“The only choice is war. The only allies are enemies.” With a tagline like that, is it any wonder that the StarCraft II game, is played by individuals instead of teams? That said, it does give you an advantage when betting on this eSport genre.
A real-time strategy (RTS) game, StarCraft II allows players to build & command an army with the objective of destroying an opposing players’ army. This requires a strong understanding of strategy & tactics, as well as fast responses, and a quick analytical mind.
More importantly, unlike games like DotA 2 or League of Legends, you don’t need to know the states of all team members and rosters in order to bet smart. You just have to concentrate on the individual who have made an impression in the sport.
Released back in 1998, the original Starcraft was perhaps one of the first games to be used for competitive e-sports tournaments.
Then in 2010, in came Starcraft 2 which blew the original out of the water, thanks in part to it’s ranking system which helped inspire online gamers and increase numbers and competition.
That said, despite being around for so long, due to it’s complexity, it has quite a lot less active players than other esports betting games – though an avid fan base who appreciate the skills required to get to the top.
That, however, is only an advantage to an esport betting pro, who can more easily research the top players and favourites to win.
There’s plenty of video coverage to keep on top of Starcraft II tournaments, and with our betting guide, plenty of tips to help you bet smart.
In StarCraft II, a player starts with a base and 12 workers. Over time the player must gather resources, construct buildings, and build an army in order to defeat the opposition.
Unlike many other e-sports games this is an individual sport. One player takes on another player in a battle of tactics and skill.
The objective of a match is to destroy all of your opponents buildings, however it is more common for the battle to end by a player surrendering when they can clearly see the battle is lost.
You can use one of three possible armies when you play StarCraft II.
These armies are:
As you can see the type of army you use has a drastic impact on the way you will actually play the game, and the tactics you’ll employ.
While the goal of a StarCraft II battle is simple, it’s the variation in these armies, and the general complexity of the game, that has made it so popular amongst hardcore gamers.
It’s what this an ideal gambling esports game for the canny punter; only a few really good players will make it to the top of the leagues.
If you’d like to learn some more about StarCraft 2 and how it is played than check out this introductory video:
StarCraft II is a challenge of skill and tactics, more so than any other e-sport.
There are also a variety of major tournaments that play throughout the year, with excellent coverage.
This makes StarCraft 2 an excellent opportunity for the esport gambler.
With great opportunities for betting, easily accessible streams for watching tournament matches, and a skill level that makes analysis far easier to many other games, it’s an ideal opportunity to make the most of your bets.
We’ll look at some of the important factors to consider to help you get started on your StarCraft II e-sport betting journey.
StarCraft 2 tournaments normally work in a knockout playoff format. Each match is played in either a best of 3, best of 5 or best of 7 format.
The type of match format being used can have an effect on your bet. We’ll look at these factors below.
Best of 3 matches are more commonly seen in smaller StarCraft II tournaments, such as the qualifying rounds for the WCS.
This type of match up involves two players taking part in up-to 3 battles, with the first player to win 2 battles declared the match winner.
While this provides for a snappier match result, and quicker payoff for you, this also brings with it an air of uncertainty.
With a best of 3 match it just requires two quick wins in order to win the match. This means that a poor opponent could score a surprise win over the competitor by making a strong start, and taking advantage of a bit of luck.
While this is not an especially great concern given the high skilled nature of StarCraft II, and it not nearly as random as a best of 1 match, it still requires a little more caution.
Betting on the result of this match might involve a money line bet where the player must simply win the match for the punter to get their returns on their e-sport bet.
It could also involve a handicap bet, where the punter will only receive a payout on a 2-0 result. This obviously is a greater risk, but will offer longer odds.
Best of 5 matches are used during the majority of stages during the more major StarCraft II tournaments such as the WCS Global Finals.
This type of match requires the winning player to win 3 battles out of a total possible 5.
This type of match is extremely useful for e-sport betting as it removes much of the likelihood of random chance, as it is unlikely for a player to get lucky in 3 matches out of 5.
This means that good research into the competitors will likely yield a successful bet.
Again, much like with best of 3 matches you can bet moneyline or handicap.
The handicap bet could be for the player to win either 3-1 or 3-0, so you receive higher returns on favourites, but it is a far riskier strategy.
This type of match is reserved for the grand final of a major tournament, such as the grand final of the WCS Global Finals.
To win this match a player must win 4 battles out of a total possible 7.
This removes any real chance of random luck, though being a grand final it is likely going to be a very tight matchup anyway.
However, by this stage in the tournament, you can look at the form of the two teams throughout the knockout rounds, as well as other useful information such as historical matchups between the players, in order to make the best possible bet.
Much like other formats you can bet on the moneyline or on a handicap to extend the odds.
The handicap bet could require a result of 4-2, 4-1 or 4-0 with the odds increasingly respectively.
With the highly skilled and tactical nature of StarCraft II, it’s an ideal betting platform for any e-sport gambler.
However to be successful you do need to take the time to research your bets.
The best place to start is to sign up to a couple of sports books, and look at the odds and bets on Starcraft 2.
You can then research the individual players, or use the links to the gaming channels in this page to view past matches.
There is no real substitute for the kind of knowledge gained by watching a StarCraft II e-sports match. This lets you really get a feel for how the game is played, and how games are won and lost.
The great things is that StarCraft II has excellent online coverage through Twitch streams. All major tournaments in particular have dedicated coverage with analysis and punditry.
Once you’ve determined the contenders by looking at the next possible tournaments and bets available at the best esports betting sites, you can use these to your advantage.
The vast majority of professional players will have their own Twitch stream, and you can always access these in order to see how the pros have played recently.
You now know a great deal about StarCraft 2 which is fantastic. The next step is for you to check out our beginners guide to eSports betting where you will find out everything you need to know to make your first e-sports bet.
If you think you already know enough and you want to make your bet right now then check out our bookmaker reviews where you’ll find clear and detailed guides that will let you know who you should place a bet with, and will give you all the very best bonuses to get started.
Then you go can back and place a smart bet on your favourite.
StarCraft II has a variety of tournaments that take place across the entire year.
The most dominant of these though is the World Championship Series which has the largest prizes, the best players, the best coverage, and the better variety of betting opportunities.
However you can bet on many smaller tournaments too, so that you will always have options. We’ve list a number of the current, upcoming and recently finished tournaments below.
No current 2016 tournaments to display - check back soon
YouTube Gaming and Twitch are both filled with some excellent channels for watching live and pre-recorded StarCraft II matches, as well as tutorials to better understand the game.
Head over to the best StarCraft II betting site and enjoy all they have to offer.
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