Counter-Strike: Global Offensive in an online first-person shooter than made its debut for OS X, Widows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 on August 21, 2012 (a Linux version was released two years later). The game pits two teams against one another, with each taking on the role of either terrorists or counter-terrorists.
A number of third-party organizations host tournaments, but the big events (known as “the majors”) are put together by publisher Valve. More than $7.5 million in prizes have been awarded at CS:Go tournaments so far, and all majors have a pool worth a minimum of $250,000. Sweden has traditionally been the dominant nation in tourney play, followed by countries such as France and Denmark.
CS:Go betting also increased the popularity of the game, with everything from cash to cosmetic items (known as “skins”) being put on the line. While underage gambling has become a major issue at some of the best CS:GO gambling sites, professional sportsbooks have been able to offer betting odds without dealing with irate parents.
A growing number of bettors are taking an interest in eSports, as they realize its popularity is in no danger of decreasing. The crowds and prize pools keep growing, which means the opportunity exists for sharp gamblers to make a sizable profit by putting in the necessary work – the first step towards that is to sign-up at one (or two) of the best CS:GO betting sites listed on this page.
Our Top Recommended Cs Go Betting Sites
How to Wager on CS:Go
There’s no great mystery or secret formula when it comes to CS:Go betting. The most important step is to find a reputable sportsbook that offers eSports gaming. After that, all you need to do is locate the section devoted to Counter-Strike, find the betting option that gives you the greatest edge, and then place your wager.
Types of Wagers
Just like football or any other sport, CS:Go has a number of areas that can be bet on. It all comes down to how creative the oddsmakers at the various sportsbooks are feeling, but here are some of the more common options you can expect to find:
- Overall winner in a team vs team series
- Winner of a specific round
- Team with the most wins on a specific map
- Team with the most kills in a series, round, or specific map
- Future bet on the winning team for an upcoming Counter-Strike tournament
- Over/Under for the number of kills in a series, round, or specific map
- Over/Under for the number of wins in a series or specific map
- Over/Under for most consecutive kills by a specific player
In most cases, the moneyline bet is used for CS:Go. If one team appears to have a major advantage over their opponent, however, the bookmaker is likely to use a point spread in order to get action on both teams (thereby assuring the sportsbook of a profit).
Scoring in Counter-Strike
In most tournament games, the winning team is the one to accomplish a specific objective. That’s not exactly the case with CS:Go, unless you consider leaving your enemy in a pool of his own blood to be a specific objective.
In CS:Go, players compete in a series of maps, with one or three being the most common. Maps are played for 30 rounds, which each team taking the role of terrorists and counter-terrorists 15 times apiece.
If a team wins an individual round, they receive a point. The team with the most points at the end of the 30 rounds is declared the winner of the map. At the end of the series, the team that’s won the most maps is declared the overall victor.
Terrorists can win a round by doing one of the following:
- Kill all members of the counter-terrorist team
- Place a bomb at a designated location and make sure it explodes
Counter-terrorists, meanwhile, need one or more of the following to achieve victory:
- Kill all terrorists
- Prevent explosive devices from being planted and activated
- Defuse any explosives that have been planted and activated
Knowing the Teams
Whether you’re betting on baseball, basketball, or hockey, it’s imperative to know about the team you’re wagering on. The same applies to eSports, which means you’ll need to familiarize yourself with the five-man teams fielded in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournaments.
As of this writing, the following are some of the most successful CS:GO teams in the world. If you notice these names in any wagers from your favorite sportsbook, it’s likely that they’ll be installed as a heavy favorite (unless they’re playing one of the other entries on the list).
- fnatic – A Swedish team with over 380 career victories. Their all-time winrate is 74%. Their current roster includes JW, flusha, KRiMZ, olofmeister, and dennis.
- Natus Vincere – A Ukrainian team with over 275 victories. Their all-time winrate is 58%. Their current roster includes GuardiaN, flamie, seized, Edward-, and Zeus.
- Luminosity Gaming – A Brazilian team with 115 victories and a career winrate of 62%. Their current roster is comprised of fnx, TACO, fer, cold., and FalleN.
- Ninjas in Pyjamas – A Swedish team with more than 320 victories. Their overall winrate is 68%, and their team is comprised of pyth, Xizt, friberg, GeT_RiGhT, and f0rest.
- Astralis – A Danish team with 38 career victories and a 69% winrate. Members include cajunb, Xyp9x, karrigan, dupreeh, and device.
When you analyze a team, try to factor in every possible piece of information. How long have the members been working together? What are their records against rival teams? Do they excel on certain maps? This might sound like overkill to the casual bettor, but the professional knows that this kind of insight can often mean the difference between winning and losing.
Conclusion
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is one of the most influential video games of the past decade. While the first-person shooter aspect has made it popular with individual players, its team-based component has allowed it to become one of the darlings of the burgeoning eSports tournament circuit.
A lot of serious gamblers and oddsmakers have yet to master CS:Go betting, which means there are more opportunities for those who fully understand the game. Fortunately, the keys to victory are the same as other sporting events, allowing those with discipline and a keen analytical mind to consistently achieve success.