eSports Betting at Bet365

Ratios and Their Formation

Odds reflect an estimate of the probability of an event:

• Low odds. Indicates the favourite. If a team is considered very strong, its chances of winning are considered high, therefore the odds will be low.
• High odds. Indicates the underdog. A team with a lower chance of success is priced at higher odds, offering potentially large profits but with greater risk.

For example, if in a Dota2 match a team that has won the last five series in a row meets a team that regularly loses to its opponents, the odds on the favourite can be around 1.30-1.40, while the odds on the underdog can be 3.00-4.00 or even higher. This gives an idea of how confident the operator is in the result.

What Affects the Odds

In cyber sports, everything depends on a lot of factors. The deeper you dive into the analysis, the better you understand why the odds look this way and not that way. Here are some of the features that affect the odds in the first place:

• Firstly, the statistics of recent performances: stable victories increase confidence in the team, while a series of defeats lowers the grade. 
• Secondly, the composition and form of the players: the replacement of a key cyber athlete or the failed adaptation of a newcomer affect the chances. 
• Game and meta updates are also important: changing the balance of heroes, maps, or weapons can increase or decrease a team’s competitiveness.
• Taking into account playing style, preferred strategies, and psychological aspects related to tournament pressure further adjusts the odds. 

Combining these factors and analysing them helps operators like Bet365 to determine the actual probability of a match outcome.

Statistics and Examples of Analyses

Statistics is your best friend. You can find it on official tournament websites, in analytical services, on streaming sites:

• Dota2. Look at which heroes the team peaks most often, at what stage of the game it is stronger. If the team is famous for late game, and the opponent is not good at delaying matches, betting on the victory of the first will be more logical.
• CS2. Study the team’s winrate on specific maps: if the team consistently wins on Mirage, and the upcoming map is Mirage, the chances increase.
• LoL. Pay attention to the first 10-15 minutes. If a team wins the early stage with confidence and controls the lenses (dragons, baron, towers), it will increase its chances.
• PUBG. Evaluate the average place of the team, the frequency of getting into the top 5. If the team is consistently in the upper echelon, you can bet on its high final place.

Case study: let’s imagine you are analysing a Dota2 match between Team A and Team B. Team A has won 8 out of the last 10 matches and is adapting to the current meta of heroes that dominate the tournament. Team B, on the other hand, have lost 6 of their last 10 games and have recently changed their leader. The odds on Team A will be lower (say 1.50), while Team B will be higher (around 2.60-2.80). Based on the statistics, confidence in Team A is growing.

Start with Simple Bets

Beginners are usually advised to choose basic outcomes:

• Winner of the match. The simplest option, requiring a minimum of assumptions.
• The results of the series (in Best of 3 or Best of 5). You can bet on who will take the most cards.

Once mastered, move on to more complex markets:

• The exact score on the cards. For example, a bet that in CS2 the series will end with the score 2:1.
• Individual stats. Number of kills of a particular player, first frag, number of lenses taken (dragons in LoL or roshan in Dota2).

Bankroll Management and Financial Discipline

Without proper financial management, all efforts to analyse can go to waste:

• Determine a budget. Decide how much you are willing to spend per month and do not exceed it.
• Divide the pot into parts. For example, determine that you spend no more than 2-5% of the pot on a single bet.
• Analyse the results. Record your bets, note which strategies work and which don’t.

Example: You have a bank of Rs 10,000. Set a rule that one bet is no more than Rs 200 (2 per cent). If you are lucky and your analysis is accurate, you will gradually increase your bank. If not, you won’t lose it all at once and can continue to improve your skills.

Tips for Live Betting

Live betting is a great tool to adjust to the reality of the match:

• If the favourite looks unconvincing in the opening minutes and the underdog is dominating, you can bet on the underdog at a more favourable odds before it drops.
• In LoL, if you see one team quickly destroying towers and capturing facilities, you can bet on it winning as the game progresses.
• In PUBG, if a team confidently controls the centre of the zone, while the others have to pick up loot on the edge, its chances of getting into the top 3 are higher. Live betting on its success can be favourable.

Keep in mind that live betting requires a quick reaction. If you hesitate or delay a decision, the odds may change not in your favour.

Strategy Testing and Ongoing Training

Betting on cybersports is not static, but a dynamic process of learning and experimentation:

• Try different strategies, from careful betting on favourites to risky betting on underdogs.
• Analyse the results. If the strategy is failing, try changing your approach.
• Learn from experienced bettors. Read their blogs, watch their videos to learn useful techniques.

Example: You have noticed that your strategy of “betting on favourites with low odds” brings a small but stable profit. Or, on the contrary, you have noticed that when betting on underdogs, you sometimes make a “big score”, but more often you lose. Try to find a balance by alternating between different types of bets.

Practical Examples of How to Apply the Tips

Let’s say you want to bet on a CS2 match between Team X and Team Y:

• You’re looking at the stats: Team X won 70% of their matches on Dust2, while Team Y only won 30%. The match will take place on Dust2. The odds on Team X are low, but reasonable. The probability of winning is high.
• The day before the match, it became known that Team Y had replaced the sniper. Newcomers often don’t fit right into the team chemistry. This is an additional argument in favour of Team X.
• You decide to bet a small amount, say 2% of the pot, so as not to risk too much.
• As the match progresses, you can see that Team X is dominating, winning the first rounds. The odds are even lower for them to win, but if they suddenly started losing, you might want to consider the opposite live bet.

Similarly in Dota2, if you know that a team is in good control of the leit-game, but the first map was dictated by the opponent, you can bet that the next map will change the balance, if you can see the prerequisites for adapting the strategy.