Want to learn how to make money from CS:GO betting and take your CS:GO betting skills to the next level? This massive guide will teach you everything you need to know from the ground up: what CS:GO is, how CS:GO is played, how you can learn more about CS:GO’s top teams, players, and tournaments, what the various types of CS:GO betting odds are, the best bookmakers for CS:GO betting, the most important concepts and principles of CS:GO betting, how to succeed at CS:GO live betting, how to make a CS:GO betting assessment, and how to build your own CS:GO betting system so that you not only have fun while placing bets on CS:GO events but also make money while you’re at it.
What Is CS:GO?
CS:GO, or Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, is a very successful electronic sport (esport) and is a perfect fit for people who love playing and watching competitive first-person shooters. This is actually the 4th installment of the highly-popular Counter-Strike series and was released in August 2012. Since then, CS:GO has sold over 40 million copies and has grown into a global phenomenon with an established professional scene.
How CS:GO Is Played
CS:GO is a multiplayer FPS game played between two teams of 5 players each. These teams are called the Terrorists and Counter-Terrorists, and in professional matches, they duel each other on a series of maps. Each map has a completely different design and consists of 16-30 rounds plus additional sets of overtime rounds (6 per set) if the score is 15-15 at the end of the first 30.
Both the Terrorists and Counter-Terrorists spawn at predetermined map locations at the start of each round. None of the 10 players can move for the first 15 seconds of the round, but they can use this time to buy and exchange weapons. They can also prepare a strategy for the round. In the Terrorists team, one of the players receives a bomb. This bomb needs to be planted in one of two available map locations (A and B).
After it has been planted, the Terrorists must make sure that it explodes in order to win the round. The only other way in which they can win the round is by eliminating all the Counter-Terrorists. If neither of these conditions is fulfilled, the Counter-Terrorists win by default.
Each round lasts for up to 2 minutes and 10 seconds or until a win condition is reached. If the bomb is planted during this time, the round duration is extended by 40 seconds (max) from that point onward or until a win condition is reached by one of the teams. These 40 seconds represent the time it takes for the bomb to explode after it’s been planted.
Every time they kill an opponent, players are rewarded with money. They also get money at the end of each round, but of course, the winning team gets a lot more money than the losing team. This often translates into better equipment (weapons, armor, grenades, etc.) and a firepower advantage going into the next round.
Money starts at $800 and can be stored up to a maximum of $16,000 per player but gets reset along with all the equipment after every 15 rounds, when the teams swap places (the Terrorists become Counter-Terrorists and vice versa).
Weapons can be picked up from the ground, so if you kill a player, you can take his gun. And if you’re still alive at the end of the round, you can use it in the next one or even drop it for one of your teammates.
Presuming you were dead at the end of the previous round, the default equipment you get at the start of a new one is a pistol and a knife. Everything else must be bought.
Professional CS:GO Players and Teams to Know About
Throughout its history, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has seen numerous teams and players rise and fall. At the time of this writing, Astralis, Team Liquid, FaZe Clan, Natus Vincere, mousesports, Fnatic, and SK Gaming are topping the leaderboards. But over the years, many others have had their moments of glory: Ninjas in Pyjamas, Virtus.pro, Cloud9, and G2 Esports are some of them.
When it comes to CS:GO players, right now we are living in the s1mple era. But who knows what the future will bring? This esport constantly brings in new talented players, and the best teams succeed each other at the top of the standings table.
As a serious CS:GO bettor, you should always keep an eye on the game’s professional scene and learn about its teams and players, the latest transfers and patches, the results of important tournaments, and so on. This kind of knowledge makes a big difference when trying to make money from CS:GO betting. In particular, big events such as teams playing with stand-ins can be extremely impactful and completely change the results of matches. Knowing about them ahead of placing a bet allows you to make better decisions.
Perhaps the best place where you can learn about the various CS:GO teams, players, their stats, their results, and so on is hltv.org.
Events to Consider When Betting on CS:GO
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is an established esport that has been around in its current form for 6 years. Not to mention the fact that the game as a whole has been around for 2 decades. Because of its long and eventful history, CS:GO has a flourishing professional scene today, with dozens of important tournaments per year.
Just in 2018, around 40 high-level CS:GO events will be organized by various companies. Many of them have already taken place. Among them, I would mention ELEAGUE Major: Boston 2018, ESL Pro League Season 7 Finals, StarLadder & i-League CS:GO Season 5, Esports Championship Series Season 5 Finals, Intel Extreme Masters XIII Sydney, and DreamHack Masters Marseille 2018. Plenty more are yet to come.
When big tournaments take place, the best bookmakers for CS:GO betting cover them, giving you a wide range of odds that you can bet on. And since these LAN events take place all year long, CS:GO is a great esport to follow not only if you’re interested in CS:GO betting but also if you’re interested in esports betting as a whole.
To learn more about the various types of premier and major CS:GO events, just go to Liquipedia’s CSGOCS:GO page.
Ways to Bet on CS:GO Matches
If you’re just starting to learn about CS:GO betting and how it works, here’s a list of the most common CS:GO betting types:
- Event Finalist:
This type of CS:GO bet gives you the chance to bet that a certain team will qualify for a tournament’s Grand Final
- Event Winner:
For this type of CS:GO bet, you are betting on a certain team to win a particular tournament
Match winner: this allows you to predict the winner of a given match - Map Winner:
This option gives you the chance to predict that a certain team will win not a match but a particular map within it. CS:GO matches usually consist of a maximum of 1 (Bo1), 3 (Bo3), or 5 (Bo5) maps
- Handicaps:
For this type of CS:GO bet, you are betting that a team will win the match while having a certain advantage or disadvantage. This is the equivalent of saying that a team will win if it starts from a hypothetical score of 0 – 1.5, 1.5 – 0, 0 – 2.5, or 2.5 – 0, practically having a 1.5/2.5 map advantage or disadvantage.
For example, if you’re betting that team A will win a Bo3 match while having a -1.5 map handicap, you’re actually betting on that team to win the match with a score of 2 – 0. The same types of advantages and disadvantages can be found when betting on map winners instead of match winners. In such cases, you are betting that a team will win a map while having an advantage of 2.5, 3.5, 4.5, 5.5, or even 6.5 rounds, or on the contrary, a disadvantage of a certain number of rounds
- Total Number of Rounds to be Played on a Map:
With this, you can bet that a given map will end in less than a certain number of rounds. If the map is won by either team before that number of rounds is surpassed, your bet is won
- Round Winner:
For this type of CS:GO bet, you are predicting the outcome of a certain round within a map, and you are picking a team to win that round (the n-th). In particular, the first round of a map and the first round of the second half of a map (after the two teams have switched sides) are called pistol rounds
CS:GO Betting Concepts
The first CS:GO betting concept you need to grasp is that of the bet itself. Such a bet is placed on a set of given odds, usually associated with a match between two teams: A and B. The form you will usually come across is this:
- A vs. B
- oddsA – oddsB
In particular, if you’re betting on a match between Astralis and SK Gaming, you may come across something like this:
- Astralis vs. SK Gaming
- 1.35 – 2.95
These are called decimal odds, and what they signify is this: by placing a bet on Astralis, you’re getting a profit of 35% if you’re right, plus the sum you put in the middle. By placing a bet on SK Gaming, you’re getting a profit of 195% if you’re right, plus the sum you put in the middle.
Another form of odds that you may encounter is this:
- Ninjas in Pyjamas vs. Gambit Esports
- -260 / +205
These are called American odds, and what they signify is this: by placing a $260 bet on Ninjas in Pyjamas, you’re getting a profit of $100 (plus the sum you put in the middle). So in total, $360. But by placing a $100 bet on Gambit Esports, you’re getting a profit of $205 (plus the amount that you put in the middle). So in total, $305.
I personally find decimal odds to be easier to understand, but it’s all a matter of preference.
When matches take place, bookmakers do their own analysis and assess the two opponents’ strengths. Then they come up with odds. The more likely a team is to win, the lower the odds will be (your profits in case of a correct bet). The less likely it is to win, the higher its odds will be. At least, that’s in theory. Because you will sometimes find the underdog having the higher odds, simply because the bookmaker made a wrong assessment.
The odds are always given so that mathematically, you can never bet on both outcomes of a match and make a profit regardless of who wins. However, you can still use some tricks that will allow you to do this from time to time with minimal risks. That’s something that can be accomplished via live CS:GO betting.
If you believe that a team will play stronger than the odds show, you can bet on it at the start of the match, and then, after its opponent’s odds get high enough during the match, you can bet on its opponent as well and place an amount so that from that point onwards, you make money regardless of who wins. Maybe the underdog will win in the end, or maybe the favorite will comeback and win the match. But you’re still making money, independent of the outcome.
You can place bets not only on single matches but also on match combinations. In the second case, the odds are multiplied. So, for example, betting on a combination made up of two outcomes, the first having odds equal to 1.70 and the second having odds equal to 1.50, the total odds for the combination will be 1.70 * 1.50 = 2.55. Keep in mind, however, that you need to win every one of the individual outcomes of your combination in order to win the bet.
CS:GO Live Betting
CS:GO live betting refers to betting on CS:GO events while they are taking place. This high-paced form of CS:GO betting is suited for people who have a lot of knowledge about CS:GO and its professional scene and can figure out how a match will go based on how the teams are currently playing.
The 3 main challenges of live CS:GO betting are the following:
- It’s Difficult to Get Help From Anyone Else While Engaging in it.
So except for what the tournament’s analysts are saying (make sure you’re watching the actual tournament on Twitch.tv, YouTube, Facebook, or some other platform), you’ll often be on your own when making your betting decisions.
- It’s Not Easy to Stick to a Good Strategy and Place Bets in a Rational Way.
With everything getting so emotional and happening so fast, you can often get lost in the heat of the battle and throw away all your carefully-planned methodology. As the great philosopher Mike Tyson once said, “Everyone has a plan until they’ve been punched in the face.” Mike is the match itself in this case.
- You Need to be Quick on Your Feet and Act Really Fast.
When engaging in live CS:GO betting, the odds increase and decrease based on which of the two teams seems to be doing better and getting closer to victory. If one of the teams looks more and more likely to succeed, its odds will decrease throughout the match. Often rapidly. So if you don’t act fast, the opportunity may come and go before you can take advantage of it.
The main thing you should do while engaging in live CS:GO betting is watch the match that you are betting on and assess who’s better. Then, based on how the first 5-10 rounds go, or even the first map, try to figure out what will happen next.
Sometimes, the clear favorite will lose the first map, but you will know that, very often, such Bo3 matches actually end with a 2 – 1 victory for the favorite, who usually comes back and wins the next 2 maps. In moments like this, when everyone else doubts a strong team, and its odds go through the roof, having the courage to bet on it can yield very high returns.
Key Indicators for Assessing CS:GO Betting Odds
When trying to figure how which of the two adversaries in a certain match is stronger, look at the two teams’ history. What have they accomplished in the last 3, 6, or 12 months? What is their head-to-head record during this period? Who are the players in their rosters? Are any one of them particularly strong? What are the maps they usually play, and what are their success rates on those maps? Do any of the teams have a location advantage (playing in front of its home crowd) or roster advantage (its individual players are much stronger than those of the other team, or maybe a recent roster change has happened, weakening/strengthening one of the teams)? How did each of these teams perform over the last 25-50 matches and against key opponents?
Analyzing data and answering these questions can make things a lot clearer when it comes to assessing who’s the favorite team in a particular match or tournament.
CS:GO Betting Principles
If you don’t really care about the outcome and just engage in CS:GO betting for the thrill of it, then you don’t really need to know much about how CS:GO betting should be done. But if you do care about your own wallet, then you should absolutely follow a set of sound principles and stick to them in the heat of the moment, even if your emotions are trying to lead you astray.
- Never Do Emotional Assessments.
Look at the actual data. Is the team that you’re betting on really good, or do you simply want it to win? What you want to happen doesn’t matter when you’re placing bets. You need to figure out what will actually happen, because after you’ve placed your bet, you have no say in this matter.
- Never Ever Go All-In On a Bet
Regardless of how clear it is who’s going to win. That’s because it’s enough to get it wrong once, and your entire wallet is gone. That’s called Russian Roulette. Absolutely never engage in it. If you do, you’re creating a time bomb that will mathematically ruin you at some point. Because it’s inevitable: you’re going to get it wrong one day, and some shocking upset caused by a tier-3 team will be the end of you.
- Never Bet on What is Essentially a Coin Flip
Place bets only where superior knowledge almost always leads to superior results. Don’t place bets on match events that have little to do with the two teams’ actual skill level. For instance, whether the map will have an odd or even number of rounds. Or who will win the 25th round. That’s a gamble. A rational bet is one in which you can actually make an analysis and determine with a high probability of success what’s going to happen.
- Never Assume
Just because you’ve lost several times in a row by betting on a team that their next match will definitely have an outcome that’s favorable to you. Look at the actual data and keep in mind that these events are independent from one another. Don’t fool yourself.
- You Won’t Always be Right
Recognize that you’ll only be right a certain number of times out of 100, and then build a system that takes failure into account and makes you money in spite of it, as long as you can keep failure below a certain percentage.
- Never Start With High-Level CS:GO Betting
Never use large sums of money until you’ve created a system for yourself and thoroughly tested your knowledge and methodology using small amounts, proving over a period of 1-3 months that it actually works. If it doesn’t work for $5 per bet, it won’t work for $100, either, because the underlying mechanics won’t change. The sums will simply get bigger. If your system is good and your method is rational, you will make more money when you jump from small bets to bigger ones. If not, you shouldn’t make the jump. Otherwise, you’ll simply lose more money by doing it.
CS:GO Betting Systems
Having a system in place allows you to bet more rationally and know exactly what needs to be done in the heat of the moment. It allows you to do effective damage control when you’re wrong and know ahead of time what your “batting average” needs to be in order for you to succeed at CS:GO betting.
When building your CS:GO betting system, establish ahead of time the following things:
- What amount will you bet each time? This amount should probably be a percentage of your total amount.
- What kind of odds will you be betting on? Small, big, etc. Will you rely on upsets, or will you bet on clear winners?
- What will you do to minimize losses in case you are wrong in certain situations?
- What will your batting average need to be in order for you to make money? How many bets out of 5 or 10 will you need to win? And what will your profits or losses be based on your performance?
- Will you place bets on single matches or combinations?
- How often will you withdraw your profits? Will you place bets using higher and higher amounts as you increase your bankroll, or will you claim your profits after every week/month?
Here’s an example of a CS:GO betting system that I currently use when placing bets on CS:GO. When using this system, you need to do the following things:
With this system, if you place 5 bets worth N dollars each per week, your possible outcomes will be the following:
- Winning all 5 bets would yield a profit of 150% of the total amount you spent for all of the bets. So if you bet $10 each time, you will spend $50 in total and make a profit of $75, having a total of $125 at the end of the week.
- Winning 4 bets would yield a profit of 100% of the total amount you spent for all of the bets. So if you bet $10 each time, you will spend $50 in total and make a profit of $50, having a total of $100 at the end of the week.
- Winning just 3 bets would yield a profit of 50% of the total amount you spent for all of the bets. So if you bet $10 each time, you will spend $50 in total and make a profit of $25, having a total of $75 at the end of the week.
- Winning just 2 bets wouldn’t yield any profit, but you wouldn’t lose anything, either.
- Winning just 1 bet of the 5 would result in a 50% loss of your original sum that you invested. So you’ll be left with $25.
- Losing all 5 bets will result in you losing your entire sum.
If you know what you’re doing, 5 and 6 will almost never happen. So in the very worst case, you’ll get just two bets right, and you’ll break even, having a fun ride along the way. Sometimes you’ll get all of them right, and you’ll be ecstatic.
Other times, you’ll get just 3, and every so often, you’ll succeed with just two or even one. The better your knowledge of CS:GO and its professional scene, the better you will do. Of course, we will assist you with tournament previews, betting predictions, and team analyses along the way. We always cover the big CS:GO events for our readers, so all you need to do is keep an eye on our most recent posts.