Electronic sports, or Esports for short, explains a gaming niche supported by several electronic systems. Esports predominantly consists of planned, multiplayer video game tournaments, especially between professional players.
Organized online and offline tournaments are not new to the video gaming niche; however, the large participation of professional gamers brought spectatorship to what Esports is today.
As a first-timer in the gaming niche, several questions must be asked and answered, especially when you play on this website. Let’s begin! This post offers a beginner’s guide to Esports and its betting techniques and activities.
Esports: What is it? How Does it Work?
What exactly is an Esport, and how is it played? Esports include first-person shooters, real-time strategy games, sports games, and even card games. The main criteria for an Esport game are that it enables competitive play where players may face off against one another. If such a game piques the attention of enough gamers, it will have a competitive scene in some form and become a full-fledged Esports game.
Esports has grown at an incredible rate in the past decade, and it shows no signs of hitting a decline. This is due to a collective game genre that has grown in popularity and created several competitive scenes worldwide.
The competitions often draw thousands of fans in sold-out venues thanks to the backing of followers, advertisers, and investors. Some Esports competitions outperform major sporting events in popularity, prize money viewership, and many more.
Esports comprises first-person shooter games, real-time strategy games, combat games, and multiplayer online battle arenas. Although these are not the only games on the esports scene, they are the most popular and generate the most spectatorship and revenue for esports investors.
The industry works by using online gaming to connect several users and brings them to one platform for intense and organized competitions. These competitions are supported and sponsored by investors who see the potential of a particular Esports game or competition.
Tournaments such as the Intel Extreme Masters, the League of Legends World Championship, and the Evolution Championship Series offer live competition broadcasts and spectacular prize money to winners.
Guide to Esports Betting
The main idea behind esports betting is betting on one or more players or teams to win a certain competition or event. Winnings are then calculated using the odds given on the specific battles or events. It is pretty straightforward and identical to regular sports betting.
However, one of the fascinating aspects of esports betting is its compatibility with numerous games. There is a betting market, whether you enjoy first-person shooters, multiplayer online battle arenas, or even regular card or board games.
Furthermore, several bookies provide specific competition markets, like the League of Legends World Championship or the Evolution Championship Series (EVO). These make esports betting even more glamorous and attractive to bettors.
Placing Bets
As a beginner, you should know that two methods of placing bets exist. There are the pre-match bet and live betting options. Pre-match betting entails making your selections before the commencement of a contest or event.
On the other hand, live betting allows you to place bets while the matchups are in progress. This usually adds excitement to the proceedings, especially when the games take an unexpected turn. Also, unforeseen live betting results often yield some extremely large rewards.
It is critical for newcomers to esports betting to conduct a preliminary study. Think of it as attending a one-week training before you start a job. You should study the participating teams/players, events, and tournament formats extensively.
It’s also wise to make and stick to a betting budget so that whatever happens, you don’t lose too much money as a result of your inexperience. Lastly, remember that the primary goal of esports betting should be to have fun and not necessarily to earn cash.
Types of Esport Betting
There are several betting types you can use as a newbie in esports betting; here are some of them.
- Item/Skin Betting
Skin betting is a less serious kind common in a few games that offer suitable gameplay mechanics. These skins are entirely decorative and do not affect gameplay. However, they can be used to earn money on many betting sites because they can also be sold on the Steam market.
- Real Money Betting
Real money is regular cash or card bets. Like any other betting niche, you place money bets on the outcome of an event using the provided odds. Nowadays, esports matches are constantly covered by many betting markets, so it’s easier than before to place real money bets.
- Handicap Betting
Handicap betting is now popular in esports matches, which is good news for experienced bettors. Handicap betting enables you to use your game knowledge to increase the return on an otherwise losing wager.
- Over/Under Betting
Because most esports matchups are either a BO3 or a BO5 series, you may bet above or below the number of maps.
- Map X Winner Betting
You may frequently wonder which team will win the first, second, or third map. The letter X represents the map number.
Conclusion
For a good reason, esports betting is becoming quite the spectacle. It provides a unique and thrilling experience that supporters and gamers of all ages may enjoy.
As a newbie to esports betting, prior research is key. This involves studying the participating teams, players, games, and tournaments. With this guide, you can start your esports betting journey and become an expert in no time.