CS2 gambling is the practice of betting on Counter-Strike 2 esports events. Counter-Strike 2 is the most popular esports for betting. On this page, find out how to bet on CS2 legally and safely. The information on this page is intended for anyone who’s looking to start betting on CS2. It can also serve as a refresher for anyone with experience betting on Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
Bet on CS2: Top Providers & Promos
Betting on Counter-Strike is a form of entertainment to be enjoyed responsibly. If you believe that you might have a gambling problem contact your local gambling support group immediately.
How to Bet on CS2
When looking to get into Counter-Strike 2 betting, you will quickly realize that almost every gambling website will let you put down CS2 bets on S-Tier, A-Tier and lower-tier events.
The providers listed above are all reviewed by our experts, they offer a safe space for online CS2 real-money gambling with efficient payment methods, generous welcome bonuses, a range of pre-match, live betting and outrights markets.
Any bettor new to the space could find themselves overwhelmed with all the options presented to them. In order to make CS2 gambling more accessible, we’ve created this guide that will show you all the things you need to know to get started with Counter-Strike 2 betting.
Once you decide on your preferred website, follow our step-by-step guide on how to begin your CS2 esports betting journey:
- Select a CS2 Betting Site – Before we get stuck into the nitty-gritty of CS2 esports betting, you will need a safe and reputable gambling site, which will allow you to place bets without worrying about the legitimacy of that provider. To do that, review our list of CS2 gambling sites, where we explain all the ins and outs of the most popular and reputable websites in the space.
- Check Welcome Bonus Details – Most of the top CS2 gambling sites offer welcome bonuses or promo codes, such as GG.Bet’s promo code, for new players. Make sure to read the terms and conditions that are required for you to receive your bonus before activating your bonus.
- Sign Up & Verify – During the registration process, the website will ask you to input personal information such as your name, email, date of birth and other details. As long as you have signed up to a legit and reputable site, you have nothing to worry about, regarding the safety of your personal and financial data. You will be ask to verify your personal details at a later stage.
- Choose a Deposit Method – To be able to place CS2 bets, you must deposit some money into your account. Choose a deposit method that best suits your needs.
- Redeem Welcome Bonus – Once you’ve made your first deposit you’ll be able to claim your welcome bonus.
- Peruse CS2 Betting Markets – Peruse the list of the different CS2 gambling markets and place your bets.
Finding a CS2 Betting App
If you prefer betting on your phone or find gambling websites to not be the right fit for you, then betting apps are a great tool that you can use to begin your CS2 gambling journey.
Betting apps sport multiple advantages over their website counterparts, such as:
- User-friendly interface
- Ease of use
- Greater convenience
- Easy access to live betting
- Enhanced security measures
Understanding CS2 Odds
In order to maximize your success and create effective strategies, you have to get a solid understanding of different odds formats and bet types.
Here’s a rundown of some of the types of bets you can place on CS2 matches:
- Money Line Betting – Simply betting on which team is going to win the match.
- Handicap Betting/Point Spread – a bet where a team is given either an advantage or a disadvantage in order to even out the matchup
- Totals Over or Under – The bettor has to choose whether an event will happen more times or fewer times than the number set by the bookies. These types of bets could be applied to many aspects of a CS2 match
- Accumulators (Accas) – Also referred to as parlays, combo bets or multi bets. Multiple wagers linked together inside one bet. All wagers inside the bet have to be successful in order to win the parlay.
As for CS2 odds formats, our reviewed bookmakers will offer you a range that different odds formats depending on the country. The decimal format is most popularly used in Europe, whilst the US odds format is used in the USA. Fractional odds are the preferred odds format in the United Kingdom.
CS2 Betting Markets
Counter-Strike 2 betting is great for bettors who want to explore a large variety of different markets as CS2 offers exactly that.
Here’s a list of some of the most popular CS2 betting markets, including futures, outrights, and props:
- Match Winner – The simplest bet, who will win the match?
- Single Map Winner – Most games are played on a best of 3 or best of 5 maps. Select the winner of each individual map.
- Match Winner with Handicap – For the more advanced bettor. The winning team must win by a certain margin defined by the bookmaker for you to win the bet.
- Single Map Winner with Round Handicap – For the even more advanced bettor. Each map must be won by a certain margin.
- Single Map Winner including Overtime – Every round possible must be played before the map is won in overtime rounds.
- Single Map Round Count – A deceptively difficult bet to get right – how many rounds will be played before the winner comes out on top?
- Total Round Number per Team – For fans of specific numbers! How many rounds will each team have at the end of the game?
- Single Map Pistol Round Winner – Predict the first round and the first round after halftime when the teams have swapped sides.
- Single Map Winning Margin – A tricky bet! How many rounds of difference will there be between the winner and loser of a map?
- Single Map Number of Rounds – A very simple 50/50 bet. Will the final number of rounds be odd or even?
Depending on the CS2 gambling website, many more betting markets than listed above may be on offer.
Live Betting on Counter-Strike 2
All the best gambling websites allow for CS2 live betting, where bettors can place bets on different aspects of the match while it is being played. Obviously, live betting also comes with live odds, which are dynamic, changing depending on the current situation in the particular match.
When live betting, you have more data about the game, which you can use to make more informed and calculated decisions when placing live bets.
On the contrary, pre-match betting is relatively riskier than live betting, as you have less information to help make your decisions, although the odds are usually more favorable before the games begin.
Popular CS2 Tournaments
As opposed to many other popular esports, the CS2 esports scene is thriving at the moment, with more and more tournaments being announced each month. The first Tier one LAN in CS2 history will take place down under, as IEM Sydney 2023 kicked off with the action on Oct. 16, before culminating with the Grand Final on Sunday, October 22.
Some of the biggest tournament organizers in Counter-Strike, namely ESL, have announced a number of CS2 events, which are set to take place in 2024 as part of their professional circuits.
CS2 tournaments will come in a number of forms that set the stage for some spectacular competition:
IEM Events
Intel Extreme Masters CS2 events run throughout the year. There are some key locations that they’re held in every year including Katowice, Cologne and Dallas. In recent times, IEM has made moves to expand globally. They’ve had some incredible showings in Rio de Janeiro and there are confirmed plans to expand further into Asia.
The first IEM China will be held in April 2024. The very first S-tier CS2 tournament was IEM Sydney, a fitting beginning after IEM bid farewell to CS:GO in the Cathedral of Counterstrike in Cologne.
ESL Pro League
The ESL Pro League is something to look forward to every year. With two lengthy seasons running in April and September 2024. The EPL is the cornerstone of competitive Counter-Strike and fans are in good hands with the organizers, ESL. The winner of the season is given a direct invitation to the next IEM event so it’s in every team’s interest to put their best foot forwards at these events.
BLAST Premier Circuit
The BLAST Premier circuit has been a mainstay on the Counter-Strike calendar for years, as it provides fans with some of the best tournaments in the scene. The series consists of two seasons and a $1.000.000 World Final at the end of the year, allowing for a number of BLAST Premier betting opportunities.
CS2 Majors
Majors play a huge role in every esports and CS2 tournaments are no different. The very first CS2 Major will be held in Copenhagen in March 2024 with PGL given the honor and responsibility of organizing a historic moment for Counter-Strike. The prize pools at CS2 Majors aren’t to be ignored either. With first place taking home $500,000, there’s a lot to play for.
Understanding Counter-Strike 2
While knowing every detail and all the intricacies of Counter-Strike 2 is not a must by any means, having a solid understanding of some basic concepts like game objectives, the competitive format, what roles you can expect to see the best CS2 players play, knowing the maps played and key terminology will greatly improve your ability to make better betting decisions on the back of your own knowledge.
To help you grasp the most important aspects of Counter-Strike 2, follow our guide below.
Game Objectives
- Competitive CS2 matches consist of two teams, Terrorists (Ts) and Counter-Terrorists (CTs), with five players on each team.
- The Terrorists’ objective is to plant the bomb on one of the two bombsites and defend it so that the CTs are unable to defuse it in time. Alternatively, Terrorists can also eliminate all Counter-Terrorists to win the round.
- The Counter-Terrorists’ objective is to defend the bombsites and stop the T’s from planting the bomb or defusing it before it explodes.
- Additionally, CTs can also claim victory if they eliminate all the Terrorists, as long as the bomb has been planted. If the Terrorists are able to plant the bomb before being subsequently killed, the CTs must locate and defuse the bomb in order to win the round.
Competitive Format
A CS2 match is played in the MR12 format, which means that:
- In each match, there are two halves of 12 rounds each.
- Teams swap sides after 12 rounds
- The first to win 13 rounds wins the match.
Player Roles
As previously mentioned, a CS2 team consists of five players with each one playing their own role in the team’s structure.
Professional Counter-Strike teams have players specifically dedicated to playing in their set roles, both on the T and CT sides.
The most popular Counter-Strike player roles:
| Role | Description |
|---|---|
| In-Game Leader (IGL) | Responsible for coming up with the tactics and strategies used by their team; dictates what their team will be doing every round |
| AWPer | Dedicated sniper; the name of the role comes from the most popular and deadliest sniper rifle in the game, the AWP |
| Lurker | Passive player; usually positioned on the edge of the map by himself in order to control the space their team is not occupying; great in clutch situations |
| Entry Fragger | Aggressive player; the first one to take duels in early stages of the round, mechanically gifted, but often dies first |
| Support | Player who assists their teammates when they are making plays, proficient with grenades, especially flashes, not very impactful statistically |
| Star Player | The best player on the team, plays in the best positions, set up by their teammates to make impactful plays |
| Anchor | Sole defender of their bombsite, doesn’t have much support, could face little action, if enemies focus on the other side of the map |
| Rifler | A player that plays exclusively with rifles on full gun rounds, basically not an AWPer |
CS2 Maps
There are seven maps in the CS2 competitive map pool, with each sporting a set of their own unique characteristics.
| Mirage | The most popular Counter-Strike map is still a fan favourite, due to its easy-to-understand structure and balanced gameplay |
| Nuke | Widely considered as the best map by a majority of professional players, as it allows for a lot of tactical variety and thanks to its intriguing vertical layout |
| Overpass | The biggest map in the pool is heavily favoured towards the CT side, which, amid other factors, makes it very divisive among the community |
| Ancient | A newer map with a classic layout, some players dislike its green colour scheme, mainly due to visibility issues |
| Inferno | Much like Mirage, Inferno is a staple in the CS map pool, winning over fans with balanced gameplay and multiple historic moments |
| Vertigo | Even though it shares similarities with Nuke, like verticality, it is among one of the most disliked maps in the pool, largely due to some awkward angles and confusing sound design |
| Anubis | Newest addition to CS that’s brought a lot of life into the game, as it's one of the few T-sided maps in the competitive pool |
Key CS Terminology
As with any other game, CS2 has many terms and phrases which are specific to the game and do not make much sense otherwise. It’s important to know at least some of those phrases to stay in the loop and not feel out of place in a Counter-Strike 2 environment.
Here’s a list of important CS2 terminology you should know:
- Eco round – A round in which a team doesn’t spend most of their money in order to afford better weaponry in the following round
- Pistol round – The first round of each half, where both teams start with the default pistols and have $800 to spend
- Frag – a kill
- Bomb plant – the action of putting the bomb down at a bombsite by a Terrorist
- Defuse – what CT’s do to the bomb so that it doesn’t explode
- Clutch – a situation when a player is alone and has to kill the remaining opponents by himself
- Ace – When one player eliminates all five enemies in the round by himself
- Overtime – when the score is equal at 12-12, then teams play overtime. This is where both teams play three rounds on each side, starting with more money than usual, until one of the teams wins four out of the six overtime rounds. If the score equals at 15-15, then the same cycle continues until a winner is found.
- T and CT – Terrorists and Counter-Terrorists
- A and B – the A bombsite and B bombsite
- MVP – most valuable player
- IGL – In-Game Leader
- HP – health points
- TK – team kill
- Gun round – a round where both teams are fully equipped with optimal weaponry and utility
- Force buy – a situation where a team doesn’t have enough money to play a fully equipped gun round. Here, they still use all of their money and buy whatever they can afford.