Professional sports bettors don’t have the same abilities as the athletes they bet on. It’s nearly impossible to develop this athleticism and also be a highly skilled gambler. But it seems more possible for a winning esports bettor to also be good at the games. After all, an esports pro doesn’t need to be gifted with a 6’9” frame or perfect genetics for building muscle.
Therefore, an average person could theoretically become great at esports and transition this know how to the betting world. Of course, being a pro and betting on matches is illegal (a.k.a. match-fixing). But what if you were a near-pro-level gamer? Would your skills give you special insight into the games you’re wagering on?
I’m going to examine this subject and discuss exactly what you stand to gain from being a strong gamer. I’ll also cover other factors that you need to consider beyond just understanding your favorite games.
A considerable gap exists between top esports pros and casual players. Pros have dedicated practice time each day, while casual gamers merely play for a few hours against other amateurs. But what would you stand to gain through sports betting by bridging this skill gap? The biggest advantage that you’d have would be identifying a useful strategy and applying it to your bets.
Here’s an example:
This is just one example on how you can use your playing skills to gain betting value. Having this insight helps you determine if a sportsbook has accurately handicapped a particular team/match. Of course, being so good that you can identify what strategies are/aren’t priced in is rare in the esports world. After all, you’d have a strong chance at going pro yourself if you’re this great.
The more-realistic benefit to playing games you bet on is developing a fundamental understanding of each game and the relevant winning strategies. You don’t need to hang with top gamers to benefit from having insight. Instead, it’s just nice to have a solid understanding of what wins matches. For example, pro basketball bettors know basic offensive strategies like the pick and roll and isolation sets. They can use a team’s offensive strengths to determine if they’ll perform well against an opponent’s defense.
Likewise, pro esports bettors should know the basic strategies of the games they’re wagering on. A great way to do this is simply by watching YouTube videos on the games in question. This isn’t to say that you must spend eight hours diving into the mindset of an esports pro. But again, it’s nice to develop a well-rounded understanding of each game that you gamble on.
Chances are that you bet on games that you’ve actually tried. The real question, though, is how much overall time you devote to gaming. In a perfect world, you’d have lots of time to both play and wager on your favorites. However, the reality is that you have limited hours to make informed bets and also learn games by playing them.
You don’t necessarily have to keep a regular playing schedule. But it’s good if you at least spend a few weeks playing and learning strategy for a certain game(s). Doing so will ensure that you have a strong fundamental knowledge on the game before trying to win money through gambling.
Once you develop this knowledge, you should proceed to playing the game casually while devoting more time to the gambling elements. Casually playing helps you keep up with the latest strategy trends while spending more hours on what most pertains to your situation: winning wagers.
I just discussed how being good at esports can help you gain special insight. But there are many more factors to consider beyond simply being a successful player. As an amateur gamer, there’s a 99.99% chance that you’ll never be as good as the pros. However, you can still make money off esports by mastering the most important betting elements. Below you’ll find several keys to becoming successful at esports wagering. I strongly advise you to thoroughly learn each of these concepts first before worrying about your own gaming skills.
Managing your bankroll is the key to long-term survival in esports betting. Unfortunately, far too many gamblers are bad at bankroll management and quickly lose their money. This problem is exacerbated when you gamble money that you can’t afford to lose. That said, the first key to esports betting bankroll management is knowing how much you can comfortably part with.
You probably don’t want to think this way, because your dreaming of winning big profits. But it’s still crucial to plan for the worst-case scenario. Look at your finances and expenses to come up with a realistic amount of money that you can dedicate towards esports gambling. The amount is all relative to your specific situation. You may have a high-paying job and your finances under control. In this case, you might be able to dedicate as much as $10,000 or more to esports wagering.
On the other hand, you may have a low-paying job and be living paycheck to paycheck. You can’t afford to bet nearly as much on esports in this scenario. Whatever your situation may be, it’s important to be responsible and decide on a reasonable bankroll. You can slowly add more funds over time.
The next step is to decide how much you’ll wager on each match and/or tournament. The best method is to bet a conservative amount that never puts your bankroll in jeopardy. One of the easiest strategies it is to only wager 1% of your bankroll on any given match\tournament. This small amount ensures that you can ride out potential losing streaks and never be in true danger of losing your bankroll.
Here’s an example on how this works:
The only problem with this model is that it’s so conservative that you won’t make big profits with a small bankroll. Therefore, you might consider taking bigger risks with a smaller bankroll. I’m not advising you to bet 10% to 25% of your funds on a single contest. But you might instead risk 2% to 5% on matches that you have a good feeling about. The overall key is to stay conservative so that you can survive downswings and continue betting.
The esports betting world is tempting, because there are so many different games available. This temptation only becomes greater when you play multiple games on a regular basis. Here are just some of the options that have professional esports leagues:
Betting on multiple games is a tempting the idea, especially if you play more than one game on a regular basis. The problem with doing so, though, is that you’ll struggle to develop any true betting mastery. A better plan is to become strong at one game being gradually branch out to others. Of course, you may not be up for this when considering how difficult it is to win profits in a single game – let alone multiple games. I recommend choosing one of the most popular esports that has a lot of betting action. You should then learn everything you can about this game and its leagues.
This approach accomplishes two goals:
Let other people make the mistake of trying to do too much. You, on the other hand, should focus on a single option.
Along with focusing on one game in the beginning, you also want to limit the amount of bets that you place within a given time. Far too many new bettors jump into esports and immediately think they see great opportunities all over the place. Eventually, they’re simply looking at lines and calling the outcome without any true analysis.
While this might lead to plenty of gambling thrills, it’s not a recipe for long-term success. A better approach is to bet sparingly while working on your esports betting strategy on the side. Placing a limited number of bets allows you to focus on each individual wager. You’ll gradually become able to place a larger volume of successful bets as you develop stronger skills. The key is to have patience and focus on winning each bet. Let the process of placing more wagers within a week\month come naturally.
Handicapping esports matches and tournaments involves looking at the various factors and trying to find value in a certain outcome.
Some of the different factors that you want to look at when handicapping an esports match include a team’s success rate, how they’ve fared against the current opponent, their recent form, key players, and if one side’s playing style could provide an advantage.
These are just some basics, and you’ll gradually pick up on other elements to use in your handicapping efforts. For example, the travel schedule can lead to one team being more or less fatigued than their opponent. Esports handicapping isn’t just something that you become good at overnight. You’ll get better with experience and be able to spot value in more lines.
Most esports betting sites are similar in terms of the odds they offer. But you can still find differences from site to site based on certain bets.
One way to consistently find the best odds is to do your research before choosing a betting site. Some bookmakers have a reputation for offering better odds than their competitors on a consistent basis. You can also sign up and deposit at multiple esports betting sites. Doing so allows you to quickly jump on any favorable odds you see. Above all, the goal is to spend time looking at multiple sportsbooks before placing each wager.
Some esports gamblers make the mistake of believing success is all tied to handicapping. While this definitely plays a role, it’s also crucial to keep up on news that can impact line prices.You may find out that a certain team’s top player will miss their upcoming match due to an illness. You can subsequently gain value by betting on their opponent before the line shifts.
This brings me to another point in that you want to find news before bookmakers have time to react by shifting odds. Following the latest esports news is the only true way to get this information before lines move. Twitter is the best tool for keeping up on esports news. Many reporters tweet hot stories as soon as they get them. Paying attention to Twitter updates on your smartphone can help you quickly get the news and place a bet prior to lines moving.
The only way to truly judge esports success is by having actual records on your bets. You’d be surprised at how many gamblers don’t keep track of this information and subsequently have no idea how they’re doing. Having documented evidence of your wins and losses helps keep you honest about your esports betting skills. You can then adjust your approach based on your success rate.
Here’s some basic info that you can track:
If you notice a pattern where you lose lots of bets that you don’t research, you know to study longer in order to experience more success.
Most esports bettors win at least 90% of their money back. Therefore, this is a less volatile form of gambling than many casino games. Nevertheless, you can still experience long losing streaks in esports. When this happens, you’ll struggle to control your emotions and avoid bad decisions. The biggest emotional mistake that esports bettors make is chasing losses. This refers to placing bets simply to recoup losses.
One of the easiest ways to get over these problems is to put the past behind you and focus on the next wager.
Being good at esports can certainly add another dimension to your betting skills. For instance, you might notice that a CSGO team is using specific strategies that’ll help them on a certain map. However, the best benefit of playing video games is simply learning the basics so that you understand what’s going on. Being a casual player is fun and helps you develop better knowledge of your favorite game.
But don’t talk yourself into playing endless hours under the belief that you’ll suddenly become an expert gambler. Instead, there are specific skills that translate directly to betting success. Everything starts with knowing how to properly manage your bankroll. Doing so ensures that you have enough funds to win over the long term.
Focus is another crucial skill, because you don’t want to spread yourself too thin. Instead, the best approach is to make a limited number of weekly bets on a specific game. You can think about branching out into another game later. But focus on mastering your first choice above all. Handicapping matches/tournaments helps you find outcomes with the most perceived value. Consistently spotting this value is key to becoming a winning long-term bettor. You should also keep track of bets in order to document your success. The more detailed your records, the more information you can use to improve.
Again, being good at esports is an added bonus as a gambler. But being a pro-level gamer certainly isn’t required just to win money. Instead, you can casually play games just to pick up the basics. The more important thing, though, is to sharpen your betting skills.
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