The best esports betting odds can give you the edge needed to win more, and you can easily compare the sharpest lines before you make your bet. Odds are at the heart of every wager, whether you’re backing NAVI in Counter-Strike, going all-in on LoL Worlds, or experimenting with new titles like Marvel Rivals.
We have a clear guide on how odds are used in esports betting, why they matter, and how to read them across various formats, including decimal, fractional, and American. We’ll also examine expected values and betting strategies. Check out the following sites for the best esports odds:
- Fast withdrawals with zero fees
- Live streaming available for in-play betting
- 24/7 live chat customer support
- Regular contests with huge rewards
- 0 fees on deposits
- 2% sports rebate
- Generous re-up crypto bonuses
- Game previews & tips for most important matches
- Fast payouts via crypto
- Unique live betting markets
- Free bet offers every week
- Great selection of sports & niche markets
- Fast & easy withdrawals
- 15% odds boost on MMA
- Place live bets on Sundays & get free bets
- Live betting markets for all major sports
- Daily odds boosts
- VIP rewards with weekly cash boost
- Live streaming available for major events
- Early Cash-Out available
- Fast payouts, available 24/7
- Various reload bonuses
- Join Xbet blog for more previews & tips
- Safe & fast crypto payments
- More than 30 sports betting categories
- Weekly rakeback through loyalty program
- Early cashouts available
Understanding Esports Betting Odds
Here’s a quick lesson on getting to grips with American, fractional, and decimal odds and how they can help you work out the best esports odds for your favorite titles.
We’ve also provided a short section that helps you understand how bookmakers come up with esports odds, so that you can make a decent profit by betting on CS2, with LoL betting, or for any other major game.
We will also include information on how to calculate expected value so that you can quickly see how much you can earn on the various esports betting markets. Along with some handy coverage of how American odds work, as well as strategies like arb betting and matched betting, you should have everything you need to get a good payout on betting on your favorite gaming titles.
How American Esports Odds Work
If you go to the best esports betting sites to place a bet, chances are you’ll see odds displayed in the American format.
- Negative American odds (-): The number shows how much you need to bet to make a $100 profit.
- Positive American odds (+): The number shows how much profit you would make on a $100 stake.
In short, if a potential bet has a minus (-) sign next to it, it is a favorite, and bets with a positive (+) number are underdogs. When betting on spreads, you may see matchups where both teams or players have negative odds; this means they are evenly matched.
While this method may seem unusual at first, it provides a clear connection between the odds and your potential wager. American odds are growing in popularity as esports expands worldwide, so understanding this format is essential for anyone betting on CS2, LoL, Dota 2, or other esports titles.
What Are Decimal Odds?
Decimal odds can apply to anything in the esports world. They provide a clear way to calculate potential winnings for your bets.
- A $10 bet on Team Dignitas to win the Global Loot League in PUBG at odds of 7.00 would return $70, which includes your original stake.
- A $5 bet on Optic Gaming to win the Dota 2 ROG Masters challenge at odds of 3.00 would return $15, again, including your original wager.
The larger the decimal amount, the more the sportsbook is willing to pay out on that betting outcome. However, these high-odds bets are considered less likely to happen, which is why they are always a riskier betting strategy.
Fractional Odds Explained
Some betting enthusiasts will be familiar with fractional betting odds. While this method isn’t as popular in the US, it’s still commonly used overseas to predict the likelihood of an event occurring. The key thing to remember about fractional odds is that they don’t include your original wager.
- Betting on Fnatic to win their next CS2 match at the ESL Pro League Finals at fractional odds of 2/7 means that for every $7 wagered, you would win $2 for a total return of $9.
- Backing their opponents, Luminosity, at CS2 odds of 2/5 means you would win $2 for every $5 wagered, so your total return would be $7.
This shows that the bookies view Luminosity as slightly more likely to win, so the payout for backing them is smaller. The main thing to remember is that there aren’t real advantages to choosing decimal over fractional odds; it’s about whichever format helps you best work out your potential winnings at a glance.
Comparison of Different Esports Odds
No matter which format you prefer using for esports betting odds, the numbers will indicate the same thing: how likely a team is to win and how much your bet will pay.
As a result, esports odds calculators can be useful for switching between the different types so that you have a clear image. Here is an example of the same odds displayed in different formats.
| Bet Amount | American Odds | Decimal Odds | Fractional Odds | Implied Odds | To Win |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $100 | +100 | 2 | 1/1 | 50 | $100 |
| $100 | +200 | 3 | 2/1 | 33.33 | $200 |
| $100 | +300 | 4 | 3/1 | 25 | $300 |
How Esports Betting Odds Are Calculated
Betting sites calculate the odds based on previous results and data, which helps them establish the likelihood of a team winning against another. As players place bets, the selections will also influence the odds, adjusting so that the sportsbook remains somewhere in the middle, while adding a fee on both sides.
Bookmakers do this by employing experts in each area to try and work out the likelihood of each betting outcome happening.
So, just as you might get a football expert to act as an oddsmaker for creating odds on the Super Bowl, you would also get an expert in Dota 2 betting to work out odds for the upcoming International tournament by checking the past form and statistics of each player. The same is valid for Valorant betting or any other esports title.
You can now get a good idea of who the best players and teams are in any domain just by looking at how their esports odds have been formulated. No matter how much research goes into creating the esports betting lines, there can always be surprises. This is what makes betting so exciting since even an underdog can take down the biggest team in a tournament.
How to Calculate Expected Values
Expected value shows how much you can expect to win on average for each bet. By running the same scenario repeatedly, you can see whether a bet is worthwhile at certain esports betting odds. To calculate it, follow this formula:
- Multiply the probability of winning by your potential payout
- Subtract the probability of losing multiplied by your stake
- Use discrepancies in esports betting odds to create potential guaranteed profits
What these figures reveal is that all sites will tilt the betting odds slightly in their favor, allowing them to make a profit in the long run. But the trick is to use an esports betting resource to make sure that you are only using online sportsbooks with the lowest possible betting margins, so as to give yourself the best esports odds for the maximum possible profits if you win.
All About Arbs: Tricky Betting Strategy
Arbitrage betting is different from finding expected values. It requires you to take advantage of differences in odds offered on the same event by different esports betting sites.
For example, by finding the best esports odds for one winner, you can take advantage of a discrepancy between them and another sportsbook that offers better odds on the opposite outcome.
This allows you to bet on both teams in a match and make money regardless of the winner.
Matched Betting and Esports Odds
Matched betting is another advanced technique that can be used on titles like CS2. This requires you to bet against the eventual winner by backing potential losers from a variety of different sites. By using a betting exchange to place an opposing lay bet, you can hedge all possible outcomes to try to guarantee yourself a profit.
To successfully carry out this betting tactic, you’ll need to find sportsbooks offering odds on your chosen esport. So this is not a tactic to use on niche esports titles like Heroes of the Storm.
In addition to this, it can take a lot of patience and skill to find the right esports odds for your chosen games.
Best Esports Odds and Betting Markets
You can find esports betting odds on a wide range of markets when going with the top sites. Some can depend on the game in question, while others are general and make for great entry points for beginners. Popular betting markets include:
- Match Winner: Esports odds for betting on the winner of the selected match-up.
- First Blood/Kill: The first team or player to get a kill in the match.
- Handicap Betting: Sportsbooks add a disadvantage to the favorite in order to make the esports betting odds closer.
- Totals: Odds on the outcome being over or under a selected value. Can apply to total kills, rounds played, match duration, and more.
- Team Props: Bets on a team’s performance throughout the match. Can cover the number of kills, towers or barracks destroyed, dragons slain, and more.
- Player Props: Bets on a player’s performance, like getting an Ace, a Rampage, defusing the bomb in the current round, and more.
- Futures: Bets on who will win a tournament. Sites often list esports betting odds for big events before the first match even takes place.
These games usually have the most betting markets across the top platforms, which often results in sharper esports odds:
- Counter-Strike 2
- Dota 2
- League of Legends
- Valorant
However, forward-thinking brands like the ones we feature have seized the initiative to offer esports odds on a much larger selection of titles, with games like:
- Street Fighter
- PUBG
- Overwatch 2
- Fortnite
- StarCraft II
- EA FC
- NBA 2K
- Mobile Legends
- PUBG Mobile
- Call of Duty
- Hearthstone
FAQs
BetWhale, BetUS, and BetOnline often have the best esports betting odds in the United States. These are renowned sportsbooks with great coverage of esports events and competitive betting lines. You can also benefit from bonuses to further improve your margins for every tournament.
The best way to compare odds for esports betting is to sign up to several platforms featured on this page. Then, navigate to the game you want to bet on and see what odds each sportsbook offers. Go with the lines that give you the best profits for your bet, if successful.
League of Legends, Counter-Strike 2, and Dota 2 are the big three when it comes to esports betting odds online. All of the leading platforms cover these games in detail. Other popular picks include Valorant, Overwatch, Rocket League, and Fortnite.
Esports betting odds differ from one sportsbook to another because each bookmaker uses its own data models, analysts, and margin settings. Factors like recent team performance, betting volume, and regional preferences can also influence prices. Comparing esports betting lines and odds across multiple sites helps you find the best value for every wager.
