SC2 Betting Odds and How to Understand Them

StarCraft II Latest Game Odds

Strafe.com’s betting module leads with the best Starcraft 2 betting odds.

We’re best known for our mobile app which provides comprehensive eSports coverage in real time. It covers a variety of games and events all over the globe and plugs you into the broader world of eSports by allowing you to follow players, review their recent form and break down their head-to-head record (H2H).

A betting module feels like an organic progression. Intuitive design ensures bet slips are easily customisable for all styles of play and, alongside the Strafe app, aims to keep punters as informed about their bets as they are about the match in play.

This is especially useful when looking to develop or inform your own strategies, either as a passive viewer or active participant, as there’s an excellent foundation to build from.

eSports specialist Strafe sets itself apart from conventional bookmakers that leave gamer’s feeling like an afterthought.

WardiTV Winter Championship 2024

Starcraft 2 betting odds today were for the quarterfinal bracket of WardiTV’s Major league tournament which runs until the end of February. The fledgling event, organised by WardiTV and sponsored by an avid viewer, offers a humble prize pool rewarded at all levels of play.

Following a heated preliminary group stage, Qualifiers so far have seen twelve players advance to the quarter finals. All matches were “best of five”, but the quarterfinal will see further opportunity for upset as it amps up to “best of seven”.

Of our twelve qualifiers, Six are Protoss players, seemingly the most popular among the competition’s remaining competitors, whereas three are Terran and three are Zerg.

We’re fast approaching the end of February, and tensions are high. Tune in to WardiTV on twitch to see who will claim the crown, or participate through Strafe to find insider info on competitor’s recent form, match history, and head-to-head records.

IEM Katowice 2024 Odds

The Intel Extreme Masters, which span months and culminate with Global Championships, first welcomed Starcraft 2 to its roster of games in 2010. However, the event’s continued success has seen SC2 return annually for over a decade.

Last year Blizzard revamped StarCraft 2’s esports system, and IEM 2024 will mark the first time a Starcraft 2 “World Champion” has been crowned outside of BlizzCon. Although the exact schedule is yet to be released (the competition kicks off on the 20th of February), bookmakers are already taking Ante Post (early) bets on predicted winners.

Betting this far ahead generally bears a heavier risk, but that risk translates into enhanced odds. As the tournament grows nearer, these odds will shift and change accordingly until competitors see play. If you’re feeling especially confident in a particular player, now could be the best time to put your money where your mouth is!

epic.WAN 32

epic.WAN32 will commence on February the 26th and is open to UK and European competitors. Although competitor information is currently scarce, more is to be revealed as we approach the initial group stage.

2024 will mark the 32nd iteration of the epic.LAN. However, due to Covid-19, this year's tournament will see it take place online in its entirety, for the first time, which, on the bright side, guarantees great coverage all round.

Esports & StarCraft II, A History

With eSport’s rise in popularity, we’ve seen some insane sponsorship deals, outrageous winnings and excellent Starcraft 2 betting odds. It blows our mind to think that Terran player Cho “Maru” Seong Ju has earned over $700,000 in competition winnings. In close second we have Lee “Flash” Young Ho. The veteran retired after winning approximately $620,000. However, in today's eSports scene, competitors aren’t the only people earning cash prizes.

eSports betting was originally believed to be a fleeting trend, however it has gradually developed into a global industry alongside the availability of tournament coverage. Although the scene harbours critics, this is generally regarded as good news for gamers, as it is expected that events and professional players will see an influx of cash in the form of sponsorship.

Reinvesting in their respective sports is a longstanding trend for bookmakers and, historically, has been causation for some of the world's largest sporting tournaments. We have already witnessed a rise in affiliate programs that run in collaboration between teams, players and bookmakers. With the rising popularity of the eSports scene and the accessibility of streaming services, a career as a professional gamer is more achievable than it has ever been.

Back in 2010, the year of its release, Starcraft II first saw professional play in South Korea. Its predecessor had been especially popular in the region and is heralded for laying the groundwork as one of the first eSports. The hotly anticipated sequel quickly became the main feature of many leagues and captivated an international audience with ludicrous prize pools.

Initially, eSports betting was highly unregulated and operators were rightly concerned about match fixing during the scene’s infancy. Little analysis was available for bookmakers to develop their databases and punters were often more experienced than them. However, as professional play matured, tournaments and the broader competitive scene became heavily regulated. As generations of gamers aged so did eSport’s target demographic...

Although, historically, bets had been placed on video games, eSports betting took on its most infantile, scandalous and commercial form when Skin Betting became a popular trend throughout 2015 & 2016.

This was a heavily unregulated scheme that involved staking in-game items, such as Team Fortress 2 hats or Counter Strike weapon skins, against your competition. These items often held monetary value and could often be traded for real life cash or steam currency. However, this was often promoted through uncertified websites that disregarded age restrictions or manipulated participants. British YouTuber Tom “Syndicate” Cassel and US YouTuber Trevor “TmarTn” Martin were even embroiled and shamed.

Although punters disowned Skin Betting en masse, the trend allowed licensed bookmakers a glimpse at the demographic’s desire for regulated play with real money. Ever since, eSports and Starcraft II betting has seen rising popularity alongside League of Legends, Dota and Counter Strike among others.

Reading Moneylines for StarCraft II

eSports has garnered international appeal, and so has eSports betting. However, betting odds are presented differently all over the world and subsequently different bookmakers may display odds differently online depending on where they are based. We recommend learning to read American Odds, Decimal Odds and Fractional Odds.

With Starcraft II Betting, Decimal Odds are most common in live-betting scenarios.

American odds often accompany tournament sheets and are common when selecting an Outright Winner (which refers to the winner of the overall tournament, not of one specific match).

Fractional odds are less favourable among specialised eSports bookies, but are most commonly found when betting pre-match. The fact of the matter is you’ll probably encounter all of them at some point, so best wise-up!

A full breakdown can be found in our complimentary Starcraft II Betting Guide.

“Moneylines” are conventional single bets that display american odds alongside competitors. Before a Starcraft II match you might see moneyline odds such as:

• Protoss Player: Stan “WINS GAYMZ” Li +150
• Zerg Player: Jack “KILLS NOOBS” Chan -150

In this example it is anticipated that Jack, the Zerg player, will win. Because of this, a bet placed on him is safer and yields less reward. This is signified by the negative number. With moneyline odds of -150, you would have to stake a £/€/$15 bet in order to receive a £/€/$10 payout. However, if moneyline odds are positive like Stan’s then the equation is inverted.  With moneyline odds of +150, you would receive a £15 payout on a £10 bet.

Scoreline & Handicap Spread Betting in StarCraft II

In Starcraft II, a match will consist of several maps, for example in a “best of five” format, five will see play. Ordinarily, you will be picking overall Match Winners when placing pre-match bets, however betting on individual Map Winners is more commonplace with live-betting alongside a stream.

While betting on a moneyline is solely about who wins, some bookmakers may allow you to participate in “point spread” and “scoreline” betting.

Betting on a point spread is about who wins and by how much. The spread refers to the two competitor’s final scores of the game and proposes a handicap either adding or removing points. If this type of bet is available with your chosen bookmaker, Spread information will be displayed alongside moneyline odds on the betting line:

Protoss Player: Stan “WINS GAYMZ” Li +150  / -1.5

Zerg Player: Jack “KILLS NOOBS” Chan -150 / +1.5

If Jack and Stan have a spread of -1.5 and +1.5, and Jack is favourite to win, then Jack must win by at least three maps to win for the Spread bet to payout. Spread betting can be challenging and test even the hardest strategies, but it can also be highly lucrative. If you predict a stomp, or consider yourself a scholar on a favourable competitor, Spread betting might be for you.

Alternatively, Scoreline betting simply involves predicting the final score of a specific match-up, but instead of just choosing a winner, we’re dealing with specifics. For example, if you believe Jack will only beat Stan by two maps, this would be a more favourable bet than our spread option.

To understand more about SC2 Handicap betting, check out our specialist article for more tips and information.

Betting Strategies in StarCraft II

In today’s article we’ll be discussing Value Betting and Implied Probability.

Value Bets describe bets that you identify with a more proportionate chance of winning than your chosen bookmaker proposes. The means by which this is identified varies punter to punter, but for example, if we’re working with fractional odds, and Stan has odds of 4/1 (four-to-one) on winning his match, then the bookmaker is implying that Stan has a 20% chance of winning. This is calculated as 1/(4+1) = 0.20/1 = 20/100 and referred to as implied probability.

However, if according to your observations and calculations, you believe Stan’s chances of winning are closer to 35%, then you may identify these odds as a Value Bet, because alongside strong odds there is a more likely chance of the bet paying.

That’s not to say that every bet with added value should be considered a Value Bet, because every punter has their own means of gauging event outcomes. That said, regardless of where you set your own threshold for Value Bets, being able to identify additional value when browsing odds will help you secure the best SC2 betting odds.

In previous articles we’ve discussed the Arbitrage and Matched betting strategies:

The Most Popular Markets in StarCraft II

The best SC2 betting odds are spread across a handful of markets that generally vary bookmaker to bookmaker. The most popular markets you’ll encounter are as follows:

Map Winner - When live-betting, you will usually be betting on which player will win the current map in play.

Match Winner - The most popular pre-match bet simply requires you to pick who will win an overall match. Ordinarily each match will consist of several maps, or rounds, for example “best of five”.

Correct Score - When spread or scoreline betting, you will normally be attempting to predict how many maps of the overarching match each play will win. For example, you might want to place a bet that Stan will beat Jack 3-2.

Outright Winner - Ordinarily “outright winner” refers to the winner of the entire StarCraft II Tournament currently in play.

StarCraft II Odds Comparison

Is your odds comparison service free of charge?

If you are looking to monitor odds across multiple platforms, punters often use SC2 odds comparison services. However, some of these require paid access. For newcomers it’s recommended to prioritise research, free services, and articles that cultivate your SC2 betting knowledge. Once you have an understanding of what individual comparison services offer, you will be able to ascertain whether or not their database might be relevant to your market, strategies and betting interests.

Are there differences between online vs offline odds?

Maybe you have only ever placed wagers online, or perhaps you have only ever dealt with local bookmakers.  Either way, if you are considering trying something new, you may wonder about the differences between online and offline betting.

With your online betting site, you are generally expected to put money up right away. However initial deposits can often see unique rewards and exciting promo offers, such as a matched ‘game money’ balance. These tend to be significantly more generous on online platforms when compared to local offline bets.

In local bookies, equivalent offers may involve wagering with credit. If you lose, you have to pay up there and then. If you win, you may continue with that line of credit. For some bettors this may be an advantage, while for others, it may be a disadvantage. It depends on how disciplined you are and how well you handle your money.

Online betting generally allows for more strategic and comfortable play. This is because betting remotely allows you to set up and prepare accordingly with few distractions. Betting in local bookmakers can often feel overwhelming.

Why should I not bet with my standard bookie?

Conventional local bookmakers treat gamers as an afterthought with poor design and coverage. This is where Strafe excels. Having an application that connects you to the broader eSports community creates a more informed understanding of the stakes at hand.

Not to mention, that specialised eSports bookmakers offer a variety of betting types that aren’t available through traditional bookies, such as a refined live-betting experience.

Thanks for reading!

With new territories finally having access to reliable, licensed bookmakers, it will be exciting to see the influx of revenue that gets reinvested into local eSports scenes across the globe. There’s always something on, day and night, but try and keep your eyes peeled for upcoming tournaments, their respective betting odds, and associated promotional offers, as well as our betting tips.

If you’re looking for a new source for line ups and statistics, check out Strafe’s mobile app. The betting module is a welcome addition and, at the time of writing, holds the best SC2 betting odds, but that aside - the functionality the base platform offers is perfect for keeping in touch with the broader eSports community.

See you at your Hatchery sometime, Zerg scum.