The arena glows red. Maybe even flames burst out of the main screens to cast a fiery light on the seats. A bomb has exploded, but the audience cheers instead of running. One of the teams just won a round. You’ve probably played many hours of CS2 to explain what just happened. Chances are it’s even the seconds between the explosion and cheering that brought you here. If you’re new and clueless, no harm, no foul. Counter-Strike bomb betting is simple enough that you’ll soon be joining the crowd’s uproar—perhaps with extra excitement if you’re lucky.
What is CS2 Bomb Betting?
CS2 bomb betting refers to a market or a set of markets in CS2 gambling where bettors try to predict the following:
- The times the bomb will be planted.
- The times the bomb will explode.
- The times the bomb will get defused.
While it’s currently a rare market that even the most popular CS2 betting sites only occasionally includes, it’s always special when you see it. Let the bookies work their numbers until the odds come out.
CS2 Bomb Explained
For the newbies, here’s a quick recap on CS2 bomb mechanics:
How to Plant the Bomb in CS2
Planting the bomb and ensuring the site blows to kingdom come is the Terrorists’ (Ts) main objective. To do that, they must either reach the A Site or the B Site of a map and neutralize the defenders (Counter-Terrorists) in the area. Securing the perimeter is vital since CS2 bomb plant time takes 3.2 seconds.
But how long does the bomb take to explode? 40 seconds. That’s 2/3 of a minute to get into good positions, hold angles, and seize victory.
If you bet live on CS2, this is when the fireworks happen.
How to Defuse Bomb in Counter-Strike 2
Failing to protect the site results in the surviving Counter-Terrorists (CTs) playing for the post-plant. During these precarious moments, they must regain control of the site from the hands of the attackers and defuse the bomb. They can either do this with or without a defuse kit, which, for $400, reduces the defusing time from 10 seconds to 5.
Best Counter-Strike Bomb Betting Sites
Now that you know how a CS2 bomb works, it’s time to consider some of the best CS2 betting sites that live up to the hype.
Betway
If you’ve been watching BLAST Premier since 2019, you’ve probably seen enough Betway esports odds come and go by now. That’s because BLAST, one of CS2’s biggest event organizers, established a partnership with Betway that year.
It doesn’t come as a surprise, then, that Betway understands the ins and outs of CS2 bomb betting markets more than your average esports bookie.
Pinnacle
Pinnacle have worn the organizer hat themselves many times in the past. In fact, they launched 3 Pinnacle Cup events for CS2 this year, including the Pinnacle Cup Championship, which 2022 IEM Rio Major runner-up Heroic won in June.
As a betting site that gives hundreds of thousands in CS2 prize pools every year, Pinnacle esports is a great option when punting on CS2 bomb markets.
GG.Bet
We can’t leave out GG.Bet esports when talking about superb betting services and CS2 affiliations at the same time. They were a sponsor of the 2022 PGL Major Antwerp back in May, alongside Bitget and Secretlab. They’re also sponsoring NAVI at the moment.
Their solid CS2 markets, both in-play and pre-match, are known staples in the esports gambling industry.
CS2 Bomb Betting Tips
If you’ve decided you’re going to bet on CS2 matches that have bomb markets, here are some nifty betting tips to consider.
As a side note, these Counter-Strike matches are typically high-profile so bookies can take advantage of the influx in viewership and display (conveniently) more odds than usual.
- Find Strengths and Weaknesses: Teams have their numbers available online, and among these numbers are their win rates in all the maps and the percentage of wins they pulled off by playing on T side and CT side. Compare the teams side by side and identify the pros and cons.
- Know the Meta: Updates brought to the game may change the way the bomb is planted or defused. Who knows, maybe the next update will nerf or buff the planting or defusing aspects of a map—if not all the maps.
- Consider Influence: Lastly, in-game leaders (IGLs) can influence the way a team will behave during both pre-plant and post-plant. They’re strategists—and so are you, which is why on the next batch of roster shuffles and changes, it will do you good to track where these leaders go.
Header image credit: Counterstrike.fandom.com
