Enter The World Of E Sports Betting Dota 2

When you think esports, one of the first names that pop right into your mind is Dota 2. Valve’s foray into the world of MOBAs is such a global phenomenon, that its fifth main tournament, simply named The International, broke a historical, general e-sports record when its grand prize pool reached a mark of over $18,000,000 (USD)! We obviously play this game for the sheer love and fun of it, but such mountain-high quantities of money are quite impossible to ignore! If you wish to check up on different E Sports tournaments and their odds, check back with us here.

Enter The World Of E Sports Betting, Dota 2

The beginnings of Dota 2 can be traced back more than a decade ago, to a humble mod (game software modification) created by a small group of Warcraft III players. The mod itself, entitled Defense of the Ancients –DotA, for short– was made available for both Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, and its expansion, Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, and interestingly enough, the mod was originally inspired by Aeon of Strife, a map from the game Star Craft. It’s worth noting that both games, Warcraft III and Star Craft, are made by Blizzard Entertainment, a corporate entity which has nothing to do with Valve —the critically acclaimed maker and rights holder of Dota 2.

Due to the fact that this all originated as a mod for a game that wasn’t even Valve’s, controversy inevitably ensued. Blizzard Entertainment, the maker of the Warcraft and Star Craft franchises, took legal action against Dota 2 and its maker, Valve Corporation. The dispute was settled on May 11, 2012. The court ruled in favor of Valve, allowing it to retain commercial franchising rights to the Dota brand. Non-commercial usage of the brand’s name by third-parties, however, was allowed.

How to Bet on Dota 2

Dota 2 plays host to six different main types of bets you can make:

Correct Score: Predict what the score will ultimately be at the end of a match. Applicability applies after a minimum of two games ends.
Match Winner: The most universally straight-forward betting type! Bet on whom you think will claim victory. Depending on tournament rules, draws may apply.
Map X Winner: If you believe certain teams will fare better than others on specific maps, you can bet on the outcome of certain maps in particular.
Win At Least 1 Map: Bet on any given team to win at least a single map. You can go with either favorites or underdogs. Favorites are of course safer bets, but improbability tends to yield greater rewards!
Double Chance: When you believe a result will be unlikely, you can bet the other two with Double Chance! The way this works is that you can bet Team A or draw, bet Team B or draw, or that it won’t be a draw.
Handicap Betting: Dota 2 features Best of 1 (pretty straight-forward, since only a single match is played), Best of 2 (where two matches are played), or Best of 3 (where three matches are played, and a team wins by scoring at least two matches) victory types, commonly abbreviated as BO1, BO2, and BO3. To exemplify this, if you think Team A is going to win a BO3 2-0, it would then be advisable to bet on them with a -1.5 handicap. This is because your odds will increase, even though so will the risk.

These listed six are the main ones, but there are, of course, many other wagering types, and the bigger the event, the larger your options.

Betting on Dota 2 Tournaments

There is a wide variety of Dota 2 tournaments, but we are going to focus on its three biggest tournaments. These are a bit of an unconventional lot, because there is no set schedule to when they will take place. They usually occur simultaneously, and typically last for only a couple of days. This is a very real case of “you snooze, you lose,” so keep an eye out for when they happen.

Dota 2’s professionally competitive scene is a rich and exciting one. If you are interested in boosting the thrill of eSports, betting on Valve’s MOBA is one of the funnest, most riveting options you could ever hope for!