CS:GO betting

Today CS:GO matches and actual tournaments with the latest odds and stats. View recommended bookmakers to bet on CS:GO in 2020.

Today CS:GO Matches

2023-06-08
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Actual CS:GO tournaments

    CS:GO Betting Intro

    The influence of the CS:GO competitive scene on the world of esports cannot be understated, as we’re sure you’re already aware. From a certain perspective, that also means that CS:GO betting has influenced esports betting in a major way. One way or another, betting on CS:GO professionals is one of the most popular pastimes of its kind for millions of fans across the globe, and that is what we’re here to introduce you to. If you’re reading this, it’s likely due to one of two reasons: you’re either a CS:GO player or fan looking to spice up the enjoyment of the esport by placing some wagers; or, you’re a long-time punter looking for something new and interesting to bet on. Either way, this CS:GO betting guide can help you find what you’re looking for.

    We’ll outline some things you should be aware of before going any further. First of all, the esports scene can only be described as volatile. Things change often, and in big ways – especially if you’re coming from traditional sports. The CS:GO strategies a team uses might become completely unviable just a short month later, or the amazing team that dominated the lists will fall apart and lose their core lineup in a matter of days. No matter its professional nature, the CS:GO esports scene is a product of its time: constantly shifting and chasing the newest trends.

    As such, to gain any sort of permanent understanding of what’s going on, you’ll need to actually understand the game and how it works. It’s not mandatory for enjoyment – but if you want to truly succeed at CS:GO betting, we highly recommend a solid understanding of the core mechanics. Remember, a lot of the changes the game goes through on a competitive level are due to the so-called “meta" game. Essentially, you want to be able to look at, say, patch notes, and immediately have an idea of how changes and updates will affect the balance of power.

    Of course, we don’t expect you to be an analyst. What we’re trying to say is this: betting on competitive CS:GO will be tough on someone who doesn't play and enjoy the game. We’ve seen people try, and it rarely pans out. Sure, BettingFellow is a great source of CS:GO betting tips and advice, but these will only get you so far if you have no idea what’s going on. Well, this into should also serve to point you to simple CS:GO betting strategies. Before going any further, though, we’ll go back to the basics.

    How to bet on CS:GO

    While the CS:GO esports scene may not be as big as some other gaming titles, the betting scene surrounding it certainly is. There’s an inherent advantage in this fact – it means a lot of online bookmakers include CS:GO betting offers. Why are we saying this? Because the first step in your career as a CS:GO punter would be to find a good, quality online sportsbook. It’s an important step, too, and you’ll find more information about it further below, along with a list of recommended CS:GO betting sites.

    For now, though, let’s say you’ve chosen your bookie and are ready to place some bets. Of course, you’ll need to deposit some funds first, and the method by which you do this is entirely up to you. Bear in mind, though, that different betting sites support different payment options. This is just another reason why you should carefully consider which bookie to go for. If you’re not comfortable with putting up hard-earned money as a stake, though, there’s an alternative. CS:GO betting with skins is another avenue, allowing you to put up in-game cosmetic items as a stake. Of course, the winnings would be in CS:GO skins too. This kind of betting is a staple of the scene, for better or worse. Of course, you would need to find a specialized operator which provides this sort of service. This sort of thing does not fall in the scope of traditional online sportsbooks – mostly because, legally speaking, it's not truly gambling. This fact has caused a lot of controversy in the past. Either way, Betting Fellow only deals with legal betting sites, so we won't look into such services in this guide, and you'll have to do some digging on your own.

    CS:GO Betting Markets

    So, what is there to bet on CS:GO? As it turns out – plenty of things. If you’re new to online sports betting, this is what we call betting markets – essentially, the outcome you’re predicting will or will not happen. Now, specialized sportsbooks can offer dozens of these for high-profile matches, so we can't go through all of them. We will, however, cover the most common ones which you can find across most sportsbooks.

    To Win

    As the name might imply, the goal of this markets is as simple as it gets – you’re predicting which team will win the match. Generally speaking, professional CS:GO matches cannot end in a draw, and it’s always a choice between one and the other. These matches are also usually played in a “Best of – “ format. This simply means that more maps than one will be played to determine the winner. This is done to reward consistent quality play, the idea being to minimize the chances of a “fluke” happening. Usually, it’s either a Best of 3 – where the winner is the first team to reach 2 map wins – or a Best of 5. Generally speaking, the higher the number of maps played, the more likely it is that the team “stronger” team will win. Think of it this way: one major upset happening is unlikely, but can happen. Three unexpected twists in a row, though? Almost impossible.

    Match Handicap

    CS:GO Match Handicaps are a popular twist on the classic To Win formula. Essentially, the idea is to level the playing field between favourites and underdogs, thus offering more interesting betting opportunities than just always backing the favourite. Handicaps adjust the score of a team before the match even begins, giving them an advantage or a disadvantage against the other team. For instance, the underdog can be given a +1.5 score, meaning they would have to win 1.5 maps fewer to be considered the winner for the purposes of a handicap bet. For example, let’s say you’re making a handicap bet on a Best of 3 matchups with the previously mentioned handicap. If the underdog only wins a single map, their score would be brought up to 2.5. Even if the favourite goes on to win both other games, the score would still be 2:2.5, meaning that the handicap bet won. This should also make it clear why the .5 decimal point exists, even though you can’t win half a map in CS:GO. It’s just added to avoid the possibility of a draw.

    Total Maps

    This is the standard Over/Under betting market, adapted for use in online CS:GO betting. The goal is to predict the total number of maps played before one of the teams takes home the victory. For instance, whether there will be more or fewer than 2.5 maps played. Obviously, it is only applicable to matches with a “Best of X” format.

    CS:GO Map Bets

    Some markets are not concerned with the ultimate winner of a match. Instead, they look at one map as a self-contained event and only look at what goes on during one map. This can be Map 1, Map 2, etc. The most basic one is to bet on which team will win the map in question. However, there are other options: Rounds Handicap. This market is to Map Winner bets what Match Handicaps are to To Win bets. Usually, the winner of a map is the team with more round wins. However, you can alter the result by applying handicaps to the number of rounds a team has won. So, for instance, if you were to bet on the underdog with a +2.5 round handicap, your bet would be successful as long as they win the map or lose with a difference of fewer than 2 rounds. Total Rounds. Much like the Total Maps market, only concerning the number of total rounds played in a given map. Round X Winner. You can also bet on the outcome of a specific round. This can be round 1, round 2, round 16, etc.

    CS:GO Outright Bets

    Outright bets attempt to predict the winner of a whole event or tournament before it begins. This is pretty hard to do as far as CS:GO betting predictions go, so be careful if you’re a beginner.

    Choosing an Online Bookmaker for CS:GO Betting

    We already pointed out how important getting this step right is. No matter how you chose to bet, the whole experience will inevitably be impacted by which betting site you decided to go for. So let’s get to it. Any punter who has been around the block in terms of bookies will tell you the same thing: there is no such thing as the best betting site for CS:GO – or any other sport or esport, for that matter. At least, not a single one. In today’s globalized economy, all of the world’s top online bookmakers are fiercely competing, and all of them have something different to offer. With that in mind, the choice of CS:GO online sportsbooks often comes down to weighing the pros and cons of a specific site. You just need to know what you want from a bookie, and everything else will fall into place. With that out of the way, here is Betting Fellow’s list of top bookmakers for CS:GO betting.

    ArcaneBet

    ArcaneBet

    One route you could take is to look for a specialized gambling service. If a betting site for esports fans sounds good to you, than Arcanebet is the go-to choice. Overall, it’s a sportsbook that knows what it wants and how to get there.

    Beyond the obvious focus on esports, Arcane is about as much of a “classic” online bookmaker as you can get – and we mean that in a good way. There’s no groundbreaking innovations or twists on Arcanebet. It’s a simple, honest sportsbook, and a fairly good one too. If you're looking for a safe esports betting site and don’t feel like experimenting too much, Arcanebet is the one for you.

    Arcanebet Review 18+ T&Cs Apply   begambleaware.org
    Βetway

    Betway Esports

    When esports betting was in its early days, most of the world’s best online bookmakers scoffed at the idea of esports bets ever becoming a big factor in the industry. Even today, most such bookies only implement esports as an after-thought.

    Not Betway, though. With this site, you get all the quality and reliability you would expect from an industry heavy-hitter, but they also boast some great esports betting odds and a wide enough coverage to satisfy 90% of esports bettors.

    Betway Review 18+ T&Cs Apply   begambleaware.org
    Loot.bet

    Loot.bet

    Remember how we said some bookies implement esports half-heartedly? Well, that is often reflected in only covering the biggest competitions and offering just a handful of markets on esports events. Loot.bet, however, goes in completely the opposite direction.

    If you want variety in terms of markets, look no further. This bookie offers dozens of markets for almost all events, which range from premier Valve-sponsored grand finales to local tournaments. Besides that, it’s a solid all-round sportsbook with very few things to complain about.

    Visit Loot.bet 18+ T&Cs Apply   begambleaware.org

    Best CS:GO Betting Events

    You should have all you need to know about CS:GO betting. Combined with our quality CS:GO betting tips, you’ll be winning wagers in no time.

    Still don’t know where to begin? We’ll close off this CS:GO betting tutorial with a few suggestions for various tournaments and competitions suitable for wagers by beginners.

    ESL Pro League. One of the biggest competitions in esports globally. It is probably also the closest thing to an actual league in esports, as opposed to most other events which are essentially tournaments. ESL PL is composed of the 24 best teams in the world and is the epitome of professional competitive CS:GO.

    Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Major Championship. A more typical esports tournament, and the biggest one for CS:GO, sponsored by Valve themselves.

    ESL One. Another event hosted by the Electronic Sports League, ESL One is a mammoth event which spans multiple games, each with the best teams in the world.

    All CS:GO tournaments