After the “player break,” during which players enjoy a well-deserved rest and various teams make roster changes, the world of Counter-Strike 2 is gearing up for the start of the second half of high-level competition. One of the highlights, beginning this Wednesday (17th), is the Esports World Cup, featuring Brazilian teams FURIA and MIBR.
One of the most popular games in the world of eSports, Counter-Strike, received its new version last year with the launch of CS2. This game is also a favorite among eSports bettors, but do you know the main types of bets in the game? Check out the guide below.
Match Winner
The simplest and most obvious market, this involves betting on which team will win the match, regardless of the score. In the example of the Esports World Cup, the Brazilian teams start as underdogs. FURIA has odds of 3.50 to beat Natus Vincere, while a victory for MIBR against Team Spirit pays 6.50 to 1.
Map Handicap
Depending on the tournament, a match can be best of 1, 3, or 5 maps. In matches with 3 or 5 maps, you can bet on the map handicap. For example, a bet on FURIA +1.5 at 1.72 would be a winning bet if the Brazilian team wins at least one map, even if they lose 2-1.
Round Handicap
In each map, the team that first reaches 13 rounds wins, or in overtime if the game reaches 12-12. Thus, you can also bet on a handicap of the total rounds of each team in the entire match. In MIBR’s game, for instance, the line is +10.5 rounds for the Brazilian team, paying 1.83.
Over/Under
Of course, like any sports betting market, there are over/under options. In Counter-Strike, the most popular lines in this case involve the number of rounds in the game. For FURIA’s match, for example, a well-known platform set the line at 50.5 rounds for the game.
Map Betting
In the options mentioned above, besides being able to bet on the overall match result, you can also place bets on each of the maps in the match. In Counter-Strike, there are different maps, and those to be played are selected just before the match begins through a selection and veto system. Thus, knowing the best maps for each team is crucial information for this type of bet.
“Kills” Market
Called “Kills,” the deaths in the game can also be betting options on some platforms. You can bet on the total number of kills in a game, the kill handicap between teams, and even on the “first kill” market, which is the first death of each round, selecting which team will lead in this aspect by the end of the match.
Team to Win the Pistol Round
The “pistol round” is the first round of each half of a map, where teams do not yet have money to buy better weapons, so everyone plays with pistols, as the name suggests. On some betting sites, you can place a bet on which team will win these rounds.
