines to choose from when esports betting.

The traditional betting line types like ‘Money Lines’ (predicting the winner of the match) are available, but you can also bet for who will win a specific map in the series, or bet on which team can take the first kill in a Dota 2 game.

The minimum bet amount you can place in an esports match can go as low as 0.0001 BTC (~64 cents), giving you more freedom to spread your investment in a series.

You can place a minimum on who will take the first 5 rounds in a CS:GO match, to test that gut feeling you had before the start of the game, or if you see a momentum shift during a long series, you can place a bet on the upcoming map based on this change.

Once you score and have a big payout, all your bets are secured with Bitcoin, and you can easily withdraw all of your earnings, almost instantly, with no hassle.

Things to know about the biggest esports games

Bitcoin esports betting is a different beast and there are key elements in every game that you should know before placing your bets.

Betting on Overwatch

Overwatch is very team-oriented compared to other competitive esports shooter titles. There are a series of roles required in each team to successfully win the objective.

We have tanks to soak up damage, damage dealers tasked to eliminate the opposition, and support heroes that keep the team up in a fight.

There are four types of maps available in competitive Overwatch: assault, control, escort, and hybrid (a mix of assault and escort objectives).

With the option to swap players in-between maps during a match, you should keep an eye on how teams properly rotate players that excel in specific objectives and maps.

Since betting lines for every map are available, knowing a team’s recent performance on certain maps and objectives will give you a better understanding on how the series will go.

Betting on Dota 2 and League of Legends

Dota 2 and League of Legends are currently the biggest MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) games in the genre, and are considered one of the main reasons why esports gaming is as big as it is today.

Since Dota 2 and League of Legends have only one map and their are objectives fixed, there are no other elements to affect the outcome of a match unlike other games.

What you have to keep an eye out for though is the drafting phase that happens before the start of a match.

The team captain on each team picks which hero/champion will be banned and who will be picked for the upcoming match. This phase is crucial for a team’s success. Noticing poor drafting choices can shift the probability at the start of the match, which can then help in your betting choices as a series moves forward.

Betting on Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

CS:GO continues to be a top title despite new shooters popping up in the hope to take its place in the esports scene.

Map banning is an important factor in CS:GO since teams tend to perform better on certain maps. Knowing the team’s preferred map entering a series will give you an idea on who might have an edge in a match. Looking at their recent history on a specific map will be a good start, too.

If for example, you see Virtus Pro struggling on the map ‘Train’ recently and you see they will be playing on it next, despite the odds suggesting them as the favored team, you should consider Virtus Pro vulnerable to some extent.

The final score of previous matches are also vital information to consider before placing your bets. Again, look at the team’s history. Even if we have a team winning recently, if you see previous matches mostly ending in 16-14. Those are close matches that could go either way, so be wary because CS:GO tends to have a high comeback rate compared to other games.

In esports, there are various organizers implementing different tournaments and league formats. There are a variety of ways to compete, new ways to play, and being on top of how the latest tournament and league formats work will give you a better understanding on the possible risks and outcomes before placing your bets.

The esports meta is constantly evolving for each game unlike traditional sports, and if you so happen to be out of the game for more than 6 months, get ready to catch up, because things tend to move quick.

Stay updated on the latest game patches and sudden changes. Our esports betting on edges guide, which focuses on the general changes you can expect so you can build a bit of a strategy. Before you know it, you’ll be as confident as ever when betting on esports.

The games mentioned above are the top games in the scene right now. If you like NBA 2K, tactical shooters, or even real-time strategy games (RTS), then check out these five other esports games that are currently on the rise.

