CS2 Handicap Betting Explained

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Let’s start this CS2 betting guide with a straight fact – CS2 gambling is massively popular. In fact, by sheer market percentages, it’s the most popular esports title for betting, period. These days, esports betting is becoming as popular as traditional sports betting, and titles like CS2 are leading the charge. However, it isn’t always a clear-cut topic, and today, we’re here to see CS2 handicap betting explained.

When it comes to placing those all-important CS2 bets, it’s usually the simple markets that are favoured. While playing the safe game is a fair way to notch up small wins and profits, there are other ways to go about it. For example, there are the special Counter-Strike 2 markets, including the ‘Asian Handicap’ markets.

They’re more complex, sure, but you stand to win a lot more, should you be successful.

This Is Counter-Strike 2 Handicap Betting Explained

If you’ve never gambled before, particularly when it comes to CS2 betting, you might have never heard the term ‘handicap’. It might seem complex at first, but in reality, the explanation of a CS2 handicap is quite simple. It’s worth bearing in mind that in most cases, the common handicap will be otherwise named ‘Asian Handicap’.

But what is Asian Handicap betting in Counter-Strike, and why is it a good CS2 betting strategy?

It’s essentially the same betting market that you’ll see for any other sport on your betting site of choice. At its core, the Asian Handicap is in place to give an advantage or an ‘edge’ to one team, with the aim of balancing the odds. These markets are typically identified by a ‘+’ or a ‘-‘ symbol sitting alongside the odds themselves.

csgo handicap betting explained

Let’s say the ‘favourite’ team has a handicap of -3.5 maps – this means they’ll need to win with at least a 4-map lead over the underdog side. Alternatively, the underdog team in question could have a +1 map advantage, meaning their odds are already boosted from the word go.

Therefore, you’ll get good odds on the favourite because it has to achieve a larger difference. But, you’ll also get good odds on the underdog simply because it’s the underdog.

And that’s CS2 handicap betting explained.

Where To Find CS2 Handicap Markets

Now that we’ve explained the CS2 handicap meaning, let’s talk about where you can find these markets.

Fortunately, it’s dramatically easy to find markets for CS2 on any of the leading esports betting sites. If you’re using a platform like Betway Esports, GG.bet, or Winners.bet, you’ll have no issues finding an Asian Handicap market or two.

In Counter-Strike 2, these markets typically appear for a range of variables, such as rounds, maps, and kills. Although they’re focused on different areas of the game, they’re essentially the same thing when you start looking into them. If you understand one type of Counter-Strike handicap market, you’re likely to understand them all.

What Are The Best CS2 Events To Bet On?

If you’re new to CS2 as an esport, you’ll probably have noticed that there are a lot of Counter-Strike 2 tournaments. Throughout the year, millions of dollars will change hands in prize money, and countless competitions are held both on- and offline. In recent years, CS2 has risen to become one of the most popular and valuable esports out there, but which events are the best for betting.

csgo-handicap-betting-explained-event
Live CS2 events are massively value for esports bettors.

Now that you’ve seen CS2 handicap betting explained, you’ll probably want to try out some of the markets.

When you sign up to your betting site of choice, you’ll want to keep an eye open for the ‘S-Tier’ tournaments. These include the likes of the ESL Pro League, the Intel Extreme Masters, and any BLAST events. There are also the DreamHack and PGL events, and various ‘ad-hoc’ tournaments that pop up throughout the year.

These CS2 tournaments are simply the best ones for esports betting. And yes, that definitely the Counter-Strike 2 Asian handicap markets.

Grant Taylor-Hill
Grant Taylor-Hill

Since: February 12, 2021

Grant is a lifelong, multi-platform gamer with a passion for journalism and more than ten years' experience in the industry. He'll try any game once, and when he's not playing them, he's watching them, being as he is an avid esports fan.

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