How to bet on CSGO

• eSports
• Sports Betting

Learning How To Bet On CS:GO

Since its release in August 2012, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has grown into the most popular first-person tactical shooter game title in the world, as well as one of the first and most  titles in the industry. Due to its popularity amongst players and viewers, CS:GO did not have a hard time gaining traction in the esports betting world either and is, as of today, the most popular esports game for bettors to bet on.

Anyone wishing to start his/her journey into CS:GO betting will not have a hard time locating CS:GO betting websites, as you can easily find odds for Valve’s tactical FPS title on any reputable esports bookmaker and even on some small CS:GO betting sites. But while locating an optimal bookmaker for you CS:GO betting adventure is important, you first need to understand how betting on CS:GO and betting on esports works.

Luckily, we are here to be your CS:GO betting guru and take you step-by-step through basics and some advanced techniques that will teach you how to bet on CS:GO.

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Counter-Strike: Basics and how it works

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, or CS:GO, is a tactical first-person shooter computer game, which is played competitively all over the world. While the game offers several game modes for casual players, the competitive games are played with two teams of five players and closely resembles Search and Destroy game mode in Call of Duty titles.

At the beginning of the match, each team gets assigned a role - Terrorist or counter-terrorist - with the roles swapping at the halftime, once the first 15 rounds are finished. The objective of the terrorist side is to either kill all enemy players or plant a bomb on a bombsite, located on the opposite side of the map.

Meanwhile, the counter-terrorist team has to prevent terrorists from completing their objective by either killing all five members of defusing the bomb once it's planted within the 45-second time limit.

Games are played on one of seven maps in a best-of-30 round format, meaning that the team which wins 16 rounds first wins the game. If the teams are tied at 15-15, the game enters overtime, where the team that reaches 19 rounds first wins the game. 

Additional overtimes are possible if the two sides tie at 18-18 and so on. Each round lasts for 1:55 minutes.

CS:GO's In-game Economy

CS:GO in-game economy is an important element of the game for anyone who wishes to bet on CS:GO matches or even play the game should understand. The in-game economy allows players to buy better guns, equipment and other utility items before each round starts. 

The player's ability to partake in the economy, however, is entirely reliant on what the said player was able to achieve in the game. 

Each player starts the game with a simple gun and $800, which is not enough to buy any notable upgrades outside of armor and grenades. The first round is commonly referred to as a "pistol round," since everyone is forced to use pistols and is extremely important to win, as it can award one team with a better economy and a massive advantage. 

Players earn money by killing the enemy players, planting the bomb, defusing the bomb, and winning the round. The amount of money each player receives is based on his individual performance and the performance of his team.

Understanding the economy will prove vital for anyone planning on trying out CS:GO match betting, especially when it comes to live-betting.

Betting on CS:GO - Basics

Before we look at the CS:GO esports betting sites and unveil our list of the best CS:GO betting sites, we will first walk you through some basics of CS:GO betting, including odds and types of bets, which should teach you how to bet on CS:GO and how to approach it the right way.

CS:GO Betting Odds

The first thing anyone should understand is the betting odds, how do they work, how to read them, and what do the betting odds reflect.

Based on the part of the world you live in and the bookmaker you choose to bet on, you will be greeted by one of the three formats the betting odds are written in – fractional (4/5), decimal (1.80) and Moneyline odds (-125). 

While understanding Moneyline odds will be a great step towards learning how to bet on CSGO in the United States, knowing how to read the other two formats will go a long way in your betting endeavors. However, most, even small CSGO betting websites, have an option for you to change the formats.

CS:GO bet Types

Map winner

The professional CS:GO scene has seven maps in rotation, with teams picking which ones they wish to play on and which they want to ban ahead of each competitive match. Depending on the format of the tournament or the match itself, games can be either played as best-of-one (Bo1) or more commonly best-of-three (Bo3) and rarely best-of-five (Bo5).

Each team has its own set of maps which they practice on the most and are as a result more efficient on them, whereas they tend to underperform on others. By knowing that information, you will be able to place a favorable bet on a team to win a certain map of the series, if that map happens to be on where they excel.

All CSGO esports betting sites will offer you a chance to bet on a map winner, and since the map winner on Bo1 series will be the same as the outright/Moneyline bet, we won't be looking at Moneyline/outright bets here. On the other side, Bo3 and Bo5 series offer CSGO bettors a lot of opportunities to beat the market.

As an example, we can look at a match between FaZe Clan and G2 Esports, where FaZe Clan is better on map Inferno, whereas G2 Esports excel on Train.

Map 1 (Inferno)

FaZe Clan-130(1.77)
G2 Esports+110(2.10)

Map 2 (Train)

FaZe Clan+115(2.15)
G2 Esports-135(1.74)

The odds on map winner shift based on the team's efficiency on certain maps, and although FaZe Clan are entering this match as underdogs, they're priced as favorites on Inferno.

Spread Betting

Spread betting is one of the most commonly used types of bets not only in esports and CS:GO but across all of the betting industry.

In most cases, esports bookmakers will offer only moneyline bets on CS:GO matches, meaning you will only be able to place a bet on which team will win. 

But occasionally bookmakers will offer a spread bet on either kills, maps or rounds. Since all three work the same way, we will look at the most common CS:GO spread betting option, which is map spread betting.

When you're betting on spread, you're essentially betting whether a team will win the match by a certain number of maps, or on the other side, if a team will be able to keep their opponents on their toes and force a close series. Based on the format of the match (Bo3 or Bo5), the map spread will offer you either +/-1.5 or +/- 2.5 bet.

As an example, we will again look at a match between Cloud9 and Team Envy, who are competing in a Bo3 fixture.

Envy+1.5 maps-250 (1.40)
Cloud9-1.5 maps+175 (2.75)

In this case, the bookmaker is offering you to either back Envy to win at least one map or bet on Cloud9 to walk away from the match with a clean sweep. This means that if you back Envy at +1.5 maps and they end up losing 1-2, you will still get paid your winnings since the combined number of maps they won (1+1.5) exceeds that of Cloud9 (2).

Totals Betting

Totals betting or Over/under betting is another very common bet type you will find at any esports bookmaker. The concept behind totals betting is fairly simple, as you are only predicting whether a certain element of the game (kills, rounds or maps) will exceed the predetermined amount set by bookmakers.

If we return to the previous match between Team Envy and Cloud9, which is played as Bo3, bookmakers will offer you to bet on whether the match will end with over or under 2.5 maps played, essentially meaning you're predicting whether either of the team will win without losing a single map.

Over 2.5 maps-120 (1.83)
Under 2.5 maps-120 (1.83)

Some bookmakers will also offer you to bet on total rounds played in each map. Those odds will differ greatly depending on the teams and which map will be played.

Over 26.5 rounds1.90
Under 26.5 rounds1.80

Futures Betting

Instead of focusing on a single match, futures betting in CS:GO focuses on the final placement of a team in a large event, tournament or league. The futures bet is as simple as it gets, as you are only betting on whether a team will win the tournament.

Rarely you will come across a bookmaker who offers you an opportunity to bet on whether the team will reach a certain stage of the tournament. However, the most widely spread future bet in CS:GO is a simple outright win bet, where the only thing you have to predict is which team will win the title.

Where to bet on CS:GO

Being the most popular esports title amongst esports bettors, finding a suitable bookmaker for your CS:GO betting endeavor is as simple as finding CS:GO betting websites that still work. Even a simple Google search will unveil a long CS:GO betting sites list, where you will have plenty of options to choose from.

Additionally, you won't only come across sites that accept CS:GO bets with money, but also CS:GO skin betting sites, where you won't be betting with a direct deposit of your hard-earned money, but instead, place bets with the in-game skins or cosmetic items.

CS:GO skin betting websites, however, have become very rare and are in most part used by leisure bettors and the younger generation, who place wagers with the in-game CS:GO skins which they either bought with money or got lucky enough to receive them from free as a reward for playing the game. 

Any serious bettor, however, will tend to avoid such websites, as there is no added benefit from betting with cosmetic items over betting with real-life currency.

CS:GO Betting strategies and tips

Now that we have covered everything you need to know to jump into the world of CS:GO betting, we have some final pointers that will help you start your esports betting journey on the right foot.

https://www.esportsguide.com/ is your best friend

Many esports titles have websites that offer fans information about the game, players and teams, but none can compare to https://www.esportsguide.com/. On this website you will find all the information about any CS:GO team or player you will ever need. 

From detailed statistics, match results, breaking news, and even forum where you will get some added insight on matches from other CS:GO fans.

Information is the key

Although this is a great source of information about anything CS:GO-related, that should not deter you from looking for other sources. 

Reddit is another useable source of information for your CS:GO betting endeavor and while you will not learn how to bet on CS:GO on Reddit alone, following players and coaches who have their own profiles on the platform will often get you some crucial knowledge before the bookmakers have a chance to react.

Avoid CS:GO skin match betting sites

There is no reason to ever join a skin betting website if you're serious about CS:GO betting. Not only do these websites often offer very poor odds, but the added transaction fees will make your betting journey significantly harder without any added benefit.

Keep track of your bets

Very often overlooked by many bettors, yet one of the crucial things everyone should do. Keeping a CS:GO betting predictions spreadsheet will be vital for your betting journey.

You will be able to keep track of the bets you made, which bets you won and lost, which will help you with your bankroll management as well as give you a complete insight of your betting journey.

CS:GO Betting FAQ

Can I become rich by betting on CS:GO?
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The most common question everyone has is whether he/she can become rich by betting on CS:GO or any other esports/sport, and the answer is simple - you might but don't count on it. Every bettor should know that betting is not some sort of get-rich-quick scheme, where you will win one massive bet and start rolling around in money. Betting is an investment of money, time and energy and while it may not make you rich overnight, betting on any sport or esports, including CS:GO, can earn you a lot of money in the long run, if you know how to approach it and how to do it properly.
Is CS:GO hard to understand?
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CS:GO is at its core a very simple game, so anyone can quickly get a grasp of the basics and understand how the game is played. At the same time, CS:GO can be very complex in terms of strategy teams and players use to outsmart their opponents. In other words, understanding the raw basics that will allow you to start betting on CS:GO can be achieved in a matter of days of either watching or playing the game yourself. However, learning all the small details that go into it, with constant game updates and meta shifts, is a never-ending learning experience.
What is CS:GO slots betting?
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We didn't cover CS:GO slots betting here since it's one thing we would advise everyone to avoid like a plague. In simple terms, CS:GO slots betting is like a casino where you gamble your CS:GO skins on slots, roulette, or other games those websites come up with. It goes without saying you will never make any money using such websites, and although they're called betting websites, it's just an online casino.
Which competitions are the best for CS:GO betting?
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CS:GO competitive landscape features hundreds of different leagues and competitions that are played across the year. While some are significantly more popular than the others, there is no "best" league to bet on, just like there is no one single best betting site for CS:GO. While it is much easier to get information about more popular teams and events they participate in, that should not deter you from exploring other markets in some lesser-known divisions.