The International 2021 (for us TI10 betting) is the ultimate end-of-the-year Dota 2 tournament. Created and organized by the game’s publisher – Valve – this event consistently makes headlines thanks to its enormous scale and exciting storylines. This year, the stakes are higher than ever before, as 18 teams will be competing for fame, glory, and a chunk of the $40 million prize pool.
Moreover, The International 2021 will take place in the Arena Nationala in Bucharest, Romania, finally returning to Europe for the first time in over a decade. And it’s safe to say that the production crew will go all out to make it a memorable one.
With that, it’s not exactly surprising that there’s a ton of people looking for high Dota 2 TI Betting Odds and lucrative gambling opportunities. But how do you decide who to back? The International 10 is filled with the best teams in the Dota 2 Pro Circuit, and whether you’re planning to bet on the favorites like Vici Gaming and Team Secret or take a chance on the underdogs like OG and Fnatic, the outcome of the matches can still feel largely unpredictable. Don’t fret, though, because we’ve made an in-depth Dota 2 The International betting guide to add some structure to this event!
Dota 2 The International Betting Sites
TI 10 Live Odds
The International Prize Pool and Esports Legacy
Even if you don’t follow Dota 2, there’s a good chance you’ve heard about The International. This esports tournament is a constant topic of discussion across the globe, and one of the main reasons behind it is its gargantuan prize pools. The first-ever TI event took place in 2011 and offered $1,600,000 to the competing teams—a figure that remains at the high end of esports prize pools today. Since then, the numbers only grew bigger. Fast-forward to 2014, and the prize pool grew to a whopping $10,923,977. Nowadays, it’s common to see this figure hover around the $40 million mark, making The International one of the highest-paying esports tournaments in the world. Moreover, Valve has made a conscious effort to involve the Dota 2 community by selling Compendium packs and allocating a portion of the sales to the TI10 prize pool.
That’s not the only thing The International has going for it. Fans wouldn’t be as interested in TI10 betting if the event didn’t come with some of the most thrilling outplays and captivating narratives in esports. And whether it’s Na’Vi dominating The International in 2011 or OG making a miracle run in 2018, there’s always a story worth telling at the end of every TI event.
TI 10 Delayed
The International has been one of the most prestigious esports events for over a decade, and never has there been a time where Valve would delay or cancel it. However, then came 2020 and the global pandemic that accompanied it. As we now know, many esports events were canceled or put on hold, including The International 2020 that Valve was working on since the moment TI 2019 concluded.
While the pandemic did throw a wrench into Valve’s plans, delaying TI10 for an entire year, we finally had the date and the location. The initial plan was to host The International 10 in Stockholm, Sweden. This was the plan until the very last moment when Valve received news from the Swedish Sports Federation that this would not be happening.
After multiple attempts to convince the Swedish government to reconsider this decision, Valve was forced to give up on this idea and look for an alternative. Shortly after, Valve revealed the new location and everything was back on track.
This turned out to be more than an inconvenience for both Valve and all the teams and fans attending the event, but everything worked out in the end. Bucharest, Romania was chosen as the new location for The International 10, and the fans could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Dota 2 The International 10 Format
The International 10 has a total of 18 teams competing for the title. All of them can be divided into two groups based on how they qualified for the event. The top-12 teams received direct invitations to The International by performing well at the official Major and Minor competitions and accumulating enough Dota Pro Circuit points. As for the remaining six teams, they got into the tournament by finishing first at one of the six regional qualifiers.
TI 10 Teams
Here are all the lineups participating in The International 10:
- Evil Geniuses (Dota Pro Circuit #1)
- PSG.LGD (Dota Pro Circuit #2)
- Virtus.pro (Dota Pro Circuit #3)
- Quincy Crew (Dota Pro Circuit #4)
- Invictus Gaming (Dota Pro Circuit #5)
- T1 (Dota Pro Circuit #6)
- Vici Gaming (Dota Pro Circuit #7)
- Team Secret (Dota Pro Circuit #8)
- Team Aster (Dota Pro Circuit #9)
- Alliance (Dota Pro Circuit #10)
- beastcoast (Dota Pro Circuit #11)
- Thunder Predator (Dota Pro Circuit #12)
- Undying (North America Qualifier)
- SG e-sports (South America Qualifier)
- OG (Western Europe Qualifier)
- Team Spirit (Eastern Europe Qualifier)
- Elephant (China Qualifier)
- Fnatic (Southeast Asia Qualifier)
TI 10 Group Stage & Main Event
The event kicks off on October 7th. All teams are split into two groups of nine to participate in the round-robin group stage that lasts until October 10th. Each team plays its opponents twice, and the four best-performing teams in each group advance to the upper bracket of the main event. Meanwhile, the teams that finished fifth to eighth are seeded into the lower bracket. The last-place team in each group is eliminated from the competition.
Once the dust settles, the remaining 16 teams get a short break, and gamblers get an opportunity to take another look at the ever-changing TI10 betting odds. The event continues on October 12th. Tensions are high, as teams now have to play each other in the best-of-three playoffs. And while the lineups in the upper bracket can afford to lose one series at the cost of being moved down to the lower bracket, every single team in the lower bracket is effectively playing for its tournament life.
Still, the most exciting part of The International 10 is the grand finals on October 17th. This is the only series that’s played in a best-of-five format, making it perfect for highlighting the strengths, weaknesses, and creativity of the two remaining teams. On top of that, the TI grand finals come with some of the highest stakes in esports, as the difference between second place and first place is millions and millions of dollars. And if that isn’t a great recipe for Dota 2 The International betting, we don’t know what is! Speaking of which…
Dota 2 The International Betting Crash Course
Now that you know a thing or two about this Dota 2 tournament, it’s time to get to the meat of our Dota 2 The International betting guide. The main question you need to ask yourself is where do I bet in the first place. There’s no shortage of esportsbooks offering TI10 betting odds, and we’ve already highlighted some of them at the top of this article.
However, odds tend to change with time, so you might need to check several betting sites to discover the best offers. You might also want to take advantage of specific features and generous promotions, and it’s always great to have a couple of quality bookmakers in mind for such occasions. In our experience, the best gambling operators for Dota 2 The International betting are Betway, Pinnacle, and Unikrn.
Each of these platforms comes with its own betting opportunities. For instance, Betway is likely the most well-rounded esportsbook out there, so you can expect varied markets, 24/7 customer service, and a solid welcome bonus on top of that. Meanwhile, Pinnacle is renowned for providing some of the highest odds in the industry, albeit at the cost of promotions and secondary features. Last but not least, Unikrn has one of the most impressive in-play sections we’ve ever seen, so make sure to drop by if you want to discover out how to bet on The International Dota 2 live.
The TI10 Betting Guide: Tips and Strategies
Finding a good betting site is only a piece of the gambling puzzle. And no The TI10 betting guide would be complete without the actionable tips and strategies that you can use to improve your game today. So, without further ado, let’s get to it!
1. Do Your Research
At its core, gambling is a game of information. You need to be able to tell the underdogs from the favorites, and that means knowing team identities, player strengths, and meta strategies. Some of these things can be found on the Dota 2 subreddit, as community members are always eager to make predictions for upcoming esports events. Moreover, it’s common for professional players and personalities to join these discussions, making this resource even more valuable than it appears at first glance
You can also turn to Liquipedia to find relevant match histories and head-to-head records. Last but not least, statistical platforms like Dotabuff frequently release predictions and power ranking for esports tournaments, so don’t hesitate to take advantage of their insights.
2. Pick Your Battles
The International 10 is a massive tournament. Every day is packed with high-level Dota 2 matches, and it’s easy to get carried away betting on them. Unfortunately, that’s the easiest way to lose your bankroll, as not even the wisest experts can predict the outcome of some of the lesser-known matchups.
Instead, evaluate your options. A match between Invictus Gaming and Fnatic might be fun to watch purely because of the legacies of these organizations, but there’s not much to be gained here in terms of betting since the former is much stronger than the latter. In a similar fashion, the likes of Team Secret and Virtus.pro are notorious for underperforming in high-pressure situations, so our TI10 predictions guide advice is to take some time and see how they look on stage.
Finally, remember to explore different betting markets. Match winner bets aren’t the only offers out there, and you can gain a lot of value if you know how to bet on The International Dota 2 markets like first team to slay Roshan or first team to destroy enemy barracks.
3. Tweak Your Gambling Strategy
If there’s one thing that the history of TI events shows us it’s that they rarely go as expected. Some of the strongest teams in the worlds can crumble under the pressure, and some of the least remarkable lineups can pull off spectacular upsets.
At times like these, it’s important to be flexible. Don’t get invested in the narratives. Instead, adjust your gambling strategy and predict the outcome of future matches based on what you’ve seen on stage. And if you do your due diligence and follow the tips in our TI10 betting guide, you will definitely increase your chances of placing smart wagers.
