HOW DOES CS:GO WORK?

CS:GO is a competitive first-person shooting game that pits two teams of five players against each other, with each team having to complete certain objectives to win.

One team takes on the role of the Terrorists (Ts), while the other team are the Counter-Terrorists (CTs). 

The attacking Ts must plant and detonate a bomb in a specific location - site A or B - or take out all five of the CTs to win a round.

The defending CTs must defuse the bomb when it is planted, or take out all five of the Ts to win the round.

Most matches take place over three maps, with each map comprised of 30 rounds lasting a maximum of one minute and 55 seconds each.

The first team to win 16 rounds wins the map, and the first team to win two maps wins the match.

If you want to learn more about CS:GO, read our full guide.

HOW TO BET ON CS:GO

Betway offer a range of different markets for customers looking to bet on competitive CS:GO action.

We provide betting markets for all of the biggest CS:GO tournaments, including the ESL Pro League, BLAST and the Majors, while also offering markets on a range of other competitions.

Match winner

This is the main market for betting on any sport, and is also the simplest one to understand.

The sportsbook will give you the option to select Team A or Team B to win. Simply select the team that you think will win the match.

Map winner

Instead of selecting the team you think will win the whole match, the map winner market allows you to select the team that you think will win a certain map.

To navigate to this market you need to select the map you want to bet on in the tabs at the top of the match page, and then select the team you believe will win that map.

Maps handicap

This market is slightly more complicated but can be useful if one team is heavy favourite to win a match and the odds are very short.

Handicap betting works by placing a disadvantage on the favourites or an advantage on the underdogs.

For example, if Team A are favourites to win the match, their maps handicap might be set at -1.5 on the sportsbook.

This means that they essentially start the match on -1.5 map wins, and therefore must win the match 2-0 for your bet to come in.

Conversely, the underdogs would be set a handicap of +1.5, meaning they start the match with 1.5 map wins and only need to win one map for your bet to come in.

Map 1/2/3 round handicap

Instead of placing a handicap on map wins, this market places a handicap on round wins within a specific map.

For example, the team that is favourite to win map 1 might have a handicap of -2.5. This means they essentially begin the map on -2.5 round wins, and therefore must win the map by at least three rounds.

Conversely, the underdogs on that map will have their handicap set at +2.5 rounds. This means that if they lose by less than three rounds then your bet will come in.

Maps total

Instead of betting on a winner, the maps total market allows you to bet on how many maps you think will be played in the match.

You are essentially betting on whether you think either team will win the match 2-0, or whether the match will be taken to a third map.

The sportsbook will give you the option of selecting over or under 2.5 maps, simply select the outcome you think will happen.

If you think either team will win the match 2-0, then select under, if you think that it will be a close match that takes place over three maps, then select over.

Correct score

This market allows you to predict exactly how you think the match will finish.

The sportsbook will give you four options: Team A to win 2-0, Team A to win 2-1, Team B to win 2-0, Team B to win 2-1. Simply select the score you think will happen.

Map total rounds

Much like the maps total market, the map total rounds market allows you to bet on how many rounds you think it will take either team to win a certain map.

The sportsbook will set a number of rounds, for example 26.5, and give you the option to select over or under that value.

If you think that a team will win the map quickly, then select under, if you think the map will be close-fought and be played over 27 rounds or more, then select over.

In-play betting

As well as being able to bet on a match before it starts, Betway also give you the chance to bet on a match while it is ongoing. This is called in-play betting and is one of our most popular offerings.

In-play betting allows you to place bets on certain teams to win specific rounds as the match goes on, along with a few other markets.

By betting while the match is going on, you are able to make informed decisions on the direction in which you think certain rounds will go.

Betway also allow you to stream CS:GO matches live on our website, all you need to do is log in to your Betway account.

TIPS FOR BETTING ON CS:GO

The map pool

There are currently seven maps in the competitive CS:GO map pool, meaning there are seven maps that the two competing teams can choose from.

Before every match, each team gets to pick and ban certain maps until three maps are settled upon to make up that match.

Understanding each team’s map preferences is vital for betting on CS:GO – if you know the maps that each team favour, then you can work out which team has the advantage before a shot is even fired. 

Betway provide all the stats you need to start understanding the map pool – all you need to do is navigate to the ‘Map Win’ section at the top of any match page. This chart gives you win rates for both teams on all seven maps.

LAN vs Online

There is a big difference in CS:GO matches that are played on LAN – at tournaments and on stage – and those that are played over an online network.

LAN tournaments are preferable for many – teams are playing in perfect conditions, with the pressure of a crowd. Teams usually train for months for a specific tournament, so this is where you usually find the best teams come out on top.

Online is a different story. Players are usually in the comfort of their own home with familiar surroundings so they can relax a bit more. However, this can also bring problems with ping, meaning they may be lagging more compared to a player on the other team, putting them at a disadvantage.

Online matches tend to produce a lot more upsets, as less experienced teams get to play away from the pressure of LAN tournaments on big stages, while also bringing more creative strategies in order to beat the bigger teams.

Meta and stats

As with most esports, CS:GO has a meta that changes frequently throughout the year. Put simply, the meta is the strategies and weapons that are most effective at that point in time.

Certain changes to the game will be more beneficial to certain teams. For example, the SG-553 has recently been changed to make it less effective, meaning teams who used this frequently are now having to adjust to not having this as a viable in-game weapon.

Changes to CS:GO are happening more and more frequently these days, so keeping an eye out for these is important.

And finally, much like with any sport, looking at stats and identifying which teams and players are on form is vital. With regards to specific matches, knowing each teams’ head-to-head record against the other can help inform your betting decisions.

Visit Betway's CS:GO betting page.