If you are serious about making money from betting on competitive gaming, then you will need to know the different types of bets in esports.
Some people will think that esports betting is just like betting on sports like football or basketball. While most gamers will bet on the match winner, alternative types of esports bets give you plenty more flexibility.
Some LoL betting odds allow you to wager on the map winner, while in Dota 2 you get types of esports bets for betting on the team to kill the first Roshan and much more.
All of which shows that there is a lot more to esports betting than you think. So we’re going to give you our guide to all of the types of bets in esports that you can expect to find.
These will cover types of bets, as well as esports odds that you can wager on for games ranging from first-person shooters like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive to sports simulators like FIFA. So keep reading to see the different types of betting odds for esports.
From where to choose the best esports betting sites:
The most common types of esports bets
If you are new to betting on esports, then it would be a good idea to keep things simple by betting on some of the standard types of esports bets. Try these bets out for starters and then work your way up to some more complex types of bets in esports.
Match winner
This is the simplest and most common esports bet. Just like you would wager on the winner of a football match, you can bet on which team or player triumphs in anything from Dota 2 to NBA2K.
Outright betting
Most esports betting sites allow you to wager on the overall winner of a wide range of esports tournaments. Whether it’s an outright bet on The International, DreamHack or the Overwatch League, these kinds of bets are hugely popular. You should be able to bet on the outright winner well in advance of the competition, or even after the contest has started.
Over/under bets
These types of bets in esports allow you to wager on how many times an event happens in a match. This means that you can bet on things like whether the total score in a CSGO match will be over or under a certain amount that’s set by the betting site.
Odd/even bets
Odd/even bets are similar to over/under bets, and they allow you to bet on whether there will be an odd or even number of events in an esports match. For example, in a Dota 2 match, you might get to bet whether the total rounds in a map won by a certain team will be an odd or an even number.
Correct score
Betting on the correct score in a football match might sound simple, but how does it work for esports? Let’s take the example of a League of Legends match. Many LoL betting sites will allow you to predict whether a team will win 3-0, 3-1 or 3-2. Obviously the kinds of correct scores that you are allowed to wager on vary according to each esport.
Types of esports bets specific to each game
The great thing about esports betting is that each game can serve up different kinds of betting scenarios. It can take a little bit of expertise to feel confident with some of these types of bets in esports, but they can be a great way to pick up some decent winnings. Here’s a quick look at some of the bets that are unique to the world’s biggest esports.
League of Legends
League of Legends is the world’s most popular esport. As a result, there will be many esports betting sites who will serve up an excellent amount of unique League of Legends betting markets. The Betway esports betting platform has an enviable amount of bet types for LoL. Here’s a look at some of the League of Legends bets you can find here.
Team to draw first blood and win the map
- First blood
- First to 10 kills
- Team to destroy first tower
- Team to slay the first dragon
- What will the first elemental dragon be?
- Team to slay the first baron
- Team to slay the first rift herald
- Team to destroy the first inhibitor
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
There is little doubt that CSGO is esports’ most popular first-person shooter. Our Unikrn review found that this brand serve up lots of different kinds of CSGO odds. Here are some of the best.
- Total maps played
- Total number of rounds
- Map winner
- First pistol round winner
Dota 2
If you’ve ever wanted to bet on The International, then you should definitely find a betting site who serve up a good amount of Dota 2 betting markets such as some of the following.
- First blood
- Race to 10 kills
- Team to kill first Roshan
Alternative types of bets in esports
If you go to some bookmakers like the Bet365 esports betting platform, then you might find even more betting options. Here’s a look at some alternative ways to wager on your favourite esport.
Handicap betting
What happens if you want to bet on an esports team, but their odds would barely give you a profit? This is where you try handicap betting which puts the team at a points disadvantage. Handicap betting means that the esports team would have to win by a larger margin, but it could be worth it in terms of the winnings earned from the higher odds.
Betting on streamers
Most of us enjoy watching streamers on platforms like Twitch. But did you know that some esports betting sites now allow you to wager on the streamers’ gameplay? If you go to betting sites like GG.bet, then you might be able to enjoy betting on Twitch streamers for esports like Apex Legends, Fortnite or League of Legends. This is great news as there’s always some excellent streaming going on, so you should be able to enjoy streamer betting 24/7.
Betting exchanges
Betting exchanges work by allowing you to bet on odds that are put up by other gamers, rather than the betting site. Although this is a big hit in the sports world, it hasn’t really taken off for esports betting just yet.
Accumulator bets
Most football fans will know about accumulator betting, and it can be applied to esports. To place an accumulator bet, you would have to bet on the outcome of a number of different esports matches. You will only win the accumulator bet if each of these selections is successful. As a result, this is one of the trickiest types of bets in esports, but it can deliver some of the highest payouts.
System bets
System bets are similar to accumulator bets, but you don’t need all of your selections to succeed in order to win the total bet. System bets can include double, triples and so on, and they combine the odds to deliver a higher payout. Although the profits from system bets might not be as good as accumulators, they are still an interesting way to enjoy betting on esports.
Types of bets in USA esports
If you go to some American esports betting sites like Unikrn, then you might get presented with esports bets that use a slightly different language. Although many of these types of bet in USA esports might have different terminology, the basic concept of many of these bets are the same to what you can find elsewhere.
For example, a moneyline bet refers to a bet on who will win the esports match. Proposition bets or prop bets are talking about betting on unique instances in a match such as which team will get the first blood, or even whether there will be a pause in the game. Similarly, a parlay bet is just another term for an accumulator bet where you wager on the outcome of many different esports matches.
A quick word about different types of betting odds formats
In order to place your esports bets, you will need to understand the betting odds. Most esports betting sites will allow you to switch between different odds formats to find one that you understand best. These could include odds options like decimal, fractional, American, Hong Kong or percent. We have also prepared a dedicated guide on how to convert odds to percentage to help you work out how much money you’ll be making from your bets.
Most newcomers to esports betting tend to find that decimal format works easiest for them. This is because it makes it simple to calculate which team has the best chance of winning and which bet could deliver the biggest profits. The higher the number of decimal odds, the less chance they have of winning, but the more you stand to win if luck is on your side.
