One of the best parts of playing video games is its competitive aspect, especially in multiplayer mode. The market has grown so much that tournaments were held which paved the way for esports to become widely popular.
Esports has its thriving betting scene found on sites like CAT368 in Vietnam. This includes betting on different tournaments of various esports scenes, such as Dota 2 and League of Legends. When wagering on esports games in a bookmaker, there are many things to look out for, including the odds and the different betting markets.
The most important thing to note is the tournaments on which you can place your wagers. Which of the plethora of tournaments are the biggest, and how can you smartly bet on them? Here is everything you need to know about the biggest esports tournaments and how to place your wagers to win more payouts strategically:
Top esports tournaments to bet on
The popularity of esports is only surging, and its greatest tournaments are the biggest reasons for that success. These competitions range from international to domestic championships.
There are also varying degrees of brackets that describe how major tournaments are held. For instance, qualifying rounds are the earliest stages of an esports tournament, while the deeper brackets have teams vying in the championships.
Certain tournaments are also seasonal, and fans already know when to expect these events annually. Most of these tournaments feature a series of matchups which give bettors various betting opportunities throughout the competition.
The biggest tournaments, like fantasy sports, allow you to form a roster of professional players. Every year, the esports betting scene continues to grow. To get started, choose a secure site to place your bets smoothly and safely. Below is a list of esports tournaments you should bet on:
The International
Valve’s Dota 2 is one of the biggest esports games in the world. What started as a WarCraft III modded map is now an entirely new and trending genre in the video game space. Dota 2 belongs to the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game, where real-time elements are incorporated into its gameplay.
For that reason, Dota 2 became immensely popular, and its multiplayer scene is very competitive. Valve decided to dedicate a tournament for the best players to compete in promoting the game when it first launched, and this became the yearly competition known as The International.
During the pandemic, The International changed its format to play regionals first before qualifying for a slot in the tournament. While earning Dota Pro Circuit points remained a staple to qualify for TI, there were changes to the structure over time that made the esports scene incredibly dynamic.
League of Legends World Championship (The Worlds)
League of Legends (LoL) has similar gameplay but is more streamlined for MOBA beginners. LoL was also released after Dota 2 impacted the esports scene through its Worlds Championship tournament. It’s also considered Vietnam’s biggest esport tournament, following Arena of Valor.
The Worlds is organised by Riot Games, takes place yearly, and lasts for seven weeks. In 2017, 24 teams vied for their chances to win the massive prize pool of $4 million.
Some of the best teams in the tournament are DWG KIA, GAM Esports, and Beyond Gaming. These teams qualify each year in the World and often dominate the esports scene with conviction.
To qualify, Spring and Summer leagues occur for teams to be on top of the standings by the end of the year. After the seasonal competitions, the runner-ups and the winner will join the Worlds and compete for the prize pool.
CS:GO ELEAGUE Major
First-person shooter games are arguably the most popular type that many gamers enjoy playing. One of the first realistic shooters is Counter-Strike which was launched on the PC in the mid-2000s.
Just like the League of Legends Worlds Championship, the ELEAGUE Major has 24 teams competing against each other until only one team is left to take the prize pool of up to a million dollars. In 2018, Team Cloud9 were crowned as champions.
To have a chance to take home the massive prize pool, teams must first qualify by playing regional events to earn a placement in the majors. The teams with the highest scores after the best e-sports events will get Legend and Challenger spots, while the lower finishers will be labelled as the Contenders.
The Overwatch League
After the success of games like Call of Duty and CS:GO, Overwatch took the video game world by storm by introducing exciting characters and fast-paced gameplay. This game is best described as a MOBA and a shooter in one package.
Its dedicated esports known as The Overwatch League is as action-packed as its own game. Teams qualify in the digital sports game tournament by earning points through their performances during the qualifier matchups. During the final showdown, the last team standing wins the massive prize pool of $1 million.
League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational
Aside from the Worlds, LoL’s Mid-Season Invitational is a world e-sport tournament sponsored by Riot Games. This league is held between the first and second splits of all regions participating in the LoL esports season.
The champions of each region will compete for a title and play against other teams in group stages. 11 teams will be invited, and three stages to play in. The minimum prize of the Invitational is $250,000 and can go beyond that depending on Riot Games’ prerogative to increase the pool.
How do esports tournaments work
Earned points from professional games have a huge factor in deciding who will enter the major esports gaming tournaments that occur by either the start or end of the year. The points system depends on the esports coordinators, so team qualifications sometimes vary from one esport to another.
When the games begin, and teams are ready to play, the last two teams standing will battle in the final round, where a champion is crowned. The winner and last team in the competition will receive a cash prize.
What is esports tournament betting
Like sports betting, esports tournament betting has the same concept but is done through electronic sports instead. When watching a competition, punters can pick which team they want to bet on based on who they think will win.
Esports tournaments online have an intense competitive gaming environment which makes it perfect for betting. You need to know more about the industry to become a winner when placing your wager in any of the esports video games popular in Vietnam.
A great way of getting into esports tournament betting is by checking the bookie before placing your bets. This way, you can test how the sportsbook works and see if the site is right for you.
How esports tournament betting works
When placing your wagers on the best sports betting or online gambling sites, it’s important to know how a game works first and which players are worth betting on. On a bookmaker site, you will see the odds and match fixtures that will provide you with a corresponding prize pool.
The first thing you need to learn is how the odds work. The odds are the probability of a team winning a certain matchup or the likelihood of an event occurring. For instance, there are bets like the moneyline that will have you wager on who you think will win the game.
On the other hand, there are also markets like betting on most kills or MVPs that will diversify your wagers even more. The odds are the best representation of how you can bet on certain games and what the payouts will be.
There are also what you call betting markets which are ways for you to bet on different games. If esports betting sites have several markets like the moneyline, best player, or match score to place your bets on.
Online esports betting types
Betting types are also referred to as betting markets by most which are different ways of placing your wagers. These are helpful when you want to diversify your bets and not just stick to one of the matches and markets that can risk all your wagers in one go.
Below are some of the best esports betting types you can bet on to have a higher chance of winning:
Outrights
Outright bets can mean different things depending on the wager type and the bookie. But generally, an outright bet is when a punter wagers on a player or team to be the overall winner. Aside from the overall team winner, you can also bet on the outright MVP or the outright match score.
More importantly, an outright bet in esports is when you wager on a team from the start and believe they can win the whole league. These bets are made way before a particular season starts to make the potential payouts much more appealing to high-roller punters.
Tournament winner
A tournament winner is also known as an outright bet or, in some cases, just a sub-type of it. In esports, tournament winners are the eventual champions in a certain league. This type of bet can also be called league winners.
Bracket or group winner
Unlike an outright bet, a bracket or group winner wager is a specific type of market that only considers a certain qualifying round or ‘brackets’. Esports use brackets to classify certain teams so they can easily organise the competition. The industry is known to have a lot of teams participating, which is why group stages are common in esports betting.
Match winner
Match winner bet is even more niche and only focuses on the individual game two teams or players may be participating. You can make multiple match-winner bets that will further diversify your wagers.
Esports tournament betting tips
There are several ways to increase your chances of winning when betting on different top esports tournaments. While nobody can accurately predict which team will win, you can take advantage of a few betting techniques to help you win more out of your wagers. Below are some of the most common and proven strategies that work every time:
Research
Before placing your money on these teams, you must first be confident with your decision. Depending on what type of game you want to bet on, you have to research and make a sound analysis.
By watching their previous games and roster of players, you can safely guess which ones are worth wagering. What you have to take note of is the fact that the esports industry is famous for a lot of underdog wins.
For instance, Dota 2 has about three or four TI champions who were massive underdogs coming into the e-sports tournament. This makes it almost impossible to make calculated guesses without making time to research.
Manage your bankroll properly
When visiting any bookmakers online, you need to manage your bankroll well to keep betting on a bookie for longer. Have the discipline to diversify your wagers and know when to stop betting. Setting a dedicated budget is a great strategy for your bankroll to help you get ahead of the game.
Learn how to read the odds
You can’t bet on esports games without learning how to read the odds first. There are generally two types of odds in any bookmaker: Decimal and American odds.
Decimal odds refer to the type of odds presented in decimal forms. The higher the decimal number, the less likely an esports team will win. The reason for this is the potential payout yield; it can benefit those who wager on the underdogs.
To know how much the payout will be using the decimal odds, you must multiply them by the amount of your wager. The higher the odds, the greater the multiplier is, which means bigger payouts. The inverse applies when the odds are lower.
On the other hand, the American odds portray the numbers with a positive (+) and negative (-) symbol. The positive symbol represents the underdogs, while the negative sign is assigned to the favourites.
There are two ways you can calculate the odds. For the favourites, you need to divide 100 by the odds, then multiply that quotient by the amount of your wager. When calculating the underdogs’ odds, you must divide the odds by 100 and multiply the product by the number of your bets.
Where to bet on esports tournaments
When betting on the most exciting esports tournaments, you can try licensed sites like CAT368 that support many competitions that provide excitement and potential for high payouts. The site rewards you with several monthly offers that give you many benefits. If you like to claim bonuses and promotions, they are easy to do when visiting the site for the first time. You can also enjoy other services like its casino games that offer other things to do if you want to take a break from esports betting.
Bet on famous esports tournaments at CAT368
The esports industry is getting more popular. With newer and more competitive games released, more major esports tournaments will appear, creating a fresh environment for punters to bet on. If you’re a video game enthusiast who also happens to be competitive, this is the market for you. While you’re at it, why not wager on your favourite teams? Win a ton of wagers and enjoy the best experience when delving deeper into esports.
FAQs
Here are the most frequently asked questions regarding the largest esports tournaments:
What esports can you bet on?
Almost all competitive major league gaming esports tournaments have betting scenes like Dota 2, League of Legends, and Valorant.
Why has esports become so popular?
Aside from the rise of the video game industry, the Covid-19 pandemic also greatly increased its popularity in recent years.
How big is esports betting?
The esports betting industry is worth about $9.7 billion and will only grow larger than that. By 2028, it is said that it will be worth around $24.19 billion.
How to bet on esports
Visit a sportsbook like CAT368 and create an account so you can start wagering on your favourite esports games.