If you are new to the game of Starcraft 2, here’s a quick breakdown of all the points that build up the game’s mechanics:

• In Starcraft 2, a player has three races to choose from Protoss, Zerg, and Terran.
• A Starcraft 2 match’s ultimate objective is to destroy the opponent’s structures and units using your army.
• At the start of each match, you’ll manage several worker units to gather several mineral resources for you to use later on the match. When combined, these resources make up the underlying elements to build more powerful structures and produce better units.
• A supply cap on units forces you to build more supply structures to house and deploy more units.
• As the match progresses, you also gain the ability to research new technologies. Depending on which race you select, technological advances unlock new advanced builds, more units, and better army dynamics. Each of the three races has a separate tech tree, and different choices bring different in-game progressions.
• The game demands players to micromanage a bunch of different types of units to work in tandem. Units’ abilities can complement each other to create powerful combos, which can be a key to victory.

If you ask most gamers, they would tell you the RTS genre is kinda dead at this point. However, due to its cult popularity among a niche group of Starcraft players, it is still kept alive. It has an almost thriving Esports community, owed mostly to the South Korean scene. StarCraft 2 Esports betting sites lack the wide array of special bets we are used to seeing in other Esports Betting markets.

Starcraft 2 betting options:

Here we have a list of the betting options offered by various sportsbooks for Starcraft 2.

MATCH WINNER

You’re betting on the player you think will win a particular match. The sportsbooks will provide calculated odds for both players or teams deciding the favorites and underdogs.

An example of match-winner odds are as follows:

Odds for Team SK Telecom T1: 1.50
Odds for Team Liquid: 3.20

By these odds, we can see that SK Telecom are the favorites to win and Team Liquid are the underdogs. If you place a bet on Liquid and they win, your bet will be multiplied by 3.2x times the bet amount. Whereas, if you bet on SK Telecom and they win, you get a return of only 1.5x times your bet.

MATCH HANDICAP

When there is a favorite and underdog, most people will naturally lean towards betting on the favorite. To balance the bet and provide fair odds to both teams, some points are taken away from the favorite and given to the underdog. These points are usually map-based advantages. For e.g.

In a best-of-3 series between a strong team like SK Telecom T1 and a weaker team like Splyce, Splyce is given a +1.5 map advantage, and SK Telecom will be given a -1.5 map disadvantage. Meaning, SK Telecom must win the series by two or more maps to win the bet. Whereas, Splyce must not lose by more than one map or win just the one map against SK Telecom.

LONG TERMS

If you’re trying to place bets on StarCraft 2 for the long-term, SC 2 features everything you’d come to expect. The region of the winner is kind of obsolete, seeing as how South Korea dominates the pro scene. Still, outright winner and final winners are available, which is just enough considering they’re the most popular long-term bets anyway.

TOTALS

StarCraft 2, just like other Esports, has numerous totals. Typically, we’re talking about resource totals and rounds totals, with the latter being available only on Bo3, Bo5, and Bo7 scenarios.

RESOURCE PLAYER VS PLAYER

Last but not least, here’s an SC-specific special based around in-game resources, minerals, and vespene gas. The esports betting sites set the time (usually 10 minutes in), and you’re supposed to guess which player will have more of the specified resource.

The “Odds” refers to the likelihood or chance of a specific event occurring, e.g. Team X winning over Team B.  Bets placed on the basis of 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

These odds are represented by numbers 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 indicate 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 5/1 – Every $1 you bet will give you a payout of $5. 

Unfavorable odds: Similarly, Odds of 1/7 – For every $7 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.

For the beginners looking to start betting, to the seasoned betting players that want to brush up on their strategy, the KBG team recommends following these betting tips when wagering Starcraft 2 matches and tournaments online.

Tip#1: Set a budget and bet accordingly –  Firstly check your finances and bet what you can realistically afford to risk. Note that betting online on Starcraft 2 is not a get-rich-quick scheme, so bet accordingly. If you are just starting out, review all the tips below, and build a strong betting strategy before you start.

Tip#2: Check all the odds: As you start identifying Starcraft 2 matches you want to wager, do some research, and check the different odds the bookmakers offer. Look specifically for the odds that present the best profitability margin for you. If you can develop this edge in your betting, you would be able to maintain a positive return on your betting portfolio.

Tip#3: Learn the game: Start off by getting familiar with the game mechanics and rules at a deeper level. Garner an in-depth knowledge of the game and its mechanics before you start betting. It helps you in the analysis of the gameplay and picking up hints. Playing the game yourself is a good way to understand the game and its mechanics.

In order to gain an advantage in Starcraft 2 online betting, make sure you take note of the elements below prior buying you betting slip:

• Get to know the players. It is a good idea to research pro players’ background, past performances of teams, predictions, and previous tournament results.
  
• Watch Starcraft streams on Twitch or other streaming sites. Especially pros. They can help you gauge their form and also understand the game at a deeper level.
• Compare your analysis with what the oddsmakers think. Sportsbook websites have their odds displayed on the site for a given wager. It gives a general idea of what others are predicting.

Tip#4: Specialise in the bet types you are great at: The last tip to implement deeply into your strategy is to start indentify which betting types you can form expertise in. Find the betting types you are most comfortable with and here’s how to find them:

• Specialize whenever possible – with so many Starcraft 2 players competing in tournaments across the globe, focusing on a particular vertical will allow you to research deeper make better and smarter betting decisions.
• Bet selectively and objectively– do not bet in panic and refrain from betting on all matches unless you’ve done the research and analysis needed.
• Don’t believe any information blindly: Make sure you critically analyze every info you receive. Start by seeing how the gathered information fits in with your current Starcraft 2 betting strategy and see if you can improve incrementally, not outright replace the entire system. 

KBG recommended online Sportsbooks are geared to accept a wide array of payment methods. Deposit methods options you can make use of include credit cards, direct bank transfers, and PayPal. Other novel methods of payments can include eWallets and Cryptocurrencies, available at selective Esports Bookies.

Here are more details on the payments you can expect when betting on Starcraft 2:

• Credit and Debit cards: remain the most popularly accepted means of payment across bookmaker websites. MasterCard and VISA being the most common.
• Web Wallets: These are 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.
• 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.
• 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. 
• Direct Bank Transfers: Sportsbooks also 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 Starcraft 2 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 Starcraft 2 related bets you have placed.

The World Championship Series(WCS) was an annual Starcraft 2 professional Esports tournament organized by Blizzard entertainment. It was the highest tier of professional Starcraft 2. WCS is supposed to be replaced by the ESL Pro Tour Starcraft 2(EPT) in 2020.

There are plenty of smaller tournament series organized by ESL. Like the Intel Extreme Masters series.

Starcraft 2 pro tournament prize pools go as high as six figures.

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: