Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, or simply CS:GO, is one of the most popular Esports for those who bet online and also for actual video game lovers. That popularity is reflected in the huge amount of CS:GO events and markets available in online bookmakers. Like traditional sports, bettors should ideally get to know the main events and how CS:GO betting works before placing bets.
What CS:GO Events to Follow and Bet On?
CS:GO betting events can be distributed into three categories: Premier, Major, and Minor tournaments. Those that receive the most attention and have the biggest prizes – consequently, the best CS:GO teams – are usually accompanied by interesting odds. Therefore, try to remember their names for later recognition when scrolling down Esports betting markets.
Premier Tournaments
Premier-level leagues are responsible for big events that do not necessarily differ from Major events when it comes to prizes and the participation of the best teams. However, they are LAN-based. Their playoffs take part in different continents and are run by different companies, too. Some great examples are:
- ESL Pro League: takes place in North America (14 teams) and Europe (12 teams) and is one of the biggest professional leagues out there. Its prize pool tops $1 million.
- ELEAGUE Major: despite its name, the ELEAGUE is a premier event with 24 of the top CS:GO teams, also competing for a prize pool of $1 million.
- Intel Extreme Masters: founded in 2007, its events already traveled a huge part of the world. Its last prize pool summed up a total of $500,000.
Major CS:GO Tournaments
The major events are supported and sponsored by Valve itself – the company responsible for Counter-Strike. Teams that participate in minor events can qualify for the major ones such as:
- Dreamhack: CS:GO battles are among the wide variety of Esports in the Dreamhack events, and they have the fastest internet connection worldwide. They were hosted in Brazil, the U.S., and across Europe, assembling the best teams of CS:GO. Each one of the events throughout the year currently has a $100,000 prize pool.
- ESL One: ESL is also featured within major events. Their canceled 2020 CS:GO major event would have had a $2,000,000 prize pool in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
- Hellcase Cup: with a smaller prize pool of $10,000, the Hellcase Cup counts on almost 20 teams, included forZe, HAVU Gaming, and Nordavind.
What About Minor-Level Events?
The minor-level events are great to pay attention to teams on the rise and find a hidden gem among betting markets, and should at least be mentioned here. It is worth watching the Cybergamer Pro League and the ESEA series. Whenever there is some spare time to study new and rising teams, open their lines and gather some information to bet on them.
What are the Top CS:GO Teams?
Studying the top group of players allows a proper CS:GO betting strategy in accordance with each event and the team they are competing with. According to HLTV, the current best CS:GO teams are those below:
- Vitality: Keeping itself in the TOP 30 for over 100 weeks now, Vitality is considered the number one with a win rate of 66.7%.
- Heroic: their win rate is 63.6%, and the team has been evolving considerably since August 2020, keeping their good position.
- Astralis: Over 260 weeks in the top 30 is not for just anyone. Among their achievements, they collect 1st place in ELEAGUE Major, FACEIT Major, and StarLadder Major events, with an impressive 74.1% win rate.
Summarized CS:GO Betting Tips
- The best teams are not necessarily those holding the top positions of the CS:GO ranking. Things change, and even excellent players have bad moments, so try to consider the big picture instead.
- Always look for boosted odds promotions, especially if you are going to bet on premier or major events.
- Do not ignore minor events, although they might take some more time to find great opportunities.
- Esports are not like virtualized sports. Consider and study both skills and history of all involved teams instead of betting like a roulette game.
- Live Esports bets are a thrilling experience for those that love the games. However, do not miss opportunities in pre-match markets.
