DOSVIDASEE When betting on any Counter-Strike event, everything is centred around the odds. Even those who bet for the fun of it instead of for-profit interact with odds at all times. Betting odds are not just indicators of potential payouts but also a quick way to see the majority's opinion on the match outcome, the relative strength of the teams in play, and so on. In this article, we're gonna talk all about Counter-Strike betting odds.
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CS2 Betting Odds Explained
Most people understand the odds literally: an expected probability of a certain outcome (most commonly, a match winner). In reality, it's not quite that. Odds are simply the ratio between staked parties.
Of course, in reality, the bookmakers skew the odds a little in their favour to generate a profit. Otherwise, a perfect 50-50 standstill on a match outcome would be exactly 1.0 in decimal odds - instead, it looks something like 0.9 or 0.95. This is called a "betting margin" or simply a "margin." Always seek out CS2 best betting sites with smaller margins and more beneficial odds!
Additionally, sometimes betting operators will do the opposite and lower the odds of a team winning to make it appear that the bet is safer than it actually is. Although the effects of it are minuscule compared to the bandwagon mentality surrounding the reigning champions, and so on.
If using the odds to calculate the potential winnings when you bet money on CS, it stays very simple, still:
Let's assume that FaZe Clan, the current favourite of the event, has 1.31 odds of winning IEM Rio de Janeiro 2022. If you bet 100$ on this outcome and it is correct, you receive 131$ for a total of 31$ in winnings if we take away the original 100$ deposit. If you bet on a team with higher odds, let's say ENCE with 7.5 odds, you get 750$ in case of a correct guess. As the risk you take increases by betting on "weaker" teams, the payout increases, as well.
Types of CS Odds: What Are They And What Do They Mean?
Short answer: these are simply different ways to represent the same thing. Let's talk more about them.
What Are Decimal Odds?
The most popular odds format is decimal odds. It's mainly used in Europe and Australia and is a default odds format on many esports betting sites worldwide. It's a single number representing your winnings if you were to wager $1 on an event. Its simplicity makes it a perfect choice for most betting sites - no wonder it's so ubiquitous! If using the decimal system, odds of 1-2 represent the favourite, odds of 2 are even money bet, and going over that is betting on the underdog.
CS2 is one of the biggest esports, popular with many bookmakers, so there are plenty of odds to choose from
What Are American Odds?
As opposed to decimal odds, in which the unit is derived from betting a single unit of currency, American odds take bets of $100 as the baseline. Since it makes the number much bigger than the former option, the favourite and the underdog are represented with the + and - system in the American format to avoid confusion. As the format's name implies, American odds are mainly used in the US and Canada. However, most betting providers will allow their users to use this system anywhere if they wish to switch to it.
For example, 1.20 in the decimal system is represented as -500 in the American odds.
What Are Fractional Odds?
Fractional odds are the oldest way to display odds. Although not as commonly used, they remain an option on many esports betting sites. They're pretty clunky to read, in our opinion, but are still worth noting. An easy way to quickly learn fractional odds is this formula:
The Amount You Win/The Amount You Bet
For instance, 1.20 betting odds in a decimal system will be represented as 1/5 in fraction format.
What Are Hong Kong Odds?
While not many bookmakers have the Hong Kong system as their default, it is the simplest to read and understand. In Hong Kong odds format, the number represents your winnings for every currency unit wagered (let's use USD as an example once again). So, anything below 1 means that the team you're betting on is a favourite, and you'll be winning less than 1 for each $ you've bet. Odds of 1 are an even money bet, and anything above it is underdog betting.
Odds Converter
Use our odds converter to calculate the odds in an unfamiliar format quickly.
Odds converter
Calculating Implied Probability
Knowing the payoff in case of a successful bet is great, but knowing the probability that your bet is a success is even better. You can easily use betting odds as an indicator of the probability of a match outcome by using this simple formula (with Decimal odds):
(1/Decimal Odds) * 100 = Implied Probability
Example:
(1/1.2) * 100 = 83.33%
An outcome with 1.2 odds has 83.33% chance of occurring.
Of course, this result is merely an approximation of the probability. It's based on multiple factors: the opinion of the punters and the bookmaker's margins. While a good indicator of public perception, it's by no means 100% reflective of real-world scenarios.
Pre Match Odds And Live Betting Odds
Betway features many pre-match and live betting options
Traditionally, all wagers had to be submitted before the matches began, as the betting lines closed down when the event went underway. With the addition of live betting, this has changed. The traditional pre-match bets still exist, but live betting is taking the betting industry by storm. Let's take a look at the differences in the betting odds provided.
CS betting on matches is sometimes possible weeks before the event actually begins. When the event starts, pre-match bet markets all close down, and live betting becomes a possibility instead.
Live betting doesn't mean the ability to place bets whenever. Otherwise, the 100% foolproof play would be to wait until the end of the match before placing the bet, resulting in an effective odds of 1 for zero profit. Instead, it divides the Counter-Strike 2 match betting into betting on Rounds or Halftimes instead of matches, as well as placing regulations to keep bettors from wagering too late - or too early.
In CS2 live betting, odds change rapidly throughout the match. So even if users take safe CS2 bets on teams, the payout will not be as large as in pre-match odds. Knowing where to take a risk, however, can pay off.
Best CS2 Betting Markets For High Odds And Safe Bets
Nowadays, most esports betting sites will feature dozens - if not hundreds - of different betting markets. Some of them require a lot of game knowledge to bet on, others are pure randomness. What we're looking at here are markets with the best odds.
| Total Rounds | In S-tier CS2 events, the vast majority of matches pass the 25-round mark, which makes this cutoff a rather safe and reliable bet. This goes both ways - if a huge skill imbalance between two teams is seen, it's safe to bet against the match reaching 25 rounds. This way, it retains the status of a safe bet while also having rather high odds. |
| Handicaps Betting | In betting, Handicaps are aimed at reducing the effects of skill gaps between teams. To achieve this, the favourite receives a virtual handicap. For instance, it may take the form of one map. If that is the case, the underdog will have to win just a single map in a best-of-3 series to be declared the winner of a handicap bet. Because of this mechanism, Handicap bet odds are always consistently high and rewarding, no matter what teams are playing. |
| Showmatch Betting | Sometimes, the organizers of large S-tier events will include special show matches before the main event begins. The most popular type of these "warmup" games is a 1v1 between famous players. The bookmakers capitalize on this by opening special bet markets for this - you can find CS 1v1 betting on many large sportsbooks. |
| Prop Bets | Prop bets, sometimes called Special Bets, are a surefire way to spice up your betting experience. Since, in essence, they're bets on factors that do not affect the outcome of the game, their odds are consistently high. Examples of prop bets could include wagering on whether a round ends with a team elimination, bomb detonation, or bomb defusal. Additionally, prop bets may even include silly betting markets like the number of chickens killed, etc. |
Another way of entirely safe CS betting is betting on CS2 with skins. Since the in-game items can be earned by simply playing the game, it allows players to wager on esports matches completely for free.
Finding The Best Counter-Strike Odds
Bet365 CS2 Betting Markets
Many bettors prefer the easy route of picking up an esports bookmaker and sticking with it forever. However, it's a highly ineffective way of using betting sites. New CS2 betting sites constantly compete for punters' attention, and offering more profitable odds is one of the best ways to attract new users.
Manually skimming through dozens of different bookmakers to find all the different odds is a lot of work. Thankfully, many online resources have convenient odds databases and calculators that can be used to find the best deal at the moment's notice. The chief option among these platforms is none other than hltv.org. The site features every major betting site, showing upcoming matches and events and their odds in a convenient manner.
Additionally, here's a short list of our top-3 sites when it comes to great CS2 betting odds.
Bet365
The largest British esports betting site, Bet365 is most known for three things: great event coverage, its CS2 betting free codes, and, last but not least, very competitive odds. The last two factors combined make it a perfect choice for small-budget CS2 betting.
BetUS
The go-to for CS2 betting in USA, BetUS consistently provides its users with top-notch betting odds and a great selection of esports events to choose from. This platform accepts a multitude of payment operators, including CS betting with PayPal.
Betway
Another British esports betting giant, Betway, consistently ranks at the top of the odds provided. We also rate it as the top pick for ESL Pro League Counter-Strike betting. The site offers awesome bonuses for newcomers, and its selection of esports betting markets is rivalled by just a few bookmakers out there.