If you’re someone who likes to bet on the game of CS2 – or Counter-Strike: Global Offensive as it was formerly known, then you need to know what you’re doing – and get yourself a strategy. If you haven’t yet thought about it or you want to get one started, then look no further. Here, we’re going to look at everything you need to know about CS2 gambling – from staking to betting tips and the various strategies you can use to give yourself the very best chance.
The Best CS2 Budget Methods
If you have decided you want to give CS2 eSports betting a go, then you can’t just rush into it and bet on the first match you see… with no CSGO gambling strategy and no real idea of staking. The most successful Counter-Strike gamblers use a staking method as a part of their strategy – and that’s something you need to consider.
Before taking a look at some of the best staking strategies, you need to know exactly what they are first…
Basically, a staking method is simply strategically deciding how much money you should stake on a bet. You can be flexible with it – and you might choose to have different staking methods for different types of bets. For example, you might be prepared to have a maximum stake for Match Winner bets a lot higher than you would for props or special bets. You might be happier with a maximum stake for a bet you have more chance (and more confidence) of winning. So, you might have a maximum stake of $20 for match-winner bets but only $5 for a bet like a player with the most kills. Makes sense, right?
A Percentage of Your Budget
Lots of bettors (both CS2 bettors and sports bettors) use this type of staking strategy, especially if they have a bit of a tight budget. This is basically just assigning a percentage of your budget to each of your bets – proportional to what you have to spend.
So, for example, if you have a budget of $100 for your CS2 bets, you might decide that your maximum stake is set at 5% – so you can’t stake any more than $5 per bet. However – it’s 5% of your overall budget. So, if you lose the first bet, you can only spend 5% of your remaining budget ($95)… and if you keep losing, your maximum bets get smaller and smaller.
If you were to win your first bet – your budget might go up to $150… in which case, your maximum bet would also go up – to $7.50. This is popular because it will keep your budget going for longer, so you won’t quickly run out of money.
Fixed Stakes Betting
Then, we have the popular fixed stake strategy – which is the more straightforward and most used of them all. As the name might suggest – you set yourself a stake and stick to it… a fixed stake. So, you may decide that no matter what your budget, whether it goes up or down, whether you win or lose, you bet $10 – fixed.
The reason why this is such a good idea is because it completely keeps emotion out of your betting – and discourages people from chasing losses or panicking. So, basically, there are no real decisions to make, no matter what is happening – you bet the same. You don’t make a massive bet to try and recoup losses – or make a huge bet because you’re riding the wave of luck – you bet unemotionally.
The Martingale System
If you’re a casino player – or a regular on the gambling scene, you may well have heard of this term, as it is one of the oldest staking systems in the gambling world. Although it can definitely be effective, if you aren’t careful, it can lead to serious losses… so you need to handle this one with care.
This is basically a system designed to recover losses – and you have to double your bet whenever you lose. Then, when you hit a win, you go back to your original stake. This is only a strategy for those with a big budget and don’t mind risk… because if you go through a long losing streak, the bets get bigger and bigger… and could potentially eat through your bankroll before you manage to get that win. Even if you start with just a $5 bet – if you lose 5 times in a row, you’ll lose $5 + $10 + $20 + $40 + $80 = $155… over many budgets!
Ultimately, you need to decide which is the best staking strategy for you. You can use one; you can use all three. For more straightforward bets like match-winner bets where you have more confidence, you might go for the Martingale, but for the special bets and props bets, you might go for percentage-based bets – and for other types, you might go for fixed stake betting. Make the decision based on what’s best for you and your budget… but decide what you are going to do before you start betting!
Top CS2 Gambling Strategies
Once you’ve decided on your staking strategy, you then need to work out your CSGO betting strategy – and this will depend on a whole host of different factors. You need to figure out your style of betting, your budget, your risk tolerance and what you are most comfortable.
That being said, here are some that you might want to consider…
Pre-Match Betting
Probably, the most popular way to bet is pre-match… before the action kicks off. This basically simply requires you to place your bet before the match begins… or even make outright bets on tournaments before they begin. If you want to give yourself the best chance of success with this strategy, research is essential.
The good news is that, in the world of CS2, there are all sorts of different tools and resources available to help you. There are all sorts of websites available that keep you updated with all the latest news and information on players and teams. So, for example, if a player has recently been swapped out – or if a team has gotten themselves a new coach, it could have a big impact on their performance – and whether they win or lose their next match.
You should also compare the various odds available for the best you want to make. This can help you to pick the best bookmaker to make those best – and give you more value for money if you are lucky. They might only be small differences, but they can add up over the longer term.
Live and In-Play CS Betting Strategies
This is getting ever more popular with CS2 gamblers – as it really ups the action and the ante. However, it’s really straightforward as well. This is all about betting on a match as it’s actually being played out – so you can see what’s happening and how the teams and players are performing to help you make your decisions. It’s also available at pretty much any decent CS2 gambling site.
To succeed with this, you need to try and spot the best opportunities – and take advantage of them. This is a strategy where you need to be patient… wait for the right bet and the right odds – and then strike.
For example, there might be a match where there are pre-match odds of no more than 1.5 for the favorites to win. However, if you wait for the match to start playing, you’ll find that the odds start to fluctuate – sometimes quite dramatically. If the other team takes the lead, especially if it’s a substantial lead, you’ll find that the odds for the favorites to win will be considerably higher… so if you place a bet on them when the time is right and they manage to turn the match around, you’ll get a much bigger payout than if you bet on them pre-match.
Map Veto Betting Strategy
If you’re familiar with the team game, you’ll know that some teams are better on certain maps – and underperform on other maps. There are seven competitive maps in the competitive map pool – and many teams focus on becoming super strong on some of those maps and accept that they have weaknesses on other maps. This strategy will require you to look at the map veto after match betting has already started.
First of all, you need to research what maps the two teams have decent winning streaks on. So, for example, if the Terrorist Team – Team A has a 5-match winning streak on the Dust II map – and it isn’t vetoed out by Team B, then it’s likely that Team A is guaranteed at least one map win from a best of 3 match. However, it also goes the other way. If a team has two weaker maps that manage to make it through the veto in a best of 3 match, they’re likely to lose.
What’s more, lots of the best CS bookmakers let you bet on certain map results as well – which is great if you’ve done this research! Ultimately, for those who know their teams and have done their research, this is a great strategy.
Betting on Form Vs Ranking
Two factors that you need to consider when making your CS2 bets are the form and the ranking of the two teams playing. However, these don’t necessarily always correlate. If you have a higher-ranking team that’s in the best form, it’s fairly straightforward. However, you may find that although one team has a higher ranking, but the other team is in better form. What then?
If Team A is higher ranked, the chances are the bookmakers will have them as favourites over Team B – which basically means that you’ll get better odds if you bet on Team B. If you notice that Team B currently is on better form, it’s a good bet – not only will they have decent odds, but they have a fairly solid chance of winning. As such, if you are in a place of trading off ranking versus form, it’s a good idea to go with form.
The form that any team is in is essential when you’re looking to bet on a match. It’s not unusual for a team that’s in good form to beat a team that’s not in the best form – even if it is a higher-ranked team. What’s more, you’ll also find occasions when bookies don’t take the current form into consideration when putting together their odds – and this really could put you one step ahead.
So, look at the match history of the teams and if you come across a match where a lower-ranked team in good form is taking on a higher-ranked team in questionable form – it’s a good idea to look out for good odds and take a punt!
Only Take Value Bets
If you’ve ever made any type of bet before, you’ll appreciate that you should only go with a bet that represents value. However, you need to be able to work this out for yourself – as they won’t come with a flashing neon label! Basically, you’ll need to know the real odds of an event happening and compare it to the bookmaker’s odds of it happening.
So, there might be a match where the bookies have put odds of 1.2 on the favorite team to win. This isn’t a great return… and even if you bet $100, you’ll only get $20 in profit. If you have done your research and looked at this team – and noticed that there are some issues, or they are going through a phase of change, then you might be better off betting against them. If you bet on them at 1.2 when you’re unsure of their form, the risk is relatively high, and the reward is pretty low – so it’s not a value bet.
On the other hand, the bookies might have the underdog as only having a 20% chance of winning – but your research has suggested that they have a better chance, maybe 35% or even 40%. In this case, it might be better to bet on the underdog as they have a better chance of winning than they’re given credit for, which is essentially a value bet.
The great thing about CS2 betting is that you don’t have to pick just one strategy and stick to it! You can look at all the different match betting options and decide which one you think works for that specific match.
However, the one strategy you should always stick to is set yourself a budget, don’t chase losses and keep it fun!
Our Top Counter-Strike Betting Tips
So, we’ve looked at the best budget and betting strategies for CS2 betting. Now it’s time to check out some of our top CSGO betting hacks and tips…
Avoid Chasing Losses / Tilting
Whether you prefer to call it tilting or chasing losses, it’s something you should avoid at all costs – no matter what type of gambling it is. If you are starting to get tired, frustrated or angry, it can lead to you making irrational and potentially dangerous decisions – as these rarely end up with a happy ending. Even the most experienced have (or have been tempted to) tilt. Betting on matches you haven’t researched and betting over your budget can have pretty serious consequences.
Look Out for the Best CS Betting Opportunities
If you keep your ear close to the ground and your eyes peeled, then from time to time, you’ll find some great CS2 betting opportunities. If you have done lots of research and you know a lot about the top teams and players – including their most recent matches, matches and actions, then it’s a lot easier to get one over on the bookies.
By keeping updated with team roster changes, new patches, controversies and ranking versus form, you’ll be able to easier spot when the bookmakers haven’t quite got the odds right – and use it to your advantages.
Watch CS2 Matches
Even if you aren’t a CS2 player – or you don’t even consider yourself a major fan, it’s still pretty straightforward to start CS2 betting. All you need to do is find out some general information on the game – and start watching the matches and paying attention to what’s happening. There are all sorts of streams available, so you’ll be able to find plenty of places where you can watch matches and tournaments. You’ll get all sorts of valuable insights into the games and find out what you need to know about the teams and players.
Understand Betting Odds
We’ve mentioned previously the importance of only going for good value bets – and you can only spot a good value bet if you understand the basics of odds.
At most CS2 betting sites, you’ll find that they use decimal odds – and the good news is that this is extremely easy to get to grips with.
In a match, Team A might have odds of 1.6, while Team B might be 2.4. In this instance, if you bet $10 on Team A, if they win, you’ll get a return of $16 – so that’s your original $10 stake plus a $6 profit. However, if you put your $10 bet on Team B, you’ll get a $24 return – which is your $10 stake plus a $14 profit.
The maths behind it is very simple – Stake x Odds = Total Payout.
Look at Special Bets
As well as the straightforward match winner bets, there are lots of special bets you might want to look at, that can be a great addition to your CS betting strategy. These can be higher-risk bets than standard bets – which means they can pay out pretty decent money if you win.
As well as tournament winners and match winners, you’ll find various special bet options such as First Blood, Handicap Bets, Over/Under – and even if there will be overtime. Not only can they give you some great margins, but they can also add a bit of variety as well – and keep things fresh.
Choose the Best CS2 Bookmaker
No matter what type of bet you go for or what strategy you use, choosing the right CS2 bookmaker is a must. The top bookmakers will not only offer lots of different betting options and betting markets, but they will also offer the best odds across the board. They’ll be fully licensed and secure, have excellent customer support, accept a variety of different payment options – and pay out quickly and efficiently.
CS2 – Responsible Gambling
There are plenty of betting strategies and tips to help you make the most of your CS2 gambling experience, but no matter what else you do, you need to make sure that you always practise responsible gambling.
Let’s look at how you can best control your gambling:
- Set a Budget: Before starting out, you need to set aside a budget for your gambling – that you can afford to lose. Assume you will lose, be prepared to lose – and treat winning as a bonus. You should never bet more than you have set aside, and when the budget runs out, come back again another day with a fresh budget.
- Set Yourself Time Limits. If you find that you’re spending a lot of time gambling – and it’s affecting other areas of your life, take a step back. Give yourself time limits, and don’t get carried away. It shouldn’t interfere with your day-to-day life.
- Play with a clear head: Go into gambling with an open and clear mind. Never gamble if you’re intoxicated or aren’t in full control of your emotions. Avoid gambling if you’re stressed, angry or upset and keep it fun. If you find yourself getting annoyed or frustrated and tempted to make rash decisions, step away. As the saying goes, keep it fun!
So, there you have it! Our top strategies and tips for gambling on CS2. It’s really easy to get started – just find the right CS betting site, set your budget, pick your strategy (or strategies), look through our CSGO betting secrets – and make sure you do your research so you make the most informed betting decisions. Have fun – and good luck!