ESports Betting Odds

When betting on esports, you’ll be met with a few numbers that represent odds. Esports odds can come in a variety of formats, with the most common being American, decimal, and fractional odds. 

They all essentially mean the same thing, showing you how much you can earn by winning a bet, however they look slightly different and can be confusing. Let’s take a look at how betting odds work.

Esports Odds Comparison

First things first, when getting into esports betting, it’s vital to broaden your horizon. While you may have a favorite sportsbook, it’s always good to look around and compare what kinds of odds are offered. 

Although most sportsbooks will offer similar odds, there are always slight variations. By shopping around and finding the sportsbook with the best odds for your bet, you can make a touch more cash with every win. 

It’s also possible to take this to the next level, using a technique called arbitrage betting. This is betting on all possible outcomes and using the varying odds of sportsbooks to guarantee that you’ll make money. It’s not always possible and can take a lot of work, however, there are odds comparison services that make it easier.

Live Esports Odds

Live betting, also known as in-play betting, is an exciting way to spice up betting action. It works exactly like it sounds – being able to place bets live as a match is happening. 

The odds for live betting can get quite volatile, changing as every little thing happens in a match. They do, however, provide an interesting way for bettors to use their game knowledge to attempt to find superior odds. For example, if a favorite gets off to a slow start, their odds will keep increasing, which will offer better returns than if the bet was played before the match started.

American Esports Odds

American esports odds are displayed by whole numbers and include a plus (+) or minus (-) to indicate the value of the odds. For example, you may see a moneyline that looks something like this:

Faze Clan -200

Vs

Team Liquid +300

The minus indicates how much you’d need to wager to win $100, meanwhile, the plus shows how much you’d win if you bet $100. When looking at American odds, you can quickly identify the favorite and underdog thanks to the symbols, then work out how much you win from a bet. 

Some of the most popular American betting markets include moneylines, which are bets on a match winner. Similar to moneylines are futures, however these are bets for an overall event winner, not just one match. The odds for futures may look like this:

Odds to win IEM Katowice CSGO:

Faze Clan -111

Natus Vincere +110

Cloud9 +200

Team Liquid +350

Astralis +700

Then there are also proposition bets, aka props, which are bets on things that don’t affect the final match outcome. For example, in CSGO it may be betting on which team will win the first map. 

Additionally, spreads and totals are also very common. The former allows bettors to alter the match score for their bet, for example giving a team a +1.5 map bonus, meaning they’d only have to win one map in a best of three for their bet to win. Meanwhile, totals are displayed as Over and Under bets, where it’s possible to bet on the number of things happening in a match, such as round wins or kills.

Decimal Esports Odds

Decimal odds are a straightforward type of odds, mostly used within Europe. These odds work by simply multiplying your waging amount by the odds and are displayed through a whole number and decimals. Decimal odds in Esports may look like this:

Faze Clan 1.50

Vs

Team Liquid 4.00

This means if you bet $100 on Faze at 1.50, you’d receive a total of $150 for a bet win. The smaller the number in decimal odds, the higher the probability of a team winning. 

Much like American odds, there are also a ton of different esports betting markets with decimal odds. However, one key difference is that in the European market, spreads are referred to as handicap bets.

Fractional Esports Odds

Last but not least come fractional odds. These are often referred to as British or UK odds and are generally used in the United Kingdom. Fractional odds are represented by a fraction, such as 5/1, which symbolizes how much you’d win (the left number) for every amount placed (the right number). 

Fractional odds in esports may look like this:

Faze Clan 1/2

Vs

Team Liquid 3/1

In this case, the 1/2 odds mean for every $2 bet on Faze Clan, you’d win an extra $1, as well as your original stake. On the other hand, you’d win $3 for every $1 placed on Team Liquid.

Much like the other types of esports betting odds, there are many different markets available with fractional odds, although one again spreads are referred to as handicaps in regions where fractional odds are most popular.