StarCraft 2 Betting: What is StarCraft & How to Bet on StarCraft 2 ESports
StarCraft has long been known as the original real-time strategy game. The brainchild of Blizzard Entertainment, which has also conceived popular games like Warcraft, Diablo and Overwatch, StarCraft 2 – the latest release – has firmly established itself as a popular Esport to watch and bet on.
StarCraft took flight as a spectator Esport in South Korea, where tens of thousands of gaming fanatics would cram into arenas to watch the best StarCraft players in their country do battle.
South Korea is still the spiritual home of StarCraft today, with the Global StarCraft 2 League staged in the country, with multiple events hosted here since August 2010.
If you want to watch and bet on StarCraft 2, read on as we explain all you need to know when betting on StarCraft 2 at Stake online sportsbook .
What is StarCraft 2 (SC2) & Introduction to StarCraft Esports
StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty was released by Blizzard Entertainment in 2010 as a sequel to the StarCraft original. Although this franchise enjoys a global fan base, there’s no denying that its most fervent viewers and betting fans live in South Korea.
StarCraft 2 is a fast-paced, real-time strategy game usually played in 1v1 or 2v2 game modes. Players choose one of three factions to represent. Each of which has its own unique attributes and units. Whether it’s the Zerg, the Protoss or the Terran, these factions suit the various playing styles of StarCraft 2 Esports teams.
Competitive StarCraft 2 events have been mainly staged in South Korea, tapping into the game’s vast audiences. Many of these events have boasted five and six-figure prize pools, attracting the biggest and best StarCraft 2 teams worldwide.
StarCraft 2 Teams & Major Tournaments
A glance at the Esports earnings rankings among the leading StarCraft 2 teams suggests two standout organisations of professional players in the competitive scene of this Esport. Jin Air Green Wings have competed in 410 tournaments and raked in over $2.55 million in prize money. That’s followed by Team Liquid, which has earned $1.75 million in the 1,062 tournaments it’s competed in.
As for the biggest SC2 matches, the tournament format doesn’t come much bigger than the Blizzard-hosted World Championship Series. There’s also the Electronic Sports League (ESL) and the Intel Extreme Masters. The Global StarCraft 2 League is part of the ESL Pro Tour circuit and is currently a big favourite with bettors.
How to Bet on StarCraft 2 & Types of StarCraft 2 Bets
Match Winner
Bet on a StarCraft 2 team to win individual matches during a major StarCraft 2 tournament and other major events. The team you back to win will need to destroy all the buildings controlled by all opposition team members.
Outright Winner
The outright market is also an option if you’d like to back the next tournament winner of an upcoming StarCraft 2 event. This is also known as futures betting and can be an excellent route to find pre-event value on strong teams to make a deep run in an entire tournament.
Prop Bets
You can also place prop bets pre-game and in-play on StarCraft 2 events. They don’t influence the final result of a match or tournament but will occur as part of a match. Whether it’s betting on a team to win a specific map, a wager on the final score of a match or a bet on how many kills an individual player will make, you can be as creative with your StarCraft 2 prop bets as you like.
Handicap
Handicap markets make it possible to wager on pre-match underdogs to win with a hypothetical head start. For instance, a +1 map advantage may give the underdogs a better chance of winning. It’s also a route to take to get better odds on heavy pre-match favourites by backing them to cover a points deficit.
These markets are based on in-game scores, like the over/under and Asian totals markets. There are also similarities to spread bets as you’re betting on a team to cover a pre-match advantage or deficit of map wins.
How to Live Stream StarCraft 2 & StarCraft Live Betting Options
Providing you’ve created a Stake.com account and logged in, it’s now possible to live stream future StarCraft 2 Esports tournaments. Watch the action unfold in real-time, with streams available on any device or screen size.
We’ve also complemented our live Esports streams with live betting platforms for StarCraft 2 and other major Esports titles. The betting lines update dynamically based on what’s happening mid-game. If you can find value in StarCraft 2 matches in play, live betting could be fruitful. Learn more about the differences between live betting vs. pre-match betting and how to devise the best betting strategy to win at Stake.
StarCraft 2 Betting Tips & Strategies to Win
Now that you understand the concept of StarCraft 2 and the top teams involved in StarCraft 2 Esports, we’ve put together a few pointers to help when betting on Esports for the first time. They could even be helpful for your general sports betting strategy too:
Become a member of Stake.com and bag one of our online sportsbook betting bonuses . This will give you extra funds to bet on upcoming StarCraft 2 tournaments or other major Esports events.
Take some time to research the StarCraft 2 teams involved in a tournament. Find out their strengths and weaknesses. Pinpoint the best players to help find value in the StarCraft 2 betting markets.
To ensure your StarCraft 2 betting is always safe and fun, never bet more than you can afford to lose. Split your betting bank into 100 units and bet one unit at a time. Protect your bankroll!
Browse through out Esports betting guide and our ultimate guide to online sports betting to learn more tips and tricks when devising your betting slip. We also publish a range of expert betting articles weekly, so you're always up to date with the latest betting predictions.
StarCraft 2 Betting Odds & Payouts
At Stake.com, we make viewing and understanding the StarCraft 2 betting odds as easy as possible. You can view StarCraft 2 betting markets in one of three odds formats – fractional, decimal, or American odds. The choice is yours. You can even switch between the formats at a touch of a button, depending on your preference.
Why Bet on StarCraft 2 & Esports on Stake.com?
There’s no better place to bet on StarCraft 2 Esports events than Stake Sports . We’re one of the leading Esports betting sites for cryptocurrency betting opportunities, with a wide range of crypto assets accepted for deposit into our vault , ready to bet on your favourite StarCraft 2 teams in the Global StarCraft 2 League. It’s as quick to withdraw winnings from your StarCraft 2 bets as it is to deposit too. To learn more about deposit and withdrawal methods for betting on Stake.com, read our online payment methods guide .
We don’t just specialise in StarCraft 2 Esports betting markets either. We leave no stone unturned to provide a range of markets and bet types for events covering League of Legends , Counter-Strike: Global Offensive , Call of Duty , Dota 2 , Overwatch , FIFA , Halo , Valorant , Wild Rift , Mobile Legends , and Kings of Glory .
If you decide to bet on StarCraft 2 regularly with Stake.com, take advantage of our VIP Club . Here, you’ll get access to tiered rewards for your loyalty as a bettor on our Esports and sports markets.
Interesting Facts About StarCraft 2
Blizzard Entertainment has opted not to port StarCraft 2 to any video game console. Instead, they’ve preferred to keep it exclusively for PC gamers.
StarCraft 2 is available to download in one of three versions – North and Latin America, Russia and Europe, or Taiwan and Korea.
StarCraft 2 units are likely to perish 3.5-4 times faster than units in Warcraft 3. This makes for high-octane Esports gameplay for viewers and bettors alike.