Sports Betting Guide

Esports betting guide: How to bet on Dota 2?

Esports are all fun and games before you start treating them seriously, especially when it comes to betting on these digital competitions. Being one of the most popular esports disciplines - Dota 2 has gathered dozens of millions of fans from all around the world. The complexity of the game & the variety of its betting markets sometimes makes it hard for inexperienced bettors to get the hang of it. Therefore, we would like to explain some in’s & out’s in today’s esports betting guide.

dota 2 betting guide

What is Dota 2 and how it came about?

First things first, what is Dota 2 or as its full name goes Defense of the Ancients 2? Dota 2 is one of the world’s most popular multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) video games, which is, by the way, free-to-play. Simply saying, Dota 2 is a real-time strategy game, which has been played competitively for a very long time.

For those who are wondering the game is very similar to another popular MOBA - League of Legends, yet has its fundamental differences. The history of this mainstream game dates back to 2003, when a user named IceFrog (one of the main designers of the initial version) introduced a Warcraft III game mod, called «Defense of the Ancients». The mod, or as some might refer to it as just a Warcraft 3 map, shortly became popular and caught an eye of the then embryonic esports industry. A couple of years later (2009), IceFrog was hired by one of the video game industry’s big players Valve to start working on a modern sequel, which was born after two years of the beta testing in July 2013. Dota 2 quickly became one of the Steam’s most played games, peaking at over one million concurrent players. What happened next? Well, you already know.

Let’s talk a bit about how the game works. The Dota 2 match is played (competitively or not) between two teams with 5 players on each side. Players have to pick one of many available characters that are generally divided into 3 main groups: Intelligence, Agility and Strength. Each character has a set of its unique abilities and the entire action takes place on a classic map with a variety of runs and other hidden tweaks that can enhance your character’s ability. Each player also has a set of special abilities, which creates quite a unique experience when combined with other characters’. The goal of each game is to destroy the opponent’s main structure called «Ancient». To achieve such a goal player have to implement certain strategies by cooperating, collecting gold and buying character-needed items to boost your character’s abilities.

Important factors to consider while betting on Dota 2

  • Stats

Just like any other betting market, betting on Dota 2 requires you to conduct research and get familiar with the statistics before each particular event. This involves checking the teams’ current results, their form, head-to-head record against each other (very important), roster changes and all sorts of similar data. The golden rule here is the more information you know the better it is for you.

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  • META

What is META? It is an acronym that stands for «most effective tactics available». In other words, it means there are certain ways that are currently more effective in terms of achieving the goal of the game. This is usually related to character or item buffs or nerfs

Such META changes can significantly affect a team’s chances of performing well due to various reasons. These game updates usually take time to get used to. Therefore, it is only a matter of how fast a team adapts to it. Keep an eye out on such things to predict the game better.


  • Online or Offline (LAN)

If you are only a bit familiar with esports than you must already know that the large share of all major esports events is carried out offline, or on so-called LAN. Offline tournaments usually have a stage where both teams are located during the match and, most importantly, the crowd. Such competitions usually create a more competitive environment and feature higher prize pools.

However, not all the events are carried out in such a format. There are also those done online. While it might not happen too often, it is still advised to watch out for teams that perform differently online and offline.


  • Regions

Just like traditional sports, professional esports stage also has some sort of division within. Top esports teams & competitions are mainly distinguished by the region where they are coming from. If you are looking for a more competitive Dota 2 environment than Europe is the place. The European continent is known for having the best Tier 1 teams, while Asia (China in particular) is dominating in Tier 2. American region (both North & South) have shown to be not very consistent in their performances over time, with only one team standing out on the major stage - Evil Geniuses. Keep that in mind when betting on international Dota 2 tournaments that feature teams from all around the globe.


  • Strategy, teamplay & skill

While all the above points can give you a great idea about what team has more potential, a competitive Dota 2 game involves a large share of strategic planning along with team coordination and individual skillset. This is far more crucial when it comes to game time.

Keep in mind, there are currently 119 playable characters (as of July, 2020) and each player has their own playing style. A competitive Dota 2 game starts with a character picking stage. Both teams have to ban and select their heroes based on who and how they play. Taking a look at the draft and knowing your team’s habits and playing style you can easily predict whether or not the team will be playing in their comfort zone or if someone will be forced to use the character they are less comfortable playing with.

The properly picked hero selection will not only improve the individual player’s skill but also enhance the overall team performance by creating the in-game synergy.

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the best dota 2 guide!!!!

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