E-sports – what is it?
The sport of computer games or e-sports is usually referred to as tournaments with large prize pools where specific video games are played. The most commonly played games are Counter-Strike, Dota 2, StarCraft, League of Legends, and many others. The tournaments of these games often attract hundreds of thousands, sometimes even millions of viewers, so some companies have started offering betting opportunities. According to statistics, e-sports betting could become more popular than traditional sports betting in just a few years.
Top companies for e-sports betting
Of course, only those who are familiar with this field should participate in e-sports betting. Computer games usually have much more complex sets of rules, and information is less publicly available, so betting without understanding or strategy will simply waste money.
E-sports betting – how does it differ from traditional sports?
As mentioned earlier, computer games are primarily distinguished by their diversity and complexity. Many traditional sports are focused on point systems, which are always earned in the same way. In contrast, not all games in e-sports have points, and even in those that have something similar (e.g., resources in StarCraft), predicting the advantage based on “point” differences between players will be much more difficult. Of course, this can often become a significant advantage against the betting company if bets are placed with a good understanding of the game and its strategies.
Another big difference is the lack of seasonal competitions. Most traditional sports can be divided into two annual parts – the main season and the off-season. In the field of e-sports, although the concept of a season is used in almost all games, there are no clear boundaries. Many computer games have their main annual tournaments, for which teams or players prepare all year, but there are also many smaller competitions constantly taking place. Unlike traditional sports, in the field of e-sports, due to almost always ongoing tournaments, betting can take place every day.
For those who want to place e-sports bets, the most important difference from traditional sports is the youth of this field. Sports such as basketball, football, and many others have existed for a hundred or more years, so betting companies and odds makers have had a lot of time to develop their strategies and calculations. E-sports betting has only existed for a few years in major betting companies, so information about the games and odds making is not as well established as in traditional sports. This means that the potential advantage of the bettor against the company can be much greater.
E-sports betting – strategy
The profitability of e-sports betting, as elsewhere, depends on the type and odds. Many types of traditional sports bets also exist in e-sports, so it is usually advisable to use time-tested options. In all games, of course, there will be bets on the winner of the match or the entire tournament, but often other profitable bets (totals or handicaps) can be found. These bets are almost always the most profitable and valuable, as they provide a great balance between prediction and information-based betting. Many of these types of bets also often give the best odds range – 1.85-1.95. This odds range is in many cases the most valuable, as the win is predictable and likely. In any betting field, it is advisable to avoid bets with odds higher than 3, as such odds are given only to events with very low probability. Although theoretically, a lot of profit can be made with just one bet, such odds are traps for beginners. Bets with very high odds are simply calculated very carefully, so winning with such bets will be very difficult.
E-sports betting – live odds
In e-sports, there is one additional, very important, betting method – the use of live odds. Some betting companies offer constantly changing odds, which are calculated during the game based on the statistics available to them. Live odds in e-sports are much more important than in traditional sports, where the advantage during the game is linear. For example, in basketball, except in very specific cases, a 20-point advantage in the hands of any team is worth exactly the same as the other. For the other team to overtake the current favorite, in any case, they need to score at least 21 points. In many computer games, the advantage is not linear. For example, in strategy games, some players may choose a tactic to finish the game very early (sometimes called “zerging”). If they fail to gain enough advantage over the opponent in the early stages of the game, it is clear that this player will start to fall significantly behind their opponent over time. This advantage is abstract, so it can be observed not from the game statistics but from the general understanding of the strategy and its implementation.
In the case of live odds, many betting companies calculate them based on statistics. Of course, often the objective advantage and strategic advantage in games will coincide, and the odds will be accurate. However, by closely watching the matches and having a good understanding of the game, it is often possible to use live odds to your advantage when the calculations based on game statistics deviate from reality. In such cases, much more valuable bets can be found than usual, and a greater advantage can be gained over the betting company.
E-sports broadcasts
Obviously, you will rarely see broadcasts of computer game tournaments on television, especially on Lithuanian TV channels. Almost all e-sports broadcasts take place online. You can watch many games on the Twitch.tv website, where you usually need to find the channel of the tournament organizers. Often, you can find the broadcast or a link to it on the betting company's website, which can be followed both for fun and for live odds.
Most e-sports tournaments these days last at least a few days, with only a few starting and ending on the same day they began. Although there are many opportunities to place bets, we recommend initially sticking to bets on one match or series of matches. Predicting the winner of the entire tournament, even for experienced viewers and fans, will often be very difficult. The sport of computer games is not as advanced as traditional sports, so unexpected victories or losses of favorites happen much more often.
E-sports betting and tips for beginners
The sport of computer games is still a less popular form of betting, but due to its short existence, these bets can be very profitable. For those who would like to engage in e-sports betting but have not been interested in or played popular games, we recommend spending the first few weeks or even months watching the matches. E-sports games are often more technically complex (after all, computer games do not require specific physical preparation), so it may take more time to understand them well. Of course, it is always best to try the game yourself, as experience can provide a better understanding than just watching.
Most broadcasts take place on websites with an active chat feature. Sometimes, especially during smaller tournaments, you can find ongoing discussions about bets. Both beginners and experienced bettors can find useful information in the chat. Often, people who have placed bets will be willing to share not only their specific bets but also their reasoning. Of course, it is always worth remembering that people in chats are just other bettors, so their information should be taken critically.
The importance of tournaments and selecting one game
The third important factor is small tournaments. In the biggest tournaments in e-sports (as in regular sports), the best teams in the world gather, so it will be very difficult to clearly assess which one will win the tournament or at least the series. Most good teams (especially in games like Dota 2) tend to skip smaller tournaments. One or two top-level teams or players usually attend these, so the chances of guessing the winners increase significantly. In smaller tournaments, it is often much easier to find +EV bets, which can potentially bring more profit.
Finally, we always recommend selecting just one game.
Sports (basketball, football, or other games) usually allow you to choose one branch, as you will only need to familiarize yourself with very minimal rule changes or just with other teams. In e-sports, even games of the same genre can differ significantly. The confusion can be increased by the same teams – often one team's brand will have several groups of players in different games. It is not uncommon for a team to be excellent in one game but not perform well in others, so in e-sports, it is best to always follow one game.
The Future of E-sports
At the moment, e-sports is still not a very popular activity or form of betting, but observing the statistics of computer games and their tournaments reveals a rapidly changing picture. Computer games in terms of profit already surpass giants like the film or some sports industries. Of course, e-sports still has a long way to go before this field catches up with traditional sport in popularity, but progress is happening very quickly. Just 10 years ago, there were only a few (World Cyber Games or Evolution) tournaments offering prizes over 100 thousand, and now there are at least a few game series worth several or dozens of millions held annually. Game developers, of course, increasingly promote and encourage the viewership of such large tournaments, so it is not uncommon for the biggest e-sports tournaments to be watched by over a million (or several) people.
So far, e-sports has not yet managed to gain popularity in society, but its progress is enormous. For those looking for a new source of betting and wagering, e-sports can offer promising new opportunities. It is likely that this field will continue to exist, more actively or less, for a long time, so betting companies will also want to increase and improve their offerings in computer game sports. Probably now is one of the best times to start getting interested in this field, as it is still a new area for betting companies. In this case, bettors can extract the most potential value from their bets.
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