Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is the latest edition of the Counter-Strike series and is one of the world’s most popular online multiplayer first-person shooter (FPS) games. Played by millions around the globe, CSGO is also one of the biggest esports titles in the scene and is widely recognized as one of the “Major Three” esports games besides League of Legends and Dota 2.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is the latest edition of the Counter-Strike series and is one of the world’s most popular online multiplayer first-person shooter (FPS) games. Played by millions around the globe, CSGO is also one of the biggest esports titles in the scene and is widely recognized as one of the “Major Three” esports games besides League of Legends and Dota 2.
But not only is CSGO popular among players and a big hit in the online betting world, which explains why you won’t struggle to find CSGO odds on any bookmaker you visit. CSGO markets are available on esports bookmakers and traditional betting sites such as Bet365, William Hill, or Pinnacle.
So while finding CSGO betting odds and betting options is pretty straightforward, there is more that goes into wagering on CSGO and succeeding at it. Most importantly, you need to understand how odds work and what they mean.
If we explain very simply how odds work, CSGO odds show the probability of a certain event happening, most commonly, the probability of a team winning the next match. The higher the CSGO odds, the lower the team’s chances of winning (or its implied probability of winning) are and vice-versa – with underdogs always having the highest odds. To calculate the implied probability from CSGO betting odds, you need to follow the formula:
(1/ decimal odds) * 100 = implied probability
For example, if Team A is priced at 1.45 to defeat Team B (2.60), the CSGO odds indicate that Team A’s implied probability of winning is 69%, suggesting Team A should win 69 out of 100 matches played.
Understanding what odds mean is essential to your success as a bettor, whether you’re wagering on esports or sports. Moreover, you should know that the odds offered by esports betting sites are not always correct, and they often don’t display the actual probability – which is precisely what you should be looking for when making your picks!
Now that you understand what CSGO betting odds are and what they mean, it’s time to touch on the topic of odds formats. While the CSGO odds mean the same thing no matter which sportsbook you visit, you will see that esports odds can be displayed in one of the three formats – American, Decimal, and Fractional.
The odds format you will come across depends on the sportsbook you use and where you live. But know that all show the same thing – how much money you can earn per wager.
American, also known as Moneyline odds (or US Odds/Las Vegas odds), is one of the most common odds formats in the United States and on US sportsbooks. Although they seem quite complex on the surface, the American odds format is quite simple to understand.
The main thing to know about the American odds format is that the offered esports odds on the favorites will always be accompanied by a negative sign (-), whereas the underdogs’ odds will always have a positive sign (+). When it comes to calculating the payout, the two use different formulas.
The favorite’s odds show how much money you have to risk to earn $100. On the other side, the underdog’s odds who how much money you can expect to earn for each $100 staked.
Example: Team A is priced as -222 favorite, meaning you have to risk $222 to win $100.
Team B is priced as +160 underdogs, meaning you can expect to earn $160 profit for every $100 staked.
Fractional odds, also known as British odds (or UK odds), are much different from the Moneyline odds but show the same thing. This odds format is most commonly used by UK customers in Britain and Ireland and is widely used by British sportsbooks.
Instead of using positive and negative signs, the Fractional odds are written as a fraction, usually with a slash (1/2) or a hyphen (1-2). The main thing to know about the Fractional format is that the odds show the ratio between the potential profit and the stake.
Examples:
Team A is priced as 4/9 favorites, meaning you have to risk $9 to earn 4$ profit.
Team B is priced as an 8/5 underdog, meaning you have to risk $5 to earn $8 profit.
Alternatively, you can also calculate the fraction and multiply the result by your stake to see how much profit you can expect to earn.
Decimal, also known as European odds (or digital odds) is the simplest and most popular odds format in the world, used in Europe, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. As the name suggests, the odds are written as a decimal number (1.45).
When reading through the decimal format, you won’t have a difficult time figuring out which team is the favorite and which is the underdog. You simply need to look at the number – favorites are always priced with a lower number, while the underdogs are priced with higher odds (Team A at 1.45, Team B at 2.60).
To calculate how much money you can expect from your CSGO bets, you simply need to multiply your stake by the decimal number.
Total Payout = Stake * Decimal Odds Number
Example: A $100 bet on Team A at 1.45 will earn you ($100 * 1.45) $145 in total payout.
If you’re serious about betting – either esports or sports betting – it’s advisable to learn the three odds formats. However, it’s not necessary since most sportsbooks allow you to change how the odds are displayed on the site.
Esports betting has become increasingly popular over the last decade, which explains why numerous sportsbooks decided to enter the scene, improving the accessibility of markets. Nowadays, every sportsbook covers esports matches – some better than others – making it hard to find the top esports bookmakers.
But even if you looked over every sportsbook out there, you won’t be able to find the definitive best esports bookmaker for CSGO or any esports matches. That is because there is no clear winner in providing the best CSGO odds and betting markets. Rather, there are many bookies known as the best betting sites, including:
Top betting sites will have the highest esports betting odds and a generous selection of markets and esports bets. That’s why it’s advisable to check how good the bookie’s esports coverage is before registering for an account and use the esports betting odds tracker to check which of many bookmakers offer the best odds before the match in search of the best value.
Besides the two, you can check the quality of betting bonuses (such as free bets) and the accessibility of a mobile betting app. However, you should never put more weight on free bets and other promotions than on the CSGO odds quality.
There is no such thing as a site that will always have the best Counter-Strike odds for the next match, so you can’t pick one sportsbook and call it a day. But if you want to bet with the best CSGO odds, you need to have accounts with multiple great betting sites and compare the odds before you place a bet on the upcoming match.
Know that the Counter-Strike odds you’ll find on one bookie likely won’t be the same as on another bookmaker, largely because betting sites use different odds providers and because some are slow to adjust their offer. So it’s not too uncommon to see one sportsbook price Team A at 1.80 and the other bookie at 1.85 or at even higher odds.
Spotting these price gaps ahead of the match – by either odds comparison or using a CS:GO odds tracker – is critical to your long-term success as an esports bettor. Betting at better prices – even if the odds are just 0.05 higher might not seem a lot, but your profits will surely increase over 100, 1,000, or 10,000 bets.
Yes, CSGO betting odds or odds of any other esport or sport will not be static and will change over time. There are many factors that go into how CSGO odds change before the match and why, but the most important thing to know is that the opening odds and closing odds will rarely be the same.
Opening Odds: Betting odds a bookmaker releases onto the market ahead of the match.
Closing Odds: Betting odds that are offered by the bookmakers just before the match starts.
The biggest factor that contributes to odds changing is the availability of the information about the match – or better said, the lack of it. If a bookmaker prices Team A as 1.60 favorites to defeat Team B in a game that is slated to start in five days, but it is later revealed that Team A will miss its star player for the match, you can expect the odds to shift.
The CSGO odds will move primarily due to the activity in the market. If people hear Team A will miss its key player, then most will want to bet on the other team since Team B’s chances of winning are now much higher.
Another thing that drives the price is the team’s performance and their form ahead of the match. If Team B suddenly started winning matches, it will again incentivize bettors to bet on them to win the next one. If we draw a line, many factors will lead to price changes, but at the end of it all, it all comes down to market activity and who people believe will win the next match.
Unlike pre-match odds, the in-play odds, which you’ll find while live betting, work differently and are not affected by the influx of betting on one team or the other. Instead. The odds you’ll see live betting will change purely based on what is happening in the live esports game and the current score – if one team is close to securing the win, their in-play betting odds will lower and vice versa.
When betting on CSGO you will mostly be betting on individual matches (to win market), but that’s a very broad way to describe all of your CSGO betting options. CSGO is one of the most developed and largest esports titles in the world, and as a result, it hosts countless tournaments and events over the year.
The biggest events of the CSGO calendar are Major Championships, which happen semiannually – with two Major hosted over a single season.
Besides the Major Championships, prominent esports tournament organizers such as ESL, Intel Extreme Masters, BLAST, and WePlay will host numerous tournaments over the year – including WePlay Academy League, BLAST Premier, IEM Cologne, and more.
Although many will advise you to bet on only bigger events, there is an advantage to betting on lesser competitions. Admittedly, you will find information on bigger competitions much easier; granted, if you follow lower division leagues; there are definitely plenty of great betting opportunities you can find there.
But it all comes down to one question – what should you do to win big money betting on CSGO?
Anyone can bet on CSGO, and anyone can make a profit from it. That’s not as easy as it may sound, but it’s definitely achievable, especially for those who are ready to learn and are prepared to put in the time to win.
Admittedly, it will take time before you become good at betting on CSGO or any other esport, but there are a few steps you can take to get on the right path and set yourself up for success.
Before you consider placing your first CSGO bet, you need to understand how the game is played and be confident in your knowledge of the esports scene. That’s an obvious tip since you should never bet on something you know nothing about, but people often feel too confident, which leads to losses.
The best and easiest way to learn CSGO is to play it yourself. It’s a free-to-play game, so there is no reason not to try it. Moreover, it helps if you follow the competitive scene and watch how professionals play it.
If you want to succeed at betting on CSGO, you need to have access to a solid sportsbook that can provide you with the best odds and enough betting markets. Since there is no bookie that is THE best, you should register with multiple bookies and use the accessibility of various betting markets to price shop and bet with the highest odds.
Admittedly, betting on CSGO is not that much different from betting on any other esport or sport; however, you will come across some bet types that work differently. For example, moneyline, map handicap, correct score, and totals (total rounds bets) bets work the same way across the betting scene. Still, some propositions and special bets can be tricky to understand if you aren’t familiar with CSGO.
Before placing your bets, you should always research the tournament, teams, and players and gain as much information as possible. Just like you need to know what you’re betting on, you also need to know why you’re placing a bet on a certain outcome if you want to find a winning bet.
Simply placing a bet on your favorite team won’t yield any good results. Instead, leave emotions on the side and focus on data, stats, and valuable information that will help you better understand what to bet on – who will win the next match, what the final score will be, which players will perform better etc.
Unfortunately, there is no betting strategy that can guarantee you profits with every bet, but there are betting strategies that will help you stay on track. Most importantly, you should have a plan and know how to manage your bankroll. Remember – esports betting is like investing; treat it as such.
Following these five simple steps might not guarantee you profits, but it will put you on the right track to approach esports betting the right way. Remember – betting is a marathon, not a sprint, so take your time, be consistent, and don’t give up on the first obstacle.
