How to bet on Esports? – A dummy’s guide!

What are Esports?

Esports games are varied, with the most popular choices including Valorant, Dota 2 and Call of Duty. You can read more about the most common Esports games a little later in this guide.

Understanding Esports odds?

Before you start betting on Esports, it’s hugely important you understand what Esports betting odds represent. Essentially, betting odds represent the chances of a particular event occurring, or more specifically the chances a bookmaker believes a particular event has of occurring.

There are a variety of odds formats you’ll come across. While these can appear very different to each other, they all represent the same thing. To illustrate this, we’ll examine the three most common odds formats - Fractional, Decimal and American.

For our example, we’re going to use the Esports World Cup game between Astrea and ByuN. Prior to the match, the Winner odds were as follows:

Fractional odds

Fractional odds are incredibly common in the UK. These odds show how much you would win (top number) from how much you place (bottom number). So, odds of 4/1 mean you would win £4 from a £1 stake (or currency equivalent), plus your stake back too.

So, as we can see in the table above, Astrea are priced at 8/5 to win. This means that if you place £5, you’ll win £8, plus your £5 stake back, for a total return of £13.

We can also see that ByuN are priced at 4/9 to win. In this instance, the numerator is smaller than the denominator in the fraction. In the betting world this is known as being odds-on, and indicates that ByuN are the clear favourites to win this game.

If we want to place a bet on ByuN to win, odds of 4/9 mean we will need to place £9 in order to make £4 profit.

There is an easy way to calculate your potential returns using Fractional odds. Divide the denominator by your stake and multiply this number by the numerator and add your stake. If we were to place £1 on ByuN to win, our calculation would look like this:

(1/9) multiplied by 4 + 1 = 1.44

So, our profit margin on a successful £1 bet on ByuN to win would be £1.44.

Decimal odds

To many, particularly those outside of the United Kingdom, Fractional odds can seem a little complicated to understand. Many bettors prefer to use Decimal odds instead, which is often the format of choice for bettors across Europe.

It can be much easier to read Decimal odds, as well as work out your potential returns. As we’ve seen above, the Decimal odds on ByuN to win are 1.44. To calculate our potential return on this bet, the calculation is simply Stake multiplied by Odds. So, if we wanted to place £1 on our odds of 1.44, the calculation would be simply:

£1 x 1.44 = £1.44

American odds

American odds, also known as Moneyline odds, can appear a little complicated when you first come across them. Moneyline odds are the standard format at US bookmakers, though operators across the globe also allow users to select this format if they so wish.

In the table above, you’ll see the + sign in front of the odds for Astrea to win, and a - sign in front of the number for ByuN to win. The plus sign indicates the outsiders, with the minus sign signifying the favourite. For the outsider, the figure stated is how much you’d win if you were to stake $100. For the favourite, the figure stated is how much you’d need to stake in order to make $100.

So, for our Astrea and ByuN example, we’d win $260 if we placed $100 on Astrea to win and we were successful. If we placed $225 on ByuN to win and we were successful, our returns would be $325.

Sports Betting vs Esports Betting

There are many similarities between betting on traditional sports and betting on Esports. Both have odds and markets attached from bookmakers, and require bettors to successfully predict the outcome.

As with traditional sports betting, bookmakers provide a range of Esports betting markets for their users to choose from. Both forms of betting require you to understand the odds available, conduct your research and find value.

However, there are also a few differences between the two. As Esports is relatively new, certainly compared to traditional sports betting, there is much less information and data for you to analyse in order to find betting value. For example, with sports, you can analyse a huge amount of info, like head to head records, injuries, suspensions, even weather conditions can have a huge impact on how a match or game might play out. With Esports, these factors have little relevance to the outcome of a game.

What are the main Esports bets that I can place?

While bets and markets can differ from bookmaker to bookmaker, the best sites tend to offer a wide variety of markets across all major Esports games and events. One of the most popular is Tournament Winner, where you simply bet on which team you think will be crowned Champions of the tournament outright.

In terms of individual games, there are many different markets available. Match Winner is a common option, but other markets can sometimes offer greater betting value.

• Match Winner: The easiest way to bet on an Esports event, this market allows you to bet on which team will win a specific match.
• Total Maps: This bet gives you the option to bet on how many Maps will be played in a game, over or under a stated amount.
• Correct Match Score: This market can provide more attractive odds than others, as it's much more difficult to predict correctly. With this market, you’re betting on what the final score will be.
• Map Winner: For a Map Winner bet, you can place a wager on which team will win a particular Map, such as Map 1 or Map 2.

Esports Major Tournaments in 2025/26

Remember to always gamble responsibly

Whether you’re betting on Esports or traditional sports, it’s incredibly important you bet safely and responsibly. Always keep a tight rein on your bankroll, keep a detailed record of your deposits, winnings and withdrawals which can help you stay in control of your funds.

When you sign up to a betting site, we highly recommend you head over to your operator’s Responsible Gambling section, and utilise the variety of tools and advice available.