Hearthstone is a turn-based virtual card game where players construct card decks of 30 with a hero and a unique power.

Players select a hero from one of 10 classes, each of whom has unique abilities that define the class. The aim is to reduce the enemy hero’s health to zero by attacking them.

There are four types of cards in the game: Spells, Minions, weapons, and hero cards. The cards also come in varying qualities, namely: Legendary, Epic, Rare, Common, and Basic.

There is a mana system where players use mana crystals to cast abilities and summon minions and units to attack the enemy hero.

In-game gold, new cards, and other prizes are awarded to players for winning matches. Players can buy more card packs directly from the game to strengthen their decks with more powerful cards.

In top-end tournaments, Hearthstone can even take on a 3v3 format.

Game Modes:

Single Player:

• Tutorial: This is a practice game mode for introducing and learning the basics of the game.
• Solo Adventures provide a single-player experience for new players to get into. It consists of Practice mode, Adventures(Sort of like campaign), and Missions.

Multiplayer:

• Play Mode: In this mode, players play matches against other Hearthstone players of similar skill levels. Players have a choice to play Casual/Unranked or Ranked games against others. Playing and winning more games can earn you rewards and stand in the game.]
• Arena: In this mode, players craft a deck from a random selection of cards for a series of battles. Arena needs to be unlocked by spending gold or real money.
• Battleground: In this mode, eight players fight in a 1v1 to be the last one standing. Battlefield has cards unique to itself and has 2 phases.
• Tavern brawl: This is a weekly special mode where players can play special matches with unique rules. The rules can buff or nerf certain minions that might force you to tweak your deck. Decks need to follow the guidelines for this mode to be eligible.

Hearthstone is a game that was designed with Esports in mind. Blizzard themselves hosted the first Hearthstone World Championship tournament at Blizzcon in 2014. As such, it has seen tremendous popularity in the betting markets and Esports scene. You can find several Esports sportsbooks offering wagers for Hearthstone.

Types of Hearthstone Bets

Due to the Hearthstone being a staple Esports game with value tournaments, sportsbooks aren’t hesitant to offer wagers for this game. Some of the most common betting options for Hearthstone are: 

MATCH WINNER
These wagers allow you to simply bet on which of the two players you think will win the match. Match winner works based on Moneyline odds. Odds are offered by the bookmakers and paid out accordingly. For example, 

Odds of player Kolento: 1.30 vs Odds of player TrumpSC: 2.90

By these odds, we can see that Kolento is considered the favorite to win, while TrumpSC is the underdog. If Kolento ends up winning, your bet on him will be multiplied by 1.3x the amount. Whereas if TrumpSC wins the match and pulls an upset, your bet will be multiplied by 2.9x times the amount.

FUTURES MARKET
If you want to bet on the outcome of a Hearthstone tournament and wager on a team winning the event, you’ll be betting on the futures market. The Future market is a particular bet, where you can be:

– on a particular Hearthstone player winning the finals, 

– or more open with wagers on the players in the finals 

– or which World region the winning players represent.

HANDICAP BETS
These are mainly used on matches where it’s clear the outcome is heavily skewed to one player. Then you might make use of a handicap bet to specify how many rounds the player will need to win secure the match. On the other hand, you can even wager on the weaker team to predict their chances of winning one game out of three. Essentially you’ll be taking points from the favorite player and give it to the underdog, leveling the betting field and provide fair odds. For example,

A Hearthstone matchup can be a best-of series like bo3 or bo5. In a best-of-3 scenario, the favorite will be handicapped by -1.5 matches at the start. At the same time, the underdog will be given a +1.5 match advantage. The Favorite will need to beat the Underdog by two maps without dropping a single match in such a case. In contrast, the underdog will need to not lose by more than one match to win the bet.

TURN BETS
These are wagers where you predict how many turns will be played in the game or even an entire match. This type of bet requires a significant amount of game knowledge, as you’ll need to get a feel for how the players use their decks and how many turns they might require to overpower their opponent. Turn bets will generally be over/under bets rather than wagers on a specific number of turns. For example, if the total spread is set at ten by bookmakers, you can bet over or under that number depending on how soon you think the match would end.

SPECIAL BETS
These wagers are incredibly specific, and it is generally understood that Special bets make the match more exciting to watch. Special bets can include:

• which cards might be activated in a match? 
• which player will complete a specific in-match task first? 

These are higher risk bets but can feature higher payouts as a result. The KBG team’s advice is to save your specialty bets for players who use a druid deck or players who take on specific hero roles.

The “Odds” refers to the likelihood or chance of a specific event occurring, for example, Team X winning over Team B. Bets placed based on these odds offered by bookmakers. The odds are calculated by different sportsbooks differently. So make sure to pick a decent and reputable sportsbook with fair odds.

Odds are of various distinct types: Decimal, Fractional, American, or Implied Probability. You’ll most often come across Decimal Odds, however.

DECIMAL ODDS

Decimal odds give you the easiest conversion from stake to return.

AMERICAN ODDS

Numbers represent these odds with a prefix (+) and minus(-) sign. The positive(+) sign is assigned to underdogs’ odds and indicates the amount won for every $100 staked on the bet. Whereas the negative(-) odds show the amount you need to stake to win $100 from the bet.

FRACTIONAL ODDS

These odds are marked with a fractional number, with the top number dictating how much when you invest the bottom fractional number.
Favorable odds: Odds of 3/1 – Every $1 you bet will give you a payout of $3.
Unfavorable odds: Similarly, Odds of 1/4 – For every $4 you bet, you will receive a payout of $1. 

IMPLIED PROBABILITY

This is a more readable way to denote odds, however, this can be highly inaccurate and is mostly just used as a reference to calculate risk.

Leveraging the KBG team’s 10+ years of expertise in betting online, we have compiled these tips to help you bet greatly on Heartstone online.

Tip#1: Stick to a budget – Start from here and as always when gambling,  make sure you bet as much as you can afford to risk. Keep in mind that betting is not a get-rich-quick scheme. If you are a beginner, stick to proportional betting and try to avoid higher payouts on low odds such as multiple game bet slips.

Tip#2: Check all the odds: Review the different odds offered by the bookmakers before you bet. Look for the odds that might not match what your read is on the Hearthstone matchup. If you can develop these edges and create an accurate analytical system, you can better hone your skills at judging games and finding opportunities.

Tip#3: Decode the game: It is important to develop a deep sense of the game and on the players. In order to gain an advantage in Hearthstone wagering, make sure you analyze the match prior betting:

• Do your research on the game to understand the fundamentals better. Check out Hearthstone wiki and Liquipedia to understand the tournament’s structures and gameplay. Take insight from other players on forums like Reddit. Make sure to keep yourself updated on any articles posted
• Watch other pros play on streams and take their input on the gameplay. Tune into online tournaments to catch up with the game and see how players are currently performing. It serves as invaluable research to help you make decisions.

Tip#4: Find the bet types you are good at: As you start betting, start building your expertise in a betting strategy that you are personally comfortable in. This could be a good indicator of which betting dimensions you have the best understanding of. Here are some guidelines to take into account:

• Don’t try to be an expert on everything. Yes, by any means, learn as much as you can; however, focusing just on Hearthstone or some aspects of the game can give you an edge over the bookmakers.
• Be selective with your bets. Don’t just bet on your favorite Hearthstone player or team, and don’t bet on every single tournament or match you come across. You’ll be able to build a far more successful betting portfolio by wagering on matches you’re confident about.
• Don’t always believe any information blindly and make your own decisions: Make sure you scrutinize every intel you get. Start by seeing how the gathered information works with your strategy, not resort to change your play entirely. It’s better to not take everything at face value and make your own end decision through research.

Hearthstone bookmakers we recommend in this guide will accept the usual digital payment gates. These would include credit cards, direct bank transfers, and PayPal are accepted as a means of deposit. Other newer options such as eWallets and Cryptocurrencies are also available at selective bookmakers.

Here’s more details on the payments you can expect when betting on Hearthstone:

• • CryptoCurrency: Cryptocurrencies can also be used to bet on bookmaker websites. These are usually not available globally due to country-specific crypto laws but are usually used to cater to smaller regions and markets. For example, AstroPay caters to Brazil and the USA. GiroPay caters to Germany and Austria etc.
  • PayPal: PayPal remains one of the world’s most reliable online payment services. It helps you avoid giving your personal financial information to the bookmaker and provides an extra layer of security in transactions.
  • Web Wallets: These are basically e-Wallets that allow you to transfer funds to a virtual wallet for placing bets instead of linking your credit or debit card directly. This helps you avoid giving any sensitive financial information to the bookmaker. Skrill and Neteller are some of the most widely used e-Wallets.
  • Credit and Debit cards: remain the most popularly accepted means of payment across bookmaker websites. MasterCard and VISA being the most common.
  • Direct Bank Transfers: Bookmaking websites commonly allow you to directly transfer the amount from your bank account to theirs. The betting site will provide you with its bank details.

If you need some assistance at any point while betting on Hearthstone the bookmakers we partnered with have you covered.

Given that most online Esport bookmakers are available around the clock, open every day, there is always some form of customer service options available via email, toll-free telephone number, or an instant chat function.

The customer service teams can assist you with anything from deposit or withdrawal issues to questions about specific Hearthstone related bets you have placed.

Hearthstone Grandmasters is a premier level of Hearthstone tournament play consisting of 2 eight week seasons where the top 48 Hearthstone players compete. The participants come from 3 regions: Americas, Asia, Europe. 16 players from each. Hearthstone Grandmasters culminates in the global finals at the end of the year. 

The Hearthstone World Championship is the Hearthstone Grandmaster series’s finale and brings the world’s 8 best players to compete against each other. The prize pool for the world championship can go as high as $500,000.

Other Hearthstone tournaments around the world are not branded as official Blizzard events. These include events that are hosted and organized by Major League Gaming, StarLadder, and ESL.

Wondering how the different U.S. States approach Esports Betting? the KGB team has provided in-depth guides on how various State or County laws stack up on casino gambling. Check out the U.S. Guide below, where we’ll investigate each state and help you in your quest to Bet Responsibly, Bet Greatly:

Pick your Esport, learn the dynamics of the match, and tap into the best betting strategies developed over the years. Can you build that elusive hot streak? There’s only one way to find out. Always remember, Bet Responsibly, Bet Greatly: