A breakdown of everything you can bet on in esports besides the winner

Esports betting has exploded in recent years as more gamblers watch their favorite gamers fight for prestigious championships worldwide. Paramount has even commissioned a League of Legends TV show to follow a team in mockumentary style, which speaks to the increasing popularity of esports.

Betting on esports has a lot of similarities to betting on real-world sports, and many of the betting markets remain the same. If you’re looking to place a bet on something other than the winner, you can find new markets at your favorite online casino. Let’s look at some types of esports betting and how they work.

Score

Guessing the exact final score works much the same way as predicting the outcome of a game. Most matches are in a “best of” format to determine the winner. Betting on the score enables you to take your moneyline bet further and potentially hit ajackpot.

It’s tricky to win an exact score bet in advance, but you can increase your chances by putting down a live exact score bet. This is one of the best ways to take home a decent payday when there’s a very large favorite in a match.

The rise of esports betting has increased revenues across many sportsbooks. One CEO claimed that turnover had increased by 19 times from 2019 to 2020 and score bets are a big source of this revenue.

Player performance

Betting on a specific player’s performance differs depending on the esport. For example, a shooter like Counter-Strike may define player performance based on particular objectives or the number of kills.

Since player performance is difficult to predict, these lines are typically a high risk, high reward endeavor. Before placing these types of esports bets, it’s highly recommended that you familiarize yourself with the game and its players.

MVP bet

Every matchup comes with an MVP award. The MVP is the player who carried their team to victory. It’s a simplified version of the player performance bet because the metrics tend to be better defined.

MVP bets are designed chiefly for team-based games, such as League of Legends. At the bigger tournaments, an official at the event will determine the MVP for each matchup.

Prop bets

A prop bet is all about placing money on a specific event happening or not happening. These are binary events independent of the performances of each player. Live prop betting is common among regular bettors.

Naturally, prop bets vary depending on the game you’re playing. For example, you may decide to bet that a game of FIFA 22 will go to penalties. Alternatively, you can bet that a Search and Destroy competition in Call of Duty will end based on the other team disarming the bomb (rather than being wiped out).

First map

Betting on who will win the first map is a popular option for first-person shooters. The markets for first map bets are popular within games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Dota 2.

Rather than betting on the winner of the overall match, you are simply gambling on the first game. In matches with multiple games, there will often be lines for picking the winner of each individual map.

First blood

An increasing number of esports betting sites have opened first blood markets. The goal of this bet is to guess which player or team will score the first kill during a match. These markets can be found in most esports in one form or another.

This might take on different forms depending on the esport. FIFA might have lines on which player will score the first goal, while Counter-Strike asks which team will win the opening round.

Odds/evens bets

Online bookmakers may also allow you to place an odds/evens bet. This is where you bet that there will be an odd or even number of rounds played, games won, or players killed.

This is a more exciting variation of the standard moneyline bet. It gives you a coinflip chance of winning, so it can be a smart way to bet.

Over/under bets

After getting acquainted with odds/evens bets, you can get started on the over/under bets. These bets require you to guess whether a team will score more or less than a specific amount.

For example, if you’re betting that a team will win in over 2.5 maps, the team will need to play at least three maps to win the game. If they sweep their opponents, you lose.

Many markets are available to play with an over/under bet, including maps, scores, and kills.

Betting on esports has never been more exciting. Online sportsbooks have expanded their offerings to give players more options than ever before. If you’re looking to spice up your esports betting experience, why not try some more exotic bets?