Welcome to our ultimate TF2 gambling guide. We’ll reveal our pick of the best TF2 betting sites currently available. If you’ve ever tried CS:GO gambling, then you’ll find it pretty easy to make a TF2 bet. But regardless of whether you are a newcomer to esports betting, or have plenty of experience, then keep reading to see how you can make your next TF2 gamble a real success.
Our pick of TF2 betting sites
How Team Fortress 2 is played – The basics of TF2 gambling
It goes without saying that there’s no point taking a TF2 bet unless you know how this game is played. Simply put, Team Fortress 2 is a team-based multiplayer game that requires your team to beat the opposing side by winning a certain objective.
It’s a first-person shooter game that has different character classes, maps and game modes. There’s a definite military theme to Team Fortress 2, but it has more of a humorous and comic-book feel compared with the likes of Counter Strike Global Offensive and Call of Duty Black Ops.
The game was released by Valve Corporation in 2007, and it was available for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Team Fortress 2 is the sequel to the original Team Fortress game which was a spin-off of the Quake franchise. Since its release, there has been a range of extra content added in the form of maps, items and game modes. The biggest change came when it became free-to-play and there was a wave of cosmetic features added that were supported by micro-transactions.
The backstory of Team Fortress 2 features two feuding brothers who each have teams of mercenaries. You can pick to play for either Builders League United or Reliable Excavation and Demolition. Each team will try and protect their assets while attempting to destroy the assets of the opposition. Gameplay modes feature options like ‘capture the flag’ and ‘king of the hill’.
When you start playing, you are allowed to pick any one of nine different character classes that all have their own strengths and weaknesses. These are commonly divided into roles like offence, defence and support. Each of these classes gets a primary weapon, a secondary weapon and a melee weapon. Picking a decent Team Fortress side means having to get a balanced unit that can achieve your objectives efficiently.
Although Team Fortress 2 was originally only released with six basic maps, there have been well over 100 maps released over the past decade. As you progress through Team Fortress 2, you can check your statistics that reveal information about points obtained, objectives achieved and so on. Improvements in your statistics will help you score various achievements that unlock new abilities and weapons.
For the competitive mode of Team Fortress 2, you will need a Premium TF2 account and you will have to work your way to at least level three in casual mode. The competitive format features six versus six players and focuses on limited game modes like King of the Hill, Attack/Defend, Payload and Symmetric Control Point.
Team Fortress 2 tournaments
In the years that followed the release of Team Fortress 2, we saw the growth of a healthy unofficial competitive scene. However, in 2016 there was official competitive play introduced through a special ranked matchmaking system. This helped Team Fortress 2 take its first steps into the esports world.
Although Team Fortress 2 is still far behind the likes of CSGO and LoL, it has started to become an increasingly popular competitive gaming option. This can be seen everywhere from Europe with organisations such as the British Esports Association, to Asia’s hugely popular AsiaFortress esports tournaments.
North America remains probably the epicentre of Team Fortress 2 esports. The ESEA TF2 competitions were running for over 10 years, and they featured 20 league seasons with nearly $400,000 awarded in prize winnings.
Despite this, ESEA recently decided to make Season 31 the last incarnation of the TF2 League. This has seen top TF2 teams like AscentEsports and Ford Gaming locked in battle and it promises to be an emotional farewell for the tournament. Similarly, FACEIT used to host regular TF2 tournaments, but they have made some technical changes to their platform which meant that their Team Fortress 2 contests have temporarily stopped.
RGL.gg remain a good option for competitive TF2 play. Their Highlander seasons run three times a year, and they regularly serve up prize pools of over $4,000. UGC League Gaming has one of the largest worldwide Team Fortress 2 leagues with over 10,000 gamers competing on the title. This free-to-play league usually covers Highlander playing options.
It’s clear that competitive gaming for Team Fortress 2 is in a period of flux, but there remains a good network of tournaments out there. Whether it’s Australia’s OzFortress or Europe’s ETF2L free-to-play league, it seems that there will always be a place to play Team Fortress 2 competitively.
TF2 gambling tips
Once you’ve decided which tournament you want to try a TF2 bet on, it’s time to think about which TF2 betting sites to use. As Team Fortress 2 is more of a niche esport, then there might be a chance that you won’t find odds for the title at traditional bookmakers like Betway Esports and Bet365.
Because of this, it could be a good idea to check out a dedicated esports betting site such as GG.Bet Esports to see if they have odds for your favoured Team Fortress 2 competition. That’s not to say that the Bet365 esports betting service won’t cover Team Fortress 2 in the future, but at the moment these sites seem to focus on titles like CSGO and LoL.
You’ll usually have to wager with your own real money when betting on TF2. So be sure to consider which payment methods you use to fund your bets. Regardless of whether you use a debit card or PayPal, make sure to check that the betting site doesn’t have any annoying processing fees that could put a big dent in your wagering profits.
Many TF2 betting sites will allow you to make simple match winner bets but keep an eye out for those sites that feature a broader range of betting markets. These could give you plenty more options for finding odds that can give you a better payout. Plus many esports betting fans have found that in-play betting offers even more flexibility as you can bet on some great value odds that change in conjunction with the on-screen action.
Making long-term profits from TF2 gambling
While there is always an element of chance when it comes to TF2 gambling, it’s ultimately up to you to bet on Team Fortress 2 in a controlled and responsible manner. Anybody can get lucky with a fortunate TF2 bet, but the only way that you are going to survive those inevitable losses is to manage your money carefully.
This means setting yourself a strict budget to bet with, and only making bets on TF2 when you know that you can cover any losses. All experienced esports betting fans know that there’s no such thing as a sure bet, and preparing to cover those losses can keep you in the game for longer.
Despite this, there are some simple tricks that you can use to make sure that you make bigger profits when luck is on your side. Esports bonuses are a great way to boost your winnings and they can be simple to put into action for betting on Team Fortress 2.
Most decent TF2 betting sites will put on a welcome bonus that can match your initial deposit or first bet. These can potentially double the amount of betting funds that you get to play with and can obviously help you land much bigger profits.
However, all esports bonuses come with some important terms and conditions that must be understood. Be sure to pay attention to things like wagering requirements and you should be able to put an esports bonus to good use.
The best way to win with your TF2 bets is to understand how the game is played. If you’ve put in a few hours at Team Fortress 2, you will be well-placed to see which teams and players look like they might win the match.
There’s no substitute for doing plenty of research about the relevant TF2 teams either. You can usually find a wealth of statistics about each player’s rankings so that you know who is worth a bet.
Above all, successful TF2 betting means that you will have to wager in a controlled and sensible manner. Although TF2 is a lot of fun, you’ll only win your bets if you take TF2 betting seriously.