Esports has its own section on Dexsport, and the titles and tournaments in it change across the year. We don't publish a list or any prices, so open the section to see what is live. CS2 and Dota 2 are used below as familiar examples of how competitive games work, not as a statement of what you will find listed.
Series length changes everything
Most team esports are played as a best-of series. The format has a large effect on how often a favourite wins.
| Format | Series win chance |
|---|---|
| Bo1 | 60.0% |
| Bo3 | 64.8% |
| Bo5 | 68.3% |
A single map is close to a coin toss with a slight lean. A Bo5 gives the better team room to recover. If a price looks generous on an underdog, check the format before anything else. An upset in a Bo1 is a routine event.
Map pools and vetoes
In tactical shooters such as CS2, teams ban and pick maps from a pool of seven before the series starts. A side's record on the maps it will actually play tells you far more than its overall ranking. Until the veto is known, a series price has to average across several possibilities, so it can shift once the maps are confirmed.
Patches and the meta
Developers rebalance their games on a regular basis, and a patch can overturn what was working. In Dota 2, a major update can reshuffle which heroes are worth drafting. Teams that adapt in a week can look brand new, and past results become a weaker guide. If a major patch landed within the last few days, trust recent form less and treat your own confidence with suspicion.
Rosters and stand-ins
Teams are five people, or fewer, so one absence is a fifth of the side. Stand-ins, visa problems for international events, and players moved between rosters mid-season all matter. Check the tournament page or the team's own channels on the day. A price set before the news may still be up for a moment, and it may also have been moved by people who read the news first.
LAN or online
Some teams are far stronger online than in front of a live crowd, while others raise their game at a big LAN event. Ping can also tilt online matches, particularly when regions mix. Look at results in the setting that matches the event you are betting on.
Common market types
- Series winner: who takes the match overall.
- Map winner: a single map, which carries a lot of variance.
- Map handicap: for example, a favourite to win 2-0.
- Total maps: whether a Bo3 goes the distance.
Availability differs by event, so check the match page. Make sure you also know how the operator settles a walkover or a replayed map.
Integrity at the lower tiers
Match-fixing cases have surfaced in esports, most often in smaller events where players earn little. If a low-tier match shows a strange late price movement, the sensible response is to leave it alone. Your edge doesn't exist in a match that may not be straight.
The freebet of 15%, 20% and 25% per deposit, up to 60% in total, is published for sports betting. Whether a given esports market qualifies is a matter for the promotion terms, so read those first.
Quick answers
Which esports titles does Dexsport cover?
The list changes, so we don't print one. The esports section on the official site shows what is available at the moment.
Why does a price change after the map veto?
The earlier price had to average across possible maps. Once the maps are known, the estimate can be sharper.
Is an underdog worth more in a Bo1?
A Bo1 gives the weaker team its best chance, but the bookmaker knows this too. Compare the price with your own estimate.