Different Types of Esports Bets: A Complete Guide

With the passage of time and generations, esports betting has become one of the favourite online casino games of the modern era. Esports has grown throughout the years has begun to rival traditional sports like basketball and baseball in certain regions of Asia like China and South Korea, in regions of Europe, and North America.

With advancement in technology reaching new heights, the implementation of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) has enhanced the development of Esports gaming more creative and competitive than ever.

Esports has a variety of genres, including but not limited to:

  • FGC (Fighting Game community)
    • Tekken, Street Fighter, Super Smash Bros
  • RTS (Real-time Strategy)
    • StarCraft II, Age of Empires IV, Warcraft III
  • MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena)
    • League of Legends (LOL), Dota2
  • FPS (First Person Shooter)
    • Doom, Quake, Counter-Strike, Call of Duty
  • Battle Royale
    • Fortnite, Apex Legends
  • Sports simulation
    • FIFA, NBA 2K

As esports develops further, its unique fusion of competition, technology, and entertainment continues to push the boundaries of our personal understanding and create a thrilling arena for players, fans, and bettors alike.

The classic eSports scene in Malaysia

The First Largest Esports Scene in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

One of the most classic esports scenes in Malaysia was in 2018. A Dota 2 event was held at Axiata Arena, Kuala Lumpur: The Kuala Lumpur Major. It was the first major event in the 2018 to 2019 season. We had witness 16 teams from across the globe competing for 1,000,000 USD and valuable DPC points. The event was hosted by eGG Network for a consecutive three days from 16-18 November 2018. The Axiata Arena with 16,000 capacities had been filled up for the whole 3 days and esports fans were at the arena for 12 hours per day, not including the aisles and tents between the lines yet, that means there were probably 18,000-20,000 people gathering at a spot to watch a video game! That’s amazing, right?

At last, the match was won by VP (Virtus. pro). It is an organization founded in 2003. The organization has been represented by more than 50 players. Since 2003 they have won more than 100 gold, 170 silver, and 220 bronze medals in more than 10 esports disciplines.

Different Types of Esports Betting

The outcome of esports betting can be determined by many factors and analyzed in many ways including players' skill, overall team performance, and strategic ingenuity. These elements provide esports bettors with wide range of betting options to explore with placing their bets. Each type of esports bet leads to a different level of game knowledge, excitement, and risk tolerance. Esports betting is not just about picking a winner of a match, but involves a wide range of betting options, from straightforward predictions to complex analysis of in-game events. This is one of the interesting points of esports betting because it could attract different player interests based on the specialties of each betting type.

Here we have a simple esports betting guide that will introduce you to all the different types of esports betting and include some basic factors to consider when you are choosing your betting type. Let’s dive into the world of esports betting and explore the possibilities!GGBet Esports Betting Platform

Match Winner

The match winner esports bet type is the simplest and basic way of betting among esports bettors. Players just need to place their bets the team they think will win the matches. The odds for each team will be determined based on their perceived strength and likelihood of victory.

This betting option is straightforward and suitable for beginners. Although it is simple, players are still suggested to have a basic understanding of that particular esports game along with the strengths and weaknesses of the team players to bet on a team with a higher chance of winning.

Usually, esports enthusiasts and bettors will often conduct research to understand the player and team dynamics they are betting for. This includes researching factors such as team formation, roster changes, and past performances which can provide valuable insights and improve their esports betting decisions. Also, I am here to suggest players bet based on the facts, not based on bias due to their handsome or pretty faces…

Tournament Winner

The Tournament Winner bet is a bet where bettors will bet on teams that will win the entire tournament. It is about the overall champion which involves multiple matches, not just a particular match of the whole tournament. The odds for each team are determined based on their perceived strength and likelihood of victory.

  • Favourites: Teams expected to play well will have lower odds which means a lower payout.
  • Underdogs: Teams expected to be less likely to win will have higher odds, offering high payout
  • Dynamic odds: Odds may change as the tournament progresses based on match results.

Tournament esports bets can be particularly exciting because of their unpredictable nature — roster changes, surprise strategies, or in-game patches can drastically shift a team’s chances of winning and an esports bettor’s payouts. However, longer waiting periods occur because players need to wait for the entire tournament to end. So, it might not be suitable for fast-paced bettors that want a result straight away.

Handicap Bet

Handicap betting is also called spread betting. This is to balance the odds between the strong team and weaker team of the game when there is an obvious skill gap between teams. The bookmaker will assign a virtual advantage and disadvantage for a team, and esports bettors will bet on whether they can cover that spread or not.

Examples:

Handicap -1.5: The team you bet on must win 2-0 for your bet to succeed.

Handicap -2.5: The team you bet on must win 3-0 for a successful wager.

Handicap +1.5: The team you bet on can lose 2-1, and your bet still wins.

This kind of esports bet might be interesting by making one match to be more competitive and unpredictable, even if there is a significant skill gap between two teams.

First Kill/Blood

First kill or first blood bets let players predict specifically who will eliminate their opponents first or have their first kill of opponents in the game. This bet type is particularly happening in League of Legends (LoL), Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) and Dota 2 where similar genres of games that contain early-game action often set the tone and build excitement for the rest of the match. In some esports bets, bettors can even bet on whether the first kill will happen in a specific timeframe. What makes it even more interesting is, that you can even bet on what type of kill it will be for the first kill such as headshot and so on. First-kill bets are suitable for players who prefer fast outcomes because as their bets normally will settle within the first few minutes of the match.

The disadvantage of this bet might be it is hard to predict who will have the first kill because it is normally quite random unless you know the team dynamics, team performance, and each team player very much, then your chances might be higher on prediction. First-kill bets are not being offered in every match, it depends on the bookmakers.

Odd/Even Bets

Odd/Even bets are a simple yet exciting wagering option in esports. Some bookmakers will give these options to players to bet on as it is simple and straightforward where esports bettors will bet on a specific statistic in a match or series that will result in an odd or even number. This means they let you guess whether it will be an odd or even number for how many players will be killed/ how many numbers of the game won, and how many rounds are played. While predicting these outcomes can be challenging, this type of esports bet is a fun alternative aside from the traditional matchwinner bet.

The options might be very diverse depending on the type of game like:

  • Total kills in LOL and Dota 2
  • Total rounds played in FPS games like CS:GO
  • The total number of maps required to decide the winner of the series. This type of bet is common in esports titles with structured series formats like CS:GO, Valorant, Dota 2, and LOL

Accumulator Bets (Parlay bets)

Accumulator bets, also known as parlay bets or combo bets, is a type of esports bet that combines multiple bets into one single bet, one of the traditional types of betting in both sports and esports. To win an accumulator, all the selected bets (or "legs") must be successful. While the risk is higher due to the "all-or-nothing" nature of the esports bet, the potential reward is significantly greater, as the betting odds of all selections are multiplied together. You must win all the individual bets to win the accumulator money, and the reward will be higher since it is risky.

For example, you bet on Team A, Team B, and Team C to win their matches respectively. If 3 of the teams win respectively, you get your accumulator payout. This type of esports betting is perfect for players that enjoy the rush of high-risk, high-reward gaming since it feeds their adrenaline.

Suggestions given to these players are to focus on matches that they are confident in and avoid over-ambitious bets with too many legs.

How Accumulator Bets Work

To illustrate, imagine you bet on three esports teams to win their respective matches:

  1. Team Alpha to win against Team Beta at odds of 1.2
  2. Team Cat to win against Team Dog at odds of 2.00
  3. Team Easy to win against Team Forest at odds of 1.80

If you place these selections into an accumulator:

  • Combined odds = 1.20 × 2.00 × 1.80 = 4.32
  • If you bet MYR20 and you win all the 3 matches, your payout will be MYR20 × 4.32 = MYR86.40

System Bets

System bets are almost the same as accumulator bets just with more flexibility. It allows you to combine multiple bets into a single ticket and allows you to win even if some of your choices or selections lose. Therefore, compared to accumulator bets, this bet is less risky compared to traditional accumulator bets. The number of correct bets required to win depends on the type of system bet you place.

Example:

Let’s say you select three esports teams for your bets:

  1. Team Alpha to win against Team Beta.
  2. Team Cat to win against Team Dog.
  3. Team Easy to win against Team Forest.
  • If you opt for a 2/3 system bet, the bet creates all possible combinations of two teams:
    • Team Alpha & Team Cat
    • Team Alpha & Team Easy
    • Team Cat & Team Easy

In this case, even if one team loses, you can still win part of your bet as long as two teams win while winning all 3 will reward you the maximum payout. The common types of system bets include 2/3, 3/4, and 4/5 system bets. The higher the selections in each of the combinations, the higher the potential of the payout although it means that it will also have higher risks.