When you bet on eSports, one of the main reasons for doing so is to have fun, and there is nothing wrong with that. In fact, there is no point in entering the world of eSports, whether as a player or a gambler, if you’re not having fun. The whole point of getting involved in any form of entertainment is to relax, unwind, and have fun.
But having fun is not the only reason why people bet on eSports. There is another reason, which may or may not be as important as having fun, depending on how you view things. And that reason is to win money. Sure, you can enjoy the thrill of eSports betting whether you win or lose, but wouldn’t the thrill be much more worth it if you won more than you lost?
You could also look at the importance of winning bets in this manner: If you keep losing the bets you make in the world of eSports, it won’t be long before you find yourself buried in financial difficulties. When that happens, how can you continue enjoying eSports betting? You can’t. That’s the simple truth, and that is why you need to have a betting strategy. Although not even the best strategies can guarantee you a win every single time, it will at least help ensure that you win a majority of the wagers you make.
Betting Basics
If you are new to the world of eSports betting, you would likely want to learn the basics so you can start having fun and winning some money. The mechanics of eSports betting is actually similar to traditional sports betting. The biggest difference is that you are betting on tournaments involving internet games, rather than traditional sports.
One of the first things to do is select an event or a tournament that you want to bet on. You then choose what form of betting you want to participate in and how much money you want to wager, and then you place your bet. If you win, you get to experience that wonderful feeling of having your money multiplied. If you lose, you at least get to enjoy the game and marvel at the players’ skills.
The most popular form of eSports betting is known as Money Line. Perhaps the biggest reason for its popularity is that it is perhaps the easiest and most straightforward form of betting. You simply decide which of the competing teams have the best chance of winning the competition, and then place your bet for that team. If you’re new to eSports betting, this may be the best form of betting to begin with. You may then move on to other forms of betting as you become more familiar with the various betting structures.
Going for the Win
We have compiled some tips that just might contribute to your very own eSports betting strategy and help you improve your betting score.
Be A Player
The most effective way for you to come up with a good strategy for betting in any eSport game is to first gain a clear understanding of the game. After all, how will you learn which bets to make if you don’t understand how the game is played? Of course, the best way to truly understand a game is to learn how to play it. Only when you have immersed yourself in the gameplay will you truly understand the ins and outs of the game.
If you have to go pro in order to master the game and learn it like the back of your hand, then do so. At the very least, you should stay updated on the latest developments in the eSports industry as a whole as well as in the specific games you plan to bet in. Learn new game strategies, continually improve your game intelligence, and actively participate in the chat community. It also helps to view other players’ streams and engage in activities that will make you a better gamer. An excellent gamer makes for an excellent eSports gambler.
Set A Monthly Betting Budget
Although having a budget does not have a direct effect on whether you win or lose your bets, it is imperative that you have a monthly betting budget in place. Above everything else, a monthly budget is a regular reminder that you are taking out a specific amount from your income every single month and spending it on eSports betting. This reminder helps ensure that you remain serious in your approach to betting and that you will do what you can to make sure the money you spend isn’t wasted.
Another important reason for setting up a monthly betting budget is to set limits on your gambling-related spending. This limit comes in handy when you find yourself on a losing streak. As mentioned earlier, having a budget will not help improve your chances of winning, but it will at least help ensure that you don’t get into financial trouble as a result of a bad betting day. Learning how to manage your finances is often the key to a successful betting career. When you have a budget, you’ve already won half the battle. Now you just have to make sure you don’t touch any money that’s not part of your betting budget.
Now, the question is, how much should your monthly betting budget be? The ideal is about 10% to 20% of your monthly income. Make sure the amount you decide on will not interfere with your regular spending needs in any way. This means you should not take anything away from the allocation for food, utility bills, transportation, and other basic needs just to come up with a betting budget.
If, for example, you earn $1500 a month and you spend $1200 on basic needs, your monthly betting budget should only come from the remaining $300. You may choose to allocate part or all of that $300 for betting, but you should never spend more than that.
Put A Wagering Plan In Place
Okay, so now you have a plan regarding how much to spend on eSports betting every month. But you’re not going to bet on just one eSports event each month, right? Therefore, you will also need a plan on how to allocate you betting budget. How much money should you place on each event and/or on each type of bet?
A wagering plan helps ensure that your approach to eSports betting is analytical, rather than purely emotional. It also helps remind you of your limits and ensure you don’t fall into financial decline due to gambling.
Note that there are two types of staking plan--a fixed plan and a variable plan. A fixed plan involves wagering the same amount or the same percentage of your budget on every single bet you make. With a variable plan, on the other hand, you put a system in place to determine how much you are going to bet on each wager. A variable plan system usually depends on how confident you are with the wager. The more confident you are, the more money you place on a wager.
Let’s say you’re betting on a Dota 2 tournament and you know for a fact that a certain team is favoured in a particular match-up. However, you have a feeling that the underdog will somehow cause an upset. What you can do in this situation is to use a variable staking plan to bet on the underdog. Since you’re not a hundred percent sure that they will win, the best thing to do would be to place a much lower bet than you would if you backed the favoured team.
Research Betting Providers
You can’t just bet directly on eSports tournaments. You have to go through a betting site. Ever since eSports gained popularity in the betting industry, more and more gambling operators that have started offering eSports betting services, and they have various ways of attracting customers. You have to make sure the site you choose is the one that can give you the best winning opportunities.
Every betting operator has a different set of games in their betting lineup. There are those who specialise in games like Dota 2 and Counter Strike. There are also those who offer only the most popular games, like League of Legends and Overwatch. And then there are those that offer a full range of eSports.
Naturally, if there are specific eSports games that you’d like to bet on, then you’d want to go with a betting operator that has those games in their betting lineup. There would most likely be more than one betting operator that offers the games you’re interested in. Note that operators who specialise in certain types of games are likely to offer better betting options than those who offer a full range of games.
Of course, you also need to consider what kind of bets you plan to make. For example, if you enjoy chasing totals, then you should find the betting operator who offers the highest odds and the most markets in that particular category. If you are fond of betting on upsets, then you should look for betting operators who offer the highest odds to underdogs. There are also punters who prefer betting with skins, rather than money. If you’re that kind of punter, then you’d want to look for betting operators that allow that kind of betting.
Research Teams and Players
Just as you need to do some research on betting operators to make sure you find the one that can give you the best opportunities to win, it is also important for you to do some research on the teams who play in the tournaments you plan to bet on. A careful analysis of a team’s playing style and their track record coming into a match will help you make an informed decision on whether to back them or not, and on how much to wager if you do decide to back them.
You should always check the form of the opposing teams, research their respective match history (especially in relation to tournaments with the same format as the one about to be played), and the availability of all members of the team. It also helps to do some research on the individual players, learning their respective strengths and weaknesses. This step can go a long way towards improving your bank balance and your own track record as a punter.
Be Flexible
Earlier you were advised to develop a betting strategy that is perfectly suited to your betting preferences, and that advice still holds. You have to make sure, though, that your strategy does not result in a lack of flexibility and versatility. The worlds of betting and eSports are fluid, and things can change without warning. You have to be willing to adjust your betting strategies accordingly. If you are unable to adapt to a change in betting conditions, you could face disaster when you place your bets.
It is therefore important to always have a few backup strategies that you can choose from, in case betting conditions change and you need to adjust your strategy accordingly. Let’s say, for example, that your usual strategy involves betting on handicaps, but then you suddenly realise you won’t get a win betting on handicaps at that particular time. It would be best for you to change your strategy, even for just that one time, if you want to get the best chance of winning.
Sometimes you may also feel that there really isn’t any good odds in your preferred game to bet on. In that case, it may be a good idea to bet on a different game, even temporarily. You may not know as much about that game, but as long as your strategy is solid and you are confident about the betting odds for that game, you should do quite well.
Making sure you win more than you lose when betting on eSports is not that difficult, as long as you are well-prepared and you know exactly what you are getting into. Applying the above tips when you start wagering should put you on the path towards becoming an eSports betting champion.
