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Cambodia is big on eSports. In a country where betting is strictly illegal for locals, foreigners often take hold of the scene, making big bets and winning tremendous amounts of money over games played on by some of the country’s best gamers.
The Popularity of Dota 2
Dota 2 is one of the most in-demand games in eSports today so it is no wonder that a lot of gamblers would want to take their chances at something that would really bring them money. Also known as Defense of the Ancients 2, Dota 2 is one of the biggest multiplayer online battle arena game that draws in gamers and eSports enthusiasts. Since the game is free to play on Steam, the platform is able to bring in millions of players daily. Players can choose from loads of different heroes, which are also playable and upgradable without any fees, making the game even more accessible to more users.
Whilst the game is free, its complex and challenging learning curve makes the game absorbing to play and watch. Since the game comes with hundreds of heroes with varying skill sets, learning the inherent strengths and weaknesses of each one and using it against opponents or teams is one major feat in itself already. So it is no wonder the top teams receive commendation for their strategies and teamwork.
Some of the eSports enthusiasts pay good money just to see these teams display their skills. The International is Dota 2’s yearly championship tournament. It is one of the biggest eSports tournaments that features huge prize pools and throngs of audiences. In fact, during the 2018 International, the prize pool reached more than $25 million mainly due to crowdfunding via battle pack available for a player to purchase. The OG team won the tournament and took home $11,190,158 in prize money.
The huge popularity of Dota 2 for gamers and spectators is a clear indication that the game will become even much bigger for years to come, especially since eSports is becoming more mainstream. Understanding the game and learning how to bet on Dota 2 could really be beneficial for both gamers and fans in the future.
Know How Dota 2 Betting Works
As mentioned, Dota 2 is pretty challenging to learn. Players must come up with strategies and build up their heroes but their ultimate goal is simply to destroy the opponent’s tower known as the Ancient. In regular competitive Dota 2 games, players often play using best-of-three format, but grand finals often use a best-of-five format.
Gamblers most commonly bet on Dota 2 by determining the outcome of the match. In this case, bettors must bet on the team they will think will win the match. This type of bet is known as the money line. The payout for money line bets changes from one match to another depending on several factors such as how the two different team match against each other and which of the teams are known to have better players. This match up often comes with betting odds so bettors can determine how much they are likely to get should they win. In general, bettors should always look at the betting odds whether they choose to bet on money line bets or other more advanced betting types.
Dota 2 Betting Odds
Betting odds in Dota 2 are often either of the two: Decimal Odds or American Odds. This is why many sportsbooks use either one of the two as their default. Still, the majority allows players to choose the odds they prefer to use. To gain a better understanding of the two types of betting odds, here is an overview:
American Odds
American Odds come with a “+” or a “-” in front of them. For instance, a matchup between Evil Geniuses and Forward Gaming, with the former as the favourite will have the listing as Evil Geniuses (-300) and Forward Gaming (+200).
The number following the “-” sign refers to how much the user must bet to win $100. So in the example given above, the bettor must bet $300 in favour of the Evil Geniuses to win $100. The payout ratio remains the same even how much they bet so a bet of $30 will have a payout of $10 and a $600 would have a payout of $200.
Since Forward Gaming is referred to as the underdog, the number that follows the “+” sign indicates the amount the user can profit by betting $100. In the example above, a player betting a $100 will give a profit of $200 or a $450 bet would have a net profit of $900 should Forward Gaming emerge as the winner.
Decimal Odds
Decimal Odds, on the other hand, will show the bettors their total payout. In the same scenario above, the match-up will be listed as Forward Gaming (3.00) against Evil Geniuses (1.33). Betting $100 for Forward Gaming would have a payout $300 since $100 x 3.00 = $300. This means you get your $100 bet back plus a profit of $200. On the other hand, a $300 bet for Evil Geniuses would have a payout of $400 since $300 x 1.33 = $400. You get your $300 back and earn a $100 profit.
Different Types of Dota 2 Bets in the Market
- Moneyline
- Totals
- Spreads
- Proposition Betting (or Prop Bets)
- First Team to 10 Kills
- First Team to Get First Blood
- Team to Destroy Most Towers
- Futures
- Team to Win IEM Katowice
- Team to Win The International
Betting in Dota 2
Spread Betting
As mentioned, Dota 2 betting options are wider than just money line wagers on who will emerge victorious in a tournament. One additional betting in Dota 2 is betting a match against the spread. Looking at regular best-of-three Dota 2 matches, almost always the score is 2-0 or 2-1. The spread lists the favourite at -1.5 games and the lesser favourite at +1.5 games. Bettors who choose to bet on the favourite with a -1.5 means that the team must win the match with a score of 2-0 whilst betting on the underdog means getting a +1.5 payout for a 2-1 loss or an outright loss.
Another example is a match-up between the crowd favourite Team Team (-850) against the underdog Team Xolotl (+500) so many see the match-up to end with a Team Team victory. A spread bet of Team Team -1.5 (-170) against Team Xolotl +1.5 (+135) is a lot challenging since the latter would only need one win to come out victorious in a +1.5 game underdog against the spread.
Over 2.5 and Under 2.5 Bets
Aside from a 1.5-game spread in a best-of-three match, bettors also have the option to bet on the total number of games at Over 2.5 games or Under 2.5 games. The bet does not depend on the winning team. Instead, if either of the team wins by 2-0, the Under 2.5 games automatically wins. A final score of 2-1, in whichever team’s favour automatically pays out bets on the Over 2.5 games. Many use this betting option if the team match-up is highly competitive that requires a decider map or if they believe that the team winning Map 1 will finish up the match in Map 2.
Individual Map Betting
Some sportsbooks also offer individual map betting. In this type of betting, bettors can place their wager on each map within a match as its own distinctive event. They can bet on Map 1, Map 2, or Map 3 to be won by a team or to be played in over a particular amount of time. This type of bet allows Dota 2 fans the chance to use their in-depth knowledge of the teams playing.
Prop Bets
A number of bookies also offer in-depth proposition bets or prop bets on each map. This type of bet factors in the team who will earn first blood or the first kill of the game, the first team to get 10 skills, and the first team to destroy the first tower, the team who will slay the first Roshan, the team who will first destroy the barracks. Bets like these involve getting to know the teams, the strategy they use, and certain in-depth aspects of the game to better come up with a proposition and end up winning the bet.
Where to Bet on Dota 2
The surging popularity of eSports has forced online sportsbooks to include eSports in their platforms. Like most popular sports betting games, eSports betting lines are available all year round. Bettors who want to play it safe and stick to the most common and basic of eSports betting such as totals, moneylines, and spreads, any sportsbook will do as it is offered in virtually most online bookies. Special betting types such as prop bets, BetDSI is the best choice as the website is almost always the first to post lines for matches. The site also provides comprehensive prop betting on most sought after tournaments. Now that you know where to bet on Dota 2, it's time to bring out the big guns.
