Quick Guide to Dota 2 Betting for Beginners

Dota 2 has always been one of the leading eSports games a huge fan base, professional tournaments taking place continuously, and a total prize value of up to tens of millions of USD. Along with that development, Dota 2 betting has gradually become popular in the sports betting community, attracting many gamers who want to both watch top matches and seek profits through betting. In the following article, JILIBAY shares knowledge about this sports betting game.

Dota 2 and eSports Betting Trends

The explosion of eSports and the position of Dota 2

Over the past decade, eSports has gradually stepped out of the conventional entertainment framework to become a billion-dollar industry, with a series of large and small tournaments, professional teams, and a large fan base. Dota 2, launched by Valve in 2013, was developed based on the Dota (Defense of the Ancients) mod of Warcraft III, quickly rising to become one of the most competitive MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) games in the world.

What makes Dota 2 attractive is not only its beautiful graphics or rich hero system, but also its tactical depth, which is constantly innovated through patches (updates). With Dota 2, players are creating gameplay, exploring the meta, and learning how to operate new hero combos. Each season, the meta can completely change, turning Dota 2 into a “battlefield” that is not rigid.

Potential for Dota 2 betting

As eSports develop, related betting forms also become inevitable trends. Dota 2 betting stands out thanks to the following factors:

Popularity: Dota 2 has a huge international community, a large number of gamers, always ready to watch and comment on matches from the qualifiers to the finals.

Competitiveness: Any team has the opportunity to “make a difference”, especially in updates that change the meta. This makes the match results unpredictable, creating “land” for bettors to find valuable bets.
Diverse choices: Dota 2 bets are not only limited to “which team wins”, but also have many forms, such as first kill bets, Roshan bets, number of kills, total number of maps, etc.

Types of Dota 2 Betting Odds and Featured Tournaments

Moneyline Odds (Win/Loss Overall)

Simplest: Just predict which team wins the BO1, BO3, or BO5 series.

The odds vary depending on the strength and reputation of the two teams.

Handicap Odds

Commonly seen in BO3/BO5: The strong team is handicapped by -1.5 or -2.5 maps. That is, to win the bet, the strong team must win by a certain score difference (eg, 2-0, 3-0).
Handicap also applies to kills, for example, -5.5 kills, meaning the favorite team must win by at least 6 kills.

Over/Under Odds (Total kills, maps, minutes, etc.)

Predict whether the total number of kills scored by the two teams in a map is higher or lower than the number set by the bookmaker (eg: 50.5 kills).
Predict the number of maps (if BO3, O/U 2.5 maps), or the match duration (O/U 35.5 minutes).

First Blood, First Tower, First Roshan

First Blood: Which team gets the first kill?

First Tower: Which team destroys the first tower?

First Roshan: Which team last hits Roshan the earliest?

Special bet

MVP (Most Valuable Player).

The team that wins game 1 but loses the whole match.

Networth difference at a fixed time (minutes 10, 20, 30).

Notable Dota 2 Tournaments

The International (TI)

The biggest tournament, organized by Valve every year. Total prize money can be over 40 million USD.

Gathering 18-20 top teams in the world, divided into the group stage and the play-off round.

Dota Pro Circuit (DPC)

Official scoring system, including Major and Regional League (in 6 regions).
Accumulate DPC points to get direct tickets to TI.

ESL One, DreamLeague, One Esports

Major eSports organizations such as ESL, DreamHack… regularly organize international Dota 2 tournaments with top teams participating.
High level of competition, attracting a large number of viewers and bettors.

SEA regional tournaments

Teams from Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia… have small, semi-professional tournaments, but are still closely watched.
Some bookmakers also open odds for these tournaments, creating opportunities for local fans.