StarCraft

STARCRAFT BETTING

If you’re a long-time fan of esports, you know that games like StarCraft 2 are the very foundation of this line of sports betting.

Real-time strategy (RTS) video games of the calibre of StarCraft 2 are modern relics of a time when electronic sports betting was an enigma at best. When professional players stepped into the scene and brought a surge of popularity with them — especially in South Korea — StarCraft grew into one of the most relevant esports games of its time.

Fresh off the success of the original StarCraft, Blizzard Entertainment went on to release its sequel called StarCraft 2 in 2010. The game quickly became a global attraction for many reasons, but one might speculate that this was due to its more casual-player-friendly nature compared to its predecessor.

In any case, with the popularity of StarCraft 2 came an excellent opportunity for esports betting — where the best StarCraft players go toe to toe in a match or two — and that is precisely what we’re going to discuss here. We’ll elaborate on how StarCraft 2 is played and what you need to know before placing your esports bets.

WHAT IS STARCRAFT 2?

StarCraft 2 is a real-time strategy game that was released by Blizzard Entertainment in 2010. Over the years, the game has grown to become a very popular esport whose betting markets are offered by a large number of online casinos.

What exactly is a real-time strategy game? Such a game allows simultaneous play, meaning that players are free to position structures and deploy units to different territories on the map as they see fit. The main objective for players of StarCraft 2 is to battle and overcome their opponents by levelling their opponents’ structures to the ground.

Doing so is no easy feat. Players or teams (if played in the co-op mode) must first accumulate and spend resources in order to create additional units and structures. Structures are a key component of StarCraft 2 since they serve a specific purpose — to either defend or attack.

In short, base building, resource gathering and in-game technological advancement are the pillars of StarCraft 2, and the best players of the game know how to effectively manage all three and conquer the map.

StarCraft 2 matches could either be played casually or in a more competitive environment called ‘Ranked Mode’.

This mode is divided into leagues: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Master and Grandmaster, and each league has multiple divisions.

Most StarCraft 2 players fall into the Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond leagues, while only a very small percentage occupy the Grandmaster league.

STARCRAFT 2 RACES

Seeing as StarCraft 2 revolves around the interstellar concoctions of a different galaxy, the in-game protagonists are referred to as ‘races’. Players can pick between any of the three races: Terrans, Protoss and Zerg.

Each race has a different selection of units and tech trees, but they all have the same level of strength. No race is better or easier to learn than the other, thus allowing players an open choice on which race they wish to pick. Here’s a breakdown of all the races in StarCraft 2.

Terrans represent what is left of humans following a largely unsuccessful colonisation expedition launched from planet Earth centuries ago.

Surviving on unfamiliar landscapes is far from easy, but Terrans managed to prevail through sheer resourcefulness and survival know-how. In StarCraft 2, Terrans are adept at repairing and displacing buildings, including many strategically important units.

Protoss are an ancient breed of advanced humanoids who are few in numbers but extremely resilient, capable of overcoming multiple opponents despite their numerical disadvantage.

Protoss’ unique ability to develop bases and armies quickly proves vital to dominating the map and dispelling outside forces.

Zergs are aggressive creatures from the outworld that are more biologically advanced than the rest of the races. In fact, their capability of developing and restructuring bases through underground tunnels renders them a large threat to opponents.

Zerg’s gameplay features continuous attacks on enemy lines and defences, making them quite a threat to behold.

As you can probably tell, StarCraft 2 races require a certain level of know-how in order to operate them effectively. The best StarCraft 2 players spend multiple hours every day practising and refining their gameplay to try and win tournaments or other global events.

As a result, many esports fans watch StarCraft 2 tournaments, and punters rarely miss the chance to place their money on some esports betting sites to see what good odds they can take advantage of.

STARCRAFT 2 HISTORY

StarCraft 2 was released by Blizzard Entertainment in 2010 as a sequel to the original game of StarCraft that was released in 1998.

The game was far from abandoned, however, since the subsequent expansions of Heart of Swarm in 2013 and Legacy of the Void in 2015 continued to add content for players to enjoy.

It was only as recent as 2020 that Blizzard announced the cessation of for-purchase content in StarCraft 2, although balance patches would continue to happen every so often.

StarCraft 2 enjoyed unparalleled success only two days after its release when it became the fastest-selling RTS game of all time, with 1.5 million copies sold in just over a day. Its reception was largely positive, thus making way for the game’s long livelihood that continues to this day.

The game’s popularity gave birth to many tournaments around the world, one of which was the Global StarCraft II League (GSL) hosted in South Korea by afreecaTV and Blizzard, which still runs to this day.

The first official StarCraft 2 tournament was the 2010 Open Season that featured the largest prize pool in esports history at the time: $500,000.

One of the top-tier StarCraft 2 events was the World Championship Series that was founded in 2012. The first competition featured over 30 events, and the grand finals were held in Shanghai, China, before shifting to Anaheim, California. This tournament was eventually disbanded in favour of the ESL Pro Tour, run by ESL and DreamHack.

We’ll now explore some of the tournaments we mentioned above in greater depth.

STARCRAFT 2 LEAGUES AND MAJOR EVENTS

StarCraft 2 has been around for more than a decade, which means that its popularity isn’t what it once was. However, the game has all the right attributes for some online gambling markets: skill, strategy and edge-of-the-seat gameplay.

StarCraft 2 tournaments around the world do well to shine a spotlight on the potential of esports betting, and this is exactly why we will go over them now. With this information, you’ll know what to expect when viewing the best betting odds at LV BET. Who knows? You might find a free bet to go with your casino bonus, so stick around to find out more!

IEM KATOWICE

IEM Katowice is the final tournament of the ESL Pro Tour. It features a group stage and play-offs, in which four groups of six players battle in a round-robin format.

Players who are placed first advance directly to the quarter-finals, while the second and third-placed players in each group advance to the round of 12.

The round of 12, quarter-finals and semi-finals are best of five, whereas the grand final is best of seven. This competition sees challengers across the world compete for their share of a prize pool that usually verges on $250,000.

DREAMHACK MASTERS

The DreamHack Masters Summer, Fall and Winter tournaments are the first, second and third global events of the ESL Pro Tour. The group stage is played in a dual-tournament format, and all matches are best of three, with 16 players in four groups of four seeking to qualify for the play-offs.

The play-offs feature eight players in a single-elimination bracket, where all matches are best of five. The finals, however, are best of seven, and whoever wins will take the largest share of the $50,000 prize pool.

GLOBAL STARCRAFT II LEAGUE

The Global StarCraft II League (GSL) is a massive event that first started in August of 2010. This tournament runs in a similar format to the DreamHack tournament, except that the losers get placed in a separate bracket. The losers will then face off against each other, thus making for an added extension of the GSL. The Global StarCraft II League is one of those tournaments where losing doesn’t knock a player out of the running for a small portion of the prize pool.

STARCRAFT BETTING ADVICE

As you can see, the competitive nature of StarCraft 2 opens up quite a few opportunities for esports betting. StarCraft 2 isn’t a very straightforward game to learn, so the more you know about it, the more informed your bets will be.

In this section, we’ll give you a few pointers to help you better understand the StarCraft betting markets and their odds.

UNDERSTAND THE GAME

Although it may sound obvious, knowing how StarCraft 2 is played will really help you understand what the betting markets are all about. Playing the game yourself is a great option, since you’ll be able to garner some first-hand experience with the races and the game mechanics.

Watching player streams isn’t off the table either. In fact, it is recommended to watch how the game is played through the lens of more knowledgeable and experienced players, since it will give you some valuable insight into how the game is played on a professional level.

Most StarCraft 2 live streaming happens on Twitch and YouTube, so keep an eye out for some good streams.

UNDERSTAND THE BETS

Placing a wager or two can be simple — especially at online casino sites of the likes of LV BET — but if you don’t know what you’re betting on, the chances of actually winning will take a nosedive.

If you’re new to esports betting, it might take you a while to learn what the different types of bets entail, but there is some good news.

Most StarCraft betting markets are the same for other esports games, which means that the knowledge you acquire here will serve you for other games too.

STARCRAFT 2 BETTING OPTIONS

Now that you’ve understood what sets serious punters apart from the rest, it’s time to have a look at the most popular bets you’ll find out there once you start StarCraft betting.

MATCH WINNER

Let’s start with one of the simplest bets you could place on StarCraft 2. This bet looks to predict the winner of a match, meaning that the individual game score isn’t a factor.

As we’ve mentioned above, the format of a StarCraft 2 win will vary: from best of three to a potential best of seven in the grand finals. Checking the match length before placing this bet is an absolute must. If you’d like to place a bet on individual games, you can do so through the Game Winner bet. 

TOURNAMENT WINNER

You can probably tell what this bet is all about from its name alone. This bet looks to predict who will win the entire tournament, for example, the Global StarCraft II League. Yes, it might take quite a while for the wager to be settled, so you’ll need quite a lot of patience to see out this wager. Do your research about the player’s form and recent matches and just sit tight.

HANDICAP

This type of wager is a really popular sports bet, so you can expect to find it at many betting sites. In StarCraft 2, handicap betting means giving a non-existent map advantage or disadvantage to one side and wagering your money that they will win nonetheless.

This wager will offer high odds since you’ll be taking a bigger risk for a greater potential. Bookies usually offer handicap bets whenever the StarCraft 2 esports giants are playing, so knowing about them and their form will definitely help.

OVER/UNDER TOTAL MAPS

This is one of those bets that you’ll find on many other esports betting sites, so it’s very useful to know about. The Over/Under Total Maps looks to predict the number of maps that will be played throughout the match.

For instance, Over 4.5 bets will look to predict that the overall score will be 4:1 or 3:2, making for a total of five games.

STARCRAFT 2 BETTING ODDS

If you’re a new punter, you might not know that different betting sites will have different betting odds. You might be advised to check out multiple online casinos in search of the best odds around, but remember that betting at a serious and legitimate online casino trumps having better odds at a shady casino.

Identifying suspicious casinos isn’t very hard. One look at a casino’s Welcome Bonus and other bonuses might tell you a lot about its legitimacy. For instance, bonuses promising a ridiculous number of free bets without requiring a deposit are most likely shams.

Legitimate online casinos are licensed by numerous gaming authorities, like the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) and the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC). These authorities provide licences to the betting sites they believe to uphold the highest gaming standards in the industry.

ONLINE STARCRAFT 2 BETTING — BET ON STARCRAFT 2 AT LV BET!

We hope that betting on StarCraft 2 isn’t as much of an enigma as it was before you stumbled upon this guide! If you’re looking to start betting on this world-class gem and want to know about some good betting sites, you can try LV BET.

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We offer our players countless betting options on a wide range of sports that are held around the world, as well as the best odds on the market. These include tournaments, league matches and any other match that attracts sports fans. We also offer many esports betting options on games of the likes of CS:GO, League of Legends, Dota 2, Rocket League, VALORANT, and your new-found favourite, StarCraft 2!

If you like what you’re reading, feel free to browse our bonus section, where you’ll find details about our Welcome Bonus* and other possible sources of free bets. Always make sure to read the Terms and Conditions of the bonus you wish to claim before making a deposit.

Apart from all that, our very own Sportblog contains all the latest news and announcements on future matches and tournaments happening around the world, as well as advice on sports betting. If you want to add to your betting repertoire, feel free to have a visit.

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