Betting on Dota 2 MatchesThanks to the popularity of esports, betting on Dota 2 has become available in all bookmakers. According to official statistics, this discipline has surpassed 99% of other sports in terms of popularity. An interesting fact: the grand final of The International 2018 was watched by three times more people than the NBA finals in the same year USA Today.Format of Professional Dota 2 MatchesA Dota 2 match involves two teams of five players: the Radiant and the Dire. Each player has their assigned position, which determines their actions:* Position 5 (Full Support): A hero who doesn't focus on farming but assists the carry on the lane. They spend a significant portion of their available gold on consumables (wards, dust, etc.) and support items. Captains usually play this position and are responsible for drafting (i.e., choosing heroes) https://www.divephotoguide.com/user/EvangelineRivers/.
* Position 4 (Semi Support, Roam): The second support. They often play on the difficult lane, helping the offlaner. Their main task is to move around the map, securing kills.
* Position 3 (Offlaner): Farms on the hard lane while trying to disrupt the enemy carry. In the current meta, they often build aura-based items.
* Position 2 (Midlaner): Farms on the middle lane in a 1v1 matchup. Their main task is to gain levels and basic items, then move around the map, creating space for the carry.
* Position 1 (Carry): The primary position. This hero actively farms during the first 15-25 minutes, with support protection, and avoids fights. Their item build depends on the situation.
* Fox SportsThe game ends when one side destroys the opponent's throne. In professional games, captains can surrender early by typing "GG" in the chat www.rsabet.co.za.Dota 2 TournamentsProfessional Dota 2 tournaments can be classified into four types:* Unofficial: Several hundred of these tournaments take place in a season. The prize pools range up to $100,000, and the participating teams are organized by the tournament organizers.
* Minors: Up to 10 of these tournaments occur in a season. The prize pool is $300,000, and the winner receives 140 DPC (Dota Pro Circuit) points.
* Majors: Four majors are held in a season. The prize pool is $1 million, and the winner receives 4,850 DPC points NBC Sports.
* The International: The pinnacle of esports, it is the main tournament of the year with a prize pool exceeding $30 million. It features 16 teams: the top 12 from the DPC season and four organizations that qualify through regional qualifiers.The current rankings can be found on the liquipedia website. Open qualifiers are held two months before the start of a DPC tournament, and anyone who plays well can register on the organizer's website. In theory, anyone who plays well has a chance to make it to the tournament and earn a substantial amount of money. Sounds unbelievable? Meet Topias "Topson" Taavitsainen. In the spring of 2018, he was an ordinary, socially awkward youth who rarely left home and had no friends (as he admitted in his interviews). On June 4th, he was invited to the esports organization OG. Two months later, he won The International 2018, becoming the best player and earning a prize of $2.5 million. A year later, he and OG won the tournament again, taking home another $3.5 million. Now he is one of the most famous and wealthy athletes in Finland, having received a national award from the country's president twice.Such success stories are among the main reasons for Dota's popularity as an esports discipline, even though it no longer ranks in the top five of user games.Types of Bets in a Bookmaker's OfficeBets on Dota 2 can be of the following types:* Match Winner (P1 or P2).
* Correct Score (per map).
* Map Totals and Handicaps: Kills, Towers Destroyed.
* Special Bets: Roshan Kills, First Tower Destroyed, First Blood, Rapier Purchased, etc.
* Map Duration.
* Long-term Bets on Winners or Playoff Participants. Specifically for The International, additional bets include Best KDA player (Kill-Death-Assist ratio), team with the highest/lowest average number of kills, etc Bleacher Report.Match AnalysisWithout exaggeration, Dota 2 is the most challenging esports discipline to analyze. There are typically 5-6 patches released during a season, which change the meta and the win rate of heroes. Therefore, providing specific advice is not feasible. However, here are some general points to consider:* Study tactics. Broadly speaking, two strategies can be distinguished: defensive and aggressive. The defensive strategy involves prolonging the game and spending most of the time on the team's side of the map. The goal is to allow the carry to farm necessary items. Teams that advocate an aggressive playstyle aim to draft heroes strong in the early game (first 20-25 minutes). By winning at least 2 out of 3 lanes, they immediately start destroying towers to finish the game as soon as possible. This factor is essential to consider when planning bets on map duration or total kills.
* Analyze hero win rates. Dota 2 is not easily predictable through statistics, but over the long term, such information can help improve the win rate.
* Consider tournament motivation. Teams that have secured a spot in the playoffs often exhibit less effort in the remaining group stage matches, known as "throwing" in gaming slang. This is reflected in inadequate drafts, strange actions on the map, etc. Therefore, in such situations, it is advantageous to bet on the underdogs with positive handicaps.
* Keep an eye on team compositions. Esports organizations often make roster changes before tournaments. In Dota 2, team synergy is even more critical than individual skill. If a presumed favorite is playing with a substitute (marked as Stand-in in the roster), it is worth considering betting against them Al Jazeera.For studying statistics and current rosters, we recommend using the websites CyberSport and DotaBuff.Betting RulesInstead of discussing general betting principles, let's focus on theses directly related to Dota:* 50% of Dota 2 matches depend on hero selection. Therefore, if you bet in-play after the drafting stage, it's easier to predict the course of events and assess the chances of both teams. Note: In live betting, there are no additional bet types (handicaps, totals, duration, etc.). You can only bet on the match winner.
* Don't forget about the comeback mechanic. The losing team receives extra gold and experience for kills, which can turn the tide of the game.
* An early kill advantage doesn't guarantee victory. Let's consider a typical example from a recent minor: one team has Huskar Wikipedia (Betting strategy), who wins the mid lane and has a score of 10:0 at the 15-minute mark. The odds for their victory might be around 1.10. However, they can't finish the game because they lack the necessary structure damage, while the opponents have ways to defend. The carry of the other team calmly farms in the jungle, not participating in fights. After buying the missing item, they kill Huskar, gaining 1500 gold and 2000 experience. As a result, the balance of power completely changes.
* Avoid long-term bets. An interesting fact: in 2019, no favorite team according to bookmakers' odds won any DPC tournament. For example, OG won The International 2019 with odds around 25-30. PSG.LGD, considered the clear favorite (odds 4.50-5.50), finished only in third place.
* Official broadcasts have up to a 5-minute delay. You can get real-time match information on the free portal Hawkbets.