From here you can find all of the EsportsBets guides, including our Esports Betting Guide 2.0. Throughout this section, you’ll find introductions and guides to many esports games and how to bet on them. We’ll be frequently updating and developing news guides and tutorials, sharing all of our in-depth knowledge from top players on CS:GO, Dota 2 and League of Legends. Our free guides may help you learn a thing or two!
Let’s kick off with our esports betting guide for beginners. If you love esports but want the chance to make some money from the action, then our beginners’ esports betting guide is the perfect place to start.
We’ll cover the very basics of betting on esports and then treat you to some useful strategies to help you avoid making too many newbie errors. Here’s a quick overview of what you can expect to find in our esports betting guide.
- Simple strategies for getting more from your esports bets
- Where to look for tips on esports betting
- How to find the best esports odds for gambling
- How to convert odds to percentages and probability
- What is Parimutuel Betting and how does it work
- The most common mistakes made by newcomers to esports betting
Why you need our Esports Betting Guide for beginners
Anybody who has spent hours playing games like League of Legends, Fortnite, Overwatch or Dota 2 will think that they have a pretty good idea of how things could pan out. But when you are betting on esports, you’ll be wagering on the best players in the world. As a result, the action is even more competitive and it can be trickier to predict what will happen.
Betting on esports is simple, but difficult to master. Just about anybody can get lucky with an esports bet. But if you are looking to make consistent wins on esports, then you are going to need some expert help.
Thankfully, we have assembled some of the most watertight tips and strategies in our esports betting guide. This means that you can side-step some of the rookie errors and instead use our esports betting guide for beginners to make some decent profits from your favorite games.
10 key strategies in our beginners’ esports betting guide
We’ll start our esports betting guide with some simple tips that are easy to put into action. Whilst there are plenty of expert strategies to use for betting on esports, it’s only by getting the basics right that you are going to progress from newbie to betting pro. So here are some quick and easy ways to put our beginners’ esports betting guide into action.
1. Focus on the game you know best
There’s a massive range of esports out there. From battle arena titles like League of Legends to first-person shooters like Counter Strike Global Offensive, you’ll find plenty of options for laying down your bets. Whilst each year produces a new game like Fortnite or Apex Legends to tempt you into making a bet, we would always recommend only betting on the games that you have a good working knowledge of.
If you have spent months getting to know all of the heroes in Overwatch, then you will be well placed to know what’s likely to happen when the match begins. Conversely, unless you know all of the rules of a complex game like League of Legends, then you aren’t going to know which bets give you the best chance of a winning result. So our esports betting guide would always recommend that you narrow the scope of your wagering to only bet on esports that you know inside-out.
2. Follow your favorite esports teams
Just like you would want to wager on the best football teams like Manchester City or Barcelona to win your football bets, it’s essential to know the talents of each competing esports team before you lay down your bets. After all, if you don’t know the past form of the esports organization that you are wagering on, then how will you know whether the betting site is offering you decent odds?
Thankfully, the competitive scene has stabilized over the past few years to present a handful of teams who always seem more likely to get a winning result. Legendary teams like Fnatic, Astralis, Cloud9, SK Telecom T1 and Faze Clan have emerged as relatively consistent teams that provide you with some safe betting options. But before you get carried away, remember that esports betting is notoriously unpredictable.
3. Get to know the key esports players
Whilst esports like CS:GO, LoL and Overwatch are undeniably team sports, it also pays to get to know some of the pro gamers a little better. In the past few years, we have seen legendary gamers like Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-hyeok and Marcelo ‘coldzera’ David put in match-winning performances for their respective teams.
As a result, it can be well worth monitoring the efforts of these gamers so that you know when they are looking likely to help you land a winning bet. Similarly, if you hear that a star player might be having a bad run of form, then you will know when to avoid putting your money down.
4. Take advantage of live esports betting
We would always recommend that you start off by making very simple prematch esports bets. But if you are feeling a little more confident, then there’s plenty to enjoy in trying out some live esports betting. By betting on esports after a match has begun, you can try and take advantage of any discrepancies between the live odds and the actual game.
The best way to do this is to find an esports betting site that has a free live streaming service from the likes of Twitch. By carefully following the on-screen action and monitoring the ever-changing odds, you could get lucky and put down your bets before the betting site has had chance to adjust the price on their bets. This tactic can take skill and patience, but it can pay off significantly.
5. Set your betting budget and stick to it
All experienced betting enthusiasts know the value of setting themselves a reasonable betting budget. They do this so that they don’t fall into the trap of accidentally wagering too much and making a foolish bet in the heat of the moment.
Such a tactic is all the more important when it comes to esports as it can be hugely unpredictable and therefore there is a good chance that you will lose your bets every now and then. But by carefully budgeting your betting, you should be able to handle the occasional loss and keep wagering in the long run.
6. Know when to use an esports betting bonus
Sometimes esports betting sites will give you a helping hand in making money from your wagering in the form of bonuses. From sign up offers to promotions for existing customers, there’s plenty to be enjoyed in using these bonuses to get a little more from your esports bets.
However, it’s worth remembering that even the simplest bonus can have strict terms and conditions about when you can use your extra betting funds. Some promotions can only be used in conjunction with some tricky odds, whilst other bonuses might not even be allowed for betting on certain esports matches. Despite this, we still think that bonuses are a great way to boost your profits.
7. Don’t just stick to match-winner esports bets
Once you have mastered the basics of putting down a match winner bet, then it’s time to take things up a level. Most decent esports betting sites serve up plenty of betting options that allow you to wager on things like the correct score or whether there will be an odd or even number of maps won. As such, it dramatically boosts the number of wagering options you have.
Because of this, it means that even the tightest match can be successfully wagered on. Rather than having to bet on tight match winner odds, you might be able to find better odds for things like the first team to draw blood or the first team to get 10 kills. Don’t forget that handicap betting also gives you an excellent way to get better odds if you are determined to back the favorite.
8. Timing is everything with outright bets on esports
Just like you can place a football bet on the overall winner of the Premier League, you should also be able to wager on the champions of many esports tournaments. From the likes of the ESL One competitions to DreamHack and LoL Worlds, there’s plenty of fun to be had in making long-term predictions about who could win these esports contests.
However, it’s worth thinking about when you place your outright bets on esports competitions. If you wager too early, then there’s a chance that your preferred team could get knocked out in the qualifiers. But if you leave it too late, then the betting odds might not even be worth your time. So be sure to pay close attention to all matches and know when to lay your money down.
9. Don’t follow the herd when betting on esports
It’s all too easy to get swept up with the raw emotion of esports betting. When you’re watching massive tournaments like the League of Legends World Championship, there’s a strong temptation to put your money down on a team just because they are getting the most attention.
But this esports betting guide would always recommend that you take the time to do your own research into each competing team. Astralis have defied the doubters by coming from nowhere to become arguably the world’s best CSGO team, and there will be plenty of punters out there who will have made some decent money from backing this previously underrated team.
10. Always shop around for the best esports odds
Finally, it goes without saying that you should never put your esports bets down before you have made sure that you are wagering on the best odds possible. Obviously, it could take some time to check the odds on all of the different esports betting sites that are out there.
But if you use our esports odds tracker, you can guarantee yourself the best price on the market for your bets. Whilst the difference between the odds might be small, it could be enough to significantly boost your profits.
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Where can you get help with your esports bets?
Our esports betting guide for beginners can give you a great headstart in wagering on your favorite games. But if there is a particular esports match that you want to bet on, there are plenty of places where you can get some specialist advice.
Should you trust an esports betting tipster?
Over the past few years, we have seen many self-proclaimed esports betting tipsters popping up who claim to offer you expert advice for your esports bets. Taking the time to visit these resources can help to give you good background information into each esports team’s past form and so on.
But we would always recommend against using any service that asks you for money in exchange for esports betting tips. This is because there is no such thing as a sure thing in esports betting, and even the most assured tip should be treated with caution. So be sure to follow tipsters on their social media platforms, but be aware that even the best tipster can give bad advice.
Using Reddit for your esports betting tips
Most avid gamers will know that Reddit is the place to go if you want to talk about the latest breaking esports news. As such, Reddit provides a treasure trove of valuable information about all of the movers and shakers in the esports scene.
However, you should remember that whilst there’s no shortage of opinions on Reddit, the majority of the sources can be anything but reliable. So be sure to check into Reddit to find out the latest news and rumors about the relevant esports teams and players. But don’t follow any esports betting tips found here too blindly.
Questions to ask before putting our esports betting guide to use
It’s always tempting to go straight out and place an esports bet without too much forethought. But before you do, here are a few things you need to think about when you choose a bookmaker’s site.
What is the gambling legislation for your country of residence?
Betting is legal in many countries but not all. Even those countries that permit gambling will only issue licenses to those betting sites that have shown that they can give customers a safe, fair and responsible gambling experience.
We’d always recommend checking to see that a bookmaker is fully licensed and regulated before you sign up for their services. Most betting sites will usually display their relevant license in the footer of their website.
If you see a license from the UK Gambling Commission, then you will know that the bookmaker is duty-bound to give you a secure and transparent betting service. Other licenses that can give you customer protection include licenses from the Malta Gaming Authority and the Government of Curacao.
Who is the best esports betting site for your needs?
The majority of decent betting sites now include odds for esports. However, not all esports bookmakers can give you the same amount of betting markets for each individual esports match. If you go to big bookmakers like Betway Esports and Bet365, then you should find that they will give you very competitive odds for the largest esports tournaments for titles like CSGO, LoL and Overwatch.
However, if you are looking for decent odds for some of the more niche games and smaller competitions, then it could be worth checking out some of the specialist esports betting sites. Recently, we have seen sites like GG.Bet and BUFF.bet serving up odds for titles like Magic: The Gathering, King of Glory and even Madden.
We’d also recommend taking the time to look for a site that features a free live streaming service. This means that you can watch the live Twitch stream of an esports match and then place your bets accordingly. And obviously, keep an eye out for those bookmakers who have a decent welcome bonus to give you a little extra to play with.
Opening a new account with trustworthy bookmakers licensed by official and legitimate gambling regulators is always a smart move. If this happens to be your first time opening a new gambling account, we have prepared these step by step guides on how to set up a Betway account and a Bet365 account.
Where can you find the best esports betting odds?
There’s little point in putting down an esports bet if the odds give you next to nothing in return. This is why it’s always worthwhile to check around to see that you are getting the best price for your esports bets.
If you go to betting sites like Bet365 and Betway you will probably see that they all serve up odds that are fairly close. Whilst the odds might be tight, even the slightest edge can pay off significantly in the long run.
But how can you make sure that you are wagering on the best odds? Just as you can use this beginners’ esports betting guide to avoid betting mistakes, you can simply use our esports odds tracker to instantly get the best price on the market for your preferred competitive gaming match.
Five of the biggest mistakes to look out for when betting on esports
We couldn’t have a beginners’ esports guide without a quick mention of some of the most common errors made by newbies. So as part of our esports betting guide, here are the key things to avoid.
1. Not knowing the rules of the game inside-out
Just as each video game has its own set of rules, each esports match will have its strict regulations. Even if you think you know all about titles like Counter-Strike and League of Legends, it’s a good idea to make sure that you know which maps the teams will be playing on. And obviously, there’s little point in betting on esports such as Dota 2 and Hearthstone unless you have a good working knowledge of how to play these games.
2. Betting without a surefire betting strategy in place
Planning is everything when it comes to betting on esports. Be sure to check back with our esports betting guide, and then think about all of the possibilities that the esports match could throw up. This will help you set a budget that takes consideration of the amount of risk involved. We would also recommend that you check to see whether your preferred betting site has any cash-out options so that you can minimize any losses should things go awry.
3. Failing to fully concentrate on the esports match
Most of us are guilty of doing some multitasking when we are watching an esports match. Whether it’s chatting with friends or just checking out the action from other esports contests, it’s easy to get sidetracked. But we would always recommend taking the time to engross yourself fully in the esports match in question. Be sure to take advantage of any live streaming so that you can make the most of any in-play betting options, and keep an eye out for any players who might be losing their cool.
4. Chasing after a losing esports bet
Everybody will lose an esports bet every now and then. But the trick is to not go chasing after a losing bet with more bets. Instead of trying to cut back your losses, take the time to reflect on where you went wrong. You are only going to win esports bets if you take a cool and calculated approach and never let your emotions guide your betting strategies. Plus a little bit of luck can work wonders too.
5. Assuming that past form guarantees a winning result
You should always check out how an esport team has been performing in the past before you lay down your bets. This will give you a good idea as to how things will pan out in the match in question. But as esports games can be notoriously unpredictable, it’s always good to err on the side of caution before you put down your bets.
Are you new to betting? We have new epic guides for several Esports titles that explain in detail how to bet, and what to bet on. Our experienced esports bettors share all of their tips to give you the edge and get you betting smart in no time.