The best esports betting odds help you squeeze more value from every wager, whether you’re backing a CS2 favourite, betting outrights at LoL Worlds, or exploring newer markets like Marvel Rivals. Small differences in pricing can mean bigger returns, especially across match winners, handicaps, and futures markets.
This guide explains how esports odds work across decimal, fractional, and American formats, how sportsbooks price markets, and how to spot value. We also highlight trusted sites that post sharper lines across the biggest esports tournaments.
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Understanding Esports Betting Odds
Here’s a clear breakdown of how American, decimal, and fractional esports betting odds work, and how each format helps you quickly calculate potential payouts across popular esports matches.
We also explain how bookmakers set esports odds, what factors influence pricing, and how understanding line movement and margins can help you spot value and make smarter betting decisions.
Along with some handy coverage of how odds work, as well as strategies like arb betting and matched betting, you’ll have all you need to make a decent profit by betting on CS2, with LoL betting, or for any other major game.
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. At esports betting markets, these odds 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.
Just as a football expert sets lines for the Super Bowl, sportsbooks use esports specialists to create accurate esports betting odds. For Dota 2 betting, oddsmakers assess team form, player performance, patch changes, and historical stats ahead of major events like The International, while Valorant betting odds are shaped by map pools, agent metas, and recent match results.
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 not the same as working out expected value. Instead, it focuses on taking advantage of price gaps between different esports betting sites that list odds on the same match or tournament.
For instance, if you find the best esports odds for one team at a particular bookmaker, you might then discover that another sportsbook has stronger odds on the opposing side. This difference creates an opportunity.
By placing bets on both competitors at separate sites, arbitrage betting can allow you to secure a profit regardless of who wins the match, provided the numbers line up correctly.
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’ll find esports betting odds across a wide variety of markets. Some markets are specific to the game you’re betting on, while others are more general and ideal starting points if you’re a new player. Popular esports 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:
- Call of Duty
- PUBG
- PUBG Mobile
- Mobile Legends
- EA FC
- Overwatch 2
- Street Fighter
- StarCraft II
- NBA 2K
- Hearthstone
- Fortnite
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.
Live esports betting odds can sometimes offer better value once a match is underway, especially after drafts, map selections, or early-round momentum shifts. Sportsbooks adjust prices in real time, so you can take advantage of overreactions to early kills, pistol rounds, or side swaps in games like CS2, Dota 2, and Valorant.
