Esports betting took off in 2020 as bookmakers opened their eyes to research the potential of the market . Social distancing measures and global travel restrictions forced the cancelation of many sports tournaments because of COVID-19. But esports events quickly pivoted online and fans continued to engage with their favorite teams.
Despite the strong growth, new bettors can often face several hurdles when it comes to researching their bets. Here are a few tips to help users properly research their esports bets.
Esports Betting Research
Check recent roster changes
Esports teams thrive on stability and player coordination and roster changes affect a team’s ability to play well together. Teams with recent roster changes are bound to see volatile results. Teams in Dota 2 and CS:GO are more prone to roster changes due to the open nature of their esports circuit.
Recent match performance
Bettors getting into esports betting can research a team’s recent results to get a good estimate of its current form. Each title has different resources to check for a team’s form. CS:GO bettors can go to HLTV for in-depth statistics on teams and players. Dota 2 bettors should head over to Liquipedia to check a team’s recent results and more importantly, its recent matches. League of Legends and Call of Duty League bettors can check the League of Legends wiki and CDL standings respectively for updated information.
Team Rankings
Team rankings give the first impressions on a team’s form. Image Credit: Steam.
Team rankings provide a rough overview of a team’s placement amongst its peers. These rankings are extremely useful for bettors with little to no knowledge of the esports title. CS:GO bettors should check the HLTV rankings which update regularly. Dota 2 has GosuGamers rankings which provides information on a team’s recent results as well.
Team News
Rankings and recent results are strong resources to help understand a team’s recent performance. However, for the latest results, bettors should follow their favorite teams and players on social media. It is not uncommon to see a team use a stand-in during a tournament due to unforeseen circumstances. A stand-in can have an adverse impact on a team’s performance since it changes synergy and game strategy. Information about sudden roster changes can help bettors secure amazing odds to book profit.
Map Pools and Draft Phase
Different teams are strong on different maps. Image Credit: Overwatch League.
Despite featuring seven active-duty map pools, CS:GO teams do not try to master each map. In fact, the draft and map pick phase plays an important role in esports and the right research here leads to better betting. Games like CS:GO and Overwatch League feature a map pick phase. Teams pick and ban maps according to their comfort. A team that has a significantly better map pool can often secure a massive advantage over its opponent in the draft phase.
The draft phase becomes extremely important in MOBAs. Games like League of Legends and Dota 2 are often decided in the draft phase itself. While teams can still adapt their playstyle to suit their draft’s strength, 70% of the game’s outcome depends on the characters selected in the draft phase. Understanding a team’s strengths in heroes, champions and maps can give an esports bettor a big advantage.
Tournament Format
One of the most underrated aspects of research into esports bettors is the tournament format. A tournament’s format often plays a big role in a team’s chances of winning a group or tournament. Bets on the tournament/group winner often have significantly higher odds compared to regular esports matches. However, these bets require research on the tournament format and whether a team can navigate through the format to win the trophy.
These are some of the basic tips to research before betting on esports. Esports betting has taken off in a big way during 2020 and is slated to grow rapidly in 2021 and the future.
Written by Rohan Samal
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