Dota 2 by Valve Corporation is an incredibly popular video game within the Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) genre and Dota 2 betting is just as popular! Here, we’ve got everything you need to know to get started on Dota 2 betting.
Top Picks for Dota 2 Betting Sites
Please Bet Responsibly.
- 1. Top Picks for Dota 2 Betting Sites
- 2. Place a Real or Play Money Dota 2 Bet
- Gambling real money on the best Dota betting sites
- Gambling with in-game content on Dota 2
- 3. Live Odds for Real-Money Dota 2 betting
- 4. Special Dota 2 Betting Markets
- 5. How Dota 2 is Played
- Hero Roles
- 6. Getting an Edge at Dota Betting
- 7. Tournaments and their Enormous Prize Pools
- The International: The Pinnacle of the Dota 2 Esports Scene
- 8. Factors Contributing to the Growth of Dota Esports
- 9. Final Observations
- 10. FAQs
Place a Real or Play Money Dota 2 Bet
Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of Dota 2 is how spectators can gamble on match outcomes. People can place Dota 2 bets using three methods and Dota 2 betting websites or similar Dota betting markets or exchanges:
- Money
- Play Money
- In-Game Items
Gambling real money on the best Dota betting sites
For most readers who are familiar with gambling outside of esports, the first two should be familiar. Play money and real money gambling are often offered by the same sites. Play money is the substitute for those where online gambling is illegal or as a tool with which to practice and become acclimated to the idea of a wager.
The kinds of bets that people make are wagers on who will win a particular game, a future bet on the winner of a tournament, a bet on how far a team will go in a tournament, etc. Sites that offer esports gambling include Pinnacle Sports and Bet365 Esports. We’re also fans of Betway’s esports platform, an ideal betting site for Dota 2, which offers an array of esports games for betting, including many Dota 2 markets.
Some sites, such as DraftKings Esports, offer fantasy league & esports betting. Similar to fantasy leagues for live-action sports, bets for esports are based on bettors choosing a roster of pro players for their fantasy team. The performance of those players determines whether or not you earn money. There are points given for kills and assists and points taken away for deaths.
If you want to bet on Dota 2 with Bitcoin, we recommend MyStake Esports. MyStake welcomes esports betting fans with a generous 100% first deposit bonus of up to €/$500. The minimum deposit to get this bonus is €/$20.
Using a Dota 2 betting app in conjunction with a betting site can provide convenience and flexibility, enabling you to place bets on the go while also accessing a wider range of features.
Gambling with in-game content on Dota 2
The ways to wager on Dota 2 only deviate from the gambling norm through the ability to wager in-game content on the outcomes of high-profile matches. Using the Steam client by Valve (which is not actually affiliated with the gambling itself, but allows for third parties to use Steam), players can connect to dota2lounge.com to trade or bet on the in-game content they own. These in-game items have real-world monetary value, and their sale is a primary means by which Dota 2 is sustainable monetarily.
These items are all classified by their rarities. Bettors look at the Dota 2 odds for each bet, how many items of a particular rarity they must wager, and the items they would receive back if they won their bet. Players choose items to wager and send them to the trading accounts run by these sites through the Steam platform’s own trade functionality. They then receive the appropriate rewards and their wager items when the match is over (or they lose and get nothing). Some of these rare cosmetics can fetch hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.
However, one possible problem for people who don’t actually play Dota 2 is that it’s a bit difficult to find reliable places to sell items to other people for real money. Items can be sold on Steam’s Marketplace for money on a Steam Account, but this money can only be used on the Steam service itself.
Continue reading: How does Dota item betting work?
One site that offers gamblers the chance to sell items is dota2shop.net, but it’s difficult to say how reliable the site truly is. Some bare-bones sites like dotamarket.com keep forums to track buy and sell offers and discussions of buyer/seller reputations, but the site doesn’t ensure the safety of any transaction. It is worth noting, however, that Steam Operates an open free market on many of its in-game cosmetics and consumables, meaning many of these rare items that are received after a wager can be bought with real money.
Live Odds for Real-Money Dota 2 betting
Special Dota 2 Betting Markets
The fun of Dota 2 betting consists of the fact that punters can place their bets pregame but also after the match has started, referred to as live betting or in-play betting.
Dota 2 live scores are an essential aspect of betting on the game. Keeping track of the live score allows bettors to make informed decisions and adjust their bets accordingly. Real-time updates of the match score and statistics are crucial for successful betting on Dota 2.
Live betting on Dota 2 is particularly rewarding for veteran punters and those who also play the game and know how to take advantage of fleeting opportunities. Top bookmakers covering esports frequently incorporate live streaming on their websites so that the games can be watched in real-time. The only shortcoming is that the number of special Dota betting markets shrinks compared to the pre-game offer.
Casual punters prefer to bet on mainstream betting markets, such as match, map, or series winners. It is the special betting market that appeals to veteran punters who have in-depth experience playing the popular MOBA. These special markets are essentially bets on the first team to achieve a certain milestone. The most popular options are first blood, the first team to destroy a tower, the barracks, or the first kill on Roshan.
Dota 2 betting sites and special betting markets are based on momentum, and it is relatively easy to make Dota 2 betting predictions on the outcome of the game. Unfortunately, not even the best bookmakers feature these special bets in their live offers, so punters need to place them before the match begins.
Read also: Dota 2 Betting for Beginners
The odds are usually tilted in the favor of the regarded better team right before the event when it comes to barracks just and Roshan kills because these are late-game events. On the other hand, you can get excellent odds when backing aggressive teams to score first blood or destroy the first tower. Many of these events are almost coin flips as everyone knows anything can happen when the event kicks off (like The TI 2022’s surprise first-time Dota 2 TI winner Tundra), so it’s worth considering odds above even value whilst placing dota 2 bets.
How Dota 2 is Played
As with many other types of esports betting, Dota 2 gambling requires strategic thinking and careful consideration of odds before placing a bet. Therefore, understanding how to play the game itself and how it works is essential for those looking to get involved in this lucrative market.
- MOBAs such as Dota 2 combine role-playing and real-time strategy gameplay.
- Dota 2 is played in two teams: Radiant (the light side) and Dire (the dark side).
- Each team consists of five players who must work together to control the map and strategically use their heroes’ abilities in order to defeat their opponents.
- This requires careful coordination between teammates and creative strategies that must be thoughtfully crafted to gain the upper hand against your rivals.
- Each team controls one of two bases, on either side of the map, continually sending out AI-controlled “creeps” or small combat units.
- These creeps move along three paths that connect the bases, and they attack players and towers controlled by the opposing team.
- Towers are defensive structures that are strategically located at choke points along the three lanes (Safe Lane, Mid Lane and Off-Lane).
- The location of structures and bases in Dota 2 is the same for every game, which makes it easier to place Dota 2 bets.
- The first team to destroy the “Ancient” (central building) located in the other team’s base is the winner.
Hero Roles
Players control one Hero character out of a selection of over 100, each with unique abilities, strengths and weaknesses. They gain levels throughout the match, which enables new abilities by killing creeps and other players.
Killing other players’ Heroes is also a source of gold, which is used in the game as an income, as well as “last-hitting’’ (dealing the killing blow on a creep). The money gained can be spent on items to increase a hero’s stats or buy items that give different passive or active abilities that help the player gain an advantage for them or their team in combat. Heroes are classified by their roles:
| Carries | Carries are initially weak heroes early game. They typically require specific items or enough experience to grow to become their strongest. They may need to focus their efforts on ‘’farming’’ (i.e. gaining experience and gold through last-hitting lane creeps and neutral creeps). If these heroes get the experience and items they need, they’re truly a force to be reckoned with and will be able to deal very high damage in the late game. |
| Initiators | Initiators are characters whose skills are most effective at starting “team fights” or when a majority of the players of each team are engaged in a single skirmish. They typically have a way to lock enemies, a way to close distance or an ability that allows them to hit multiple enemies. You’ll want this player near when you want to start a fight or try to eliminate an enemy. |
| Soft Supports | Soft Supports are heroes who normally have some supporting abilities to help their team, their job is to ensure that their teams ‘Cores’ have a comfortable start to the game. Soft Supports also needs to spend earned gold on various team consumables such as wards and dust of appearance however, this responsibility mainly falls on the Hard Support explained below as the Soft Support will typically require a higher gold priority to buy more expensive team items that the Hard Support can’t afford. |
| Disablers | Disablers are heroes capable of temporarily preventing enemy heroes from taking certain actions. Disablers may have an ability that completely prevents an enemy’s movement in the form of a stun, prevents the enemy from casting spells or abilities in the form of a silence or make an enemy unable to move their hero in the form of a root or taunt. |
| Hard Supports | Hard Supports are heroes who focus on helping their teammates with their abilities. This could be in the means of abilities that give teammates increased health, health regeneration, mana, damage, armour or magic resistance. Their kits and abilities typically don’t require much experience or gold to utilise their spells to their maximum effectiveness. This allows them to focus on buying team items and consumables for their carry. |
| Durables | Durables can withstand larger amounts of damage than other heroes. They can have the ability to negate damage with their high armour (physical damage resistance), magical resistance or some kind of damage resistance based on the position of the hero. |
| Nukers | Nukers are capable of dealing significant damage, even in the early stages, through the use of potent and consistent damage-dealing abilities. They may have the ability to ‘burst’ down heroes with high damage single target attacks or spells. |
| Pushers | Pushers are best suited for destroying towers and vying for map control. They normally have abilities and spells that allow them to move between lanes quickly, deal large damage to creep waves and threaten towers when solo pushing. |
| Escapes | Escapes have abilities which enable them to move in special ways around an area such as blinking away, faster movement or invisibility. |
The most important thing to remember when visiting Dota 2 betting sites is that these roles are not too strictly defined. Within each role classification, there are numerous branches (such as semi-carries and “hard” carries, etc.)
Each Hero can usually play at least two of these roles, but often more. None of them can fulfil every role.
Getting an Edge at Dota Betting
Making money through betting on a game requires an understanding of the game, and knowing the Dota 2 terminology and who the best Dota 2 players are. On top of that, learning about various Dota 2 gambling sites can provide a huge edge. Both types of knowledge can be acquired by watching as many Dota 2 matches as possible, where the world’s best players compete.
Any broadcast with a famous commentator (such as TobiWan) or YouTube channels featuring famous Dota 2 influencers (such as Jenkins or Speeed) will give you more information about the game than anyone could ever need because some of these players know more about the esport and the games finer inner workings and mechanics than you’re likely ever to want to know.
There are also many exciting lower-tier tournaments that the best Dota 2 betting sites will cover, which are good to watch to see second-tier pros and learn more about up-and-comers.
The following are important stats that you should be aware of and monitor:
- Kills (K)
- Deaths (D)
- Assists (A)
- Last Hits (LH)
- Gold Per Minute (GPM)
- Experience Per Minute (XPM)
Keep in mind the role and hero each character was playing when looking at statistics. A person playing a Carry should have very high last hits compared to the rest of their team, whereas someone playing as support will often have some of the lowest in the game.
Different heroes also have different strengths and weaknesses within their game, it’s generally good to know a little about each hero’s ability to farm, kill solo, and escape ganks. The game’s length may also affect these statistics and odds as different heroes excel in different parts of the game. Some of these roles are also more kill or assist-based than others, a good hard support will often ensure that the Carry is credited for a kill over themselves, A roaming offensive Soft Support may get more Kills and Assists than you may expect for the role. Heroes may also have passive or global abilities that make registering assists easier.
Reading our Dota 2 betting tips can also give you an edge in your wagers and increase your chances of winning, so don’t miss out on the opportunity to improve your Dota betting.
Paying attention to the ever-changing Dota 2 Meta and knowing which competitive teams and players favour which Dota 2 Hero compositions and picks can also help you gain an edge on Dota 2 betting sites by knowing which players’ favorite and strongest characters have been weakened (nerfed) or strengthened (buffed) in the games most recent patch notes, you can help give yourself a competitive advantage when using Dota betting sites.
Competitive Dota 2 players typically have a handful of heroes they are especially skilled at and infamous for, and it’s a safe bet that you’ll see these familiar faces throughout their Dota 2 competitive events.
Related content: Is Dota 2 Dying?
Tournaments and their Enormous Prize Pools
Dota 2 tournaments feature some of the world’s largest prize pools and spectator numbers, which has helped contribute to the rise in popularity of Dota betting and Dota 2 betting sites. Games can be watched within the Dota 2 client itself through a spectator mode, and fans can place wagers to back their favorite esports teams with the help of Dota 2 betting sites. Valve actually rewards players for watching certain games with in-game content.
The largest tournament is The International, run by Valve. The prize pool for The International 10 reached over $40 million USD, with the winners Team Spirit taking home a cool $18 million USD for their victory.
To achieve such an incredible prize pool, Valve sells portfolios of in-game cosmetic content (such as alternate hero appearances, none of which alter gameplay balance) called “Compendiums.” These can be bought at multiple price points, and each player’s personal Compendium can be “leveled up” (one way to level up is by spending more money) to unlock more content.
Additionally, as more Compendiums are sold worldwide, Valve makes more content available to all Compendium owners, regardless of level, in a system reminiscent of Kickstarter rewards. Twenty-five percent of all sales goes to the prize pool. There are other tournaments, however, with vastly different prize pools, number of entrants, average skill level, etc.
Our site is always a great source for comprehensive esports tournament schedule information. EsportsBets is also a great source of information for those who have found a betting site for Dota 2 and want to learn more about the participating teams, and players and further information to make the best bets on Dota 2 betting sites.
The International: The Pinnacle of the Dota 2 Esports Scene
The International is the biggest Dota 2 tournament of the year and concluded the Dota Pro Circuit season in style whilst attracting huge interest in Dota The International betting markets to the best Dota 2 betting sites.
This event is the pinnacle of Dota 2 esports, where some of the best Dota 2 teams and players making their appearances.
What makes The International so successful and beloved by Dota 2 fans is not only the fact that this esports event is one of the largest in the world, attracting huge crowds of fans and many esports bets on Dota 2 betting sites, but also because Valve tends to put on quite a show during The International.
Not only is the event normally held in grand stadiums such as The Singapore Indoor Stadium in 20222, but Valve also invites some of the best Dota 2 streamers, players and casters of the community to entertain during the event. It’s an incredible experience that every Dota 2 fan dreams of. Attending the show in person and cheering on your favorite teams is something that can’t fully be expressed with words alone.
Factors Contributing to the Growth of Dota Esports
There are few companies, if any, better suited for creating and maintaining an esport than Valve. They took notice of a mod that had already been lauded for its gameplay and balancing, and they saw the potential for it to thrive in a more public competitive setting.
There are many factors that contributed to the growth of Dota 2 esports (and some which still do):
- The wide use of Valve’s Steam clients among PC gamers and their company’s reputation.
- The game’s free-to-play model allows everyone accesses to every hero character at no cost. There is no rotating roster of “free” heroes while locking others behind a paywall. Anyone with internet access and a suitable PC can play without paying any money.
- A spectator mode is built into the game itself, allowing players to watch their favorite pro esports teams.
- The game is heavily iterative of the original mod and benefited from all the balancing that the mod received. It is currently an extremely balanced game.
- The game features RTS-like complexity but with a simpler control scheme.
- The use of the Steam client in item-based betting on Dota 2 matches.
- Valves reinvestment into its competitive esports scene and prize pool using player-funded Battle Passes, Compendiums and more recently integrated esports features and items, allowing players to buy signed virtual cards of their favorite esports players, exclusive voice lines of their favourite influencers and other exclusive in-game rewards to help contribute and bulk up the competitive Dota 2 esports scene and prize pool.
- Dota 2’s inherent need for team communication and synergy allows it to spread easily through word of mouth, with many players downloading to experience the game and genre for the first time with their friends.
- Great care to the community in the form of regular patches and tweaking content regularly, creating seasonal events and rewards for players to look forward to and maintaining a consistent, fair and ever-evolving game structure has ensured that Dota 2 players remain more interested in Dota 2 Esports Events, Competitions and Dota 2 Betting Sites.
Final Observations
Some legwork may be required to make the most of this opportunity, but the information is out there, and it’s becoming easier and more rewarding than ever to be involved with Dota 2 betting sites. The betting opportunity is here to stay, and there is no doubt that someone who takes the time to become an expert at Dota 2 online betting could profit enormously.
