CS2 Gambling: Strategies, Sites, and Winning Tips

Welcome to our guide to CS2 gambling. If you’re new to betting on Counter-Strike 2 esports this is the resource for you. If you have some experience betting Counter-Strike: Global Offensive esports but want to take things up a level, this guide is also for you. By reading this guide you will acquire a solid understanding of the Counter-Strike game. We will reveal the best ways to bet on this epic esport. 

Best Sites & Promos for CS2 Gambling

These esports betting sites will offer you a superior experience in terms of ease of use, odds and bonuses so that you can get more for every time that you bet on CS 2.

How to Bet on CS 2

cs2 gambling

Not everyone has bet on esports before, so we thought that we’d give you this quick walkthrough guide that shows you how to start your CS 2 gambling journey.

Below you will find the steps to follow to start betting on CS2:

  1. Pick a CS 2 betting site: There are lots of esports betting sites out there, but not all of them can be trusted. Make sure to check the reliability of an esports betting site before you start betting on it.
  2. Register your account: Once you’ve found a betting site you like the look of, you’ll need to register an account. This usually means filling in a registration form with some basic personal information, and you’ll need to be able to verify that you are of the minimum age to gamble in your location.
  3. Pick your payment method: Next, you’ll have to pick a payment method to fund your Counter-Strike 2 bets. Most betting sites will offer you a range of payment methods which include cards, ewallets, prepaid cards, bank transfers and even cryptocurrencies.
  4. Make a deposit: Now you’ll need to add some money to your betting account. Bear in mind that there are usually minimum and maximum thresholds for your deposits.
  5. Get your welcome bonus: You’ll often get a welcome bonus when you sign up to a betting site for the first time and make a qualifying deposit. Great for getting some extra credit for using on your Counter-Strike 2 bets. 
  6. Navigate to the CS 2 bets: Now you’ll be able to browse the Counter-Strike 2 odds which will usually be located in the esports section of the betting site. These odds will be displayed chronologically for the upcoming CS 2 matches. 
  7. Analyse the odds: Here you’ll see which CS odds offer you the best blend of risk and reward. Remember that betting on the favourites will give you less returns, but betting on the underdogs will make it harder to win your bets. 
  8. Make your bets: Now you just need to enter in your betting stake and then submit your bet. Don’t forget that responsible gambling is always the best way to play.

This shows that CS 2 gambling doesn’t necessarily mean betting with skins on some dodgy CS casino site. Instead, you will be able to bet on the esports action like you would any regular sport with real money at legal and safe online betting sites. Perfect for getting a secure and fair way to bet on Counter-Strike 2. 

CS2 Betting Apps: Are there any?

It’s also worth noting that more and more esports fans are betting on CS 2 from the convenience of a betting app. These apps are starting to be offered by more and more betting platforms, and they offer you the following advantages compared to using a betting website:

  • Convenience: Apps let you enjoy a quick CS 2 gamble without being shackled to your laptop or desktop computer. After all, you’ll be able to bet from anywhere with an internet connection from the small screen of a tablet or smartphone.
  • Customisable: Lots of betting apps are customisable so that they can be reconfigured to foreground things like CS 2 bets, or you can even receive alerts as to when some new odds or bonuses come up.
  • Mobile promos: You might find that you get exclusive mobile-only bonuses for downloading apps from certain betting platforms. A great way to get more for betting on the go.

Understanding CS 2 odds

Odds simply refer to the likelihood of something happening. It could be for something to happen within a CS 2 match or even an entire Counter-Strike tournament.

If something has short odds, then it means it’s more likely to happen, but you’ll get smaller returns from betting on these short odds. Conversely, long odds mean that something is less likely to happen, but you’ll get more from your winning bets. 

Here are some of the most common kinds of odds that you’ll see when betting on CS 2:

  • Money line: This simply refers to the winner of a CS 2 match. For example, you could bet on whether G2 Esports will beat FaZe Clan.
  • Handicap betting/points spread: Here you are betting on the winning margin of the game. So you could bet that Natus Vincere will beat Team Liquid by two maps or more. It’s a good way of balancing out the playing field between two unequally matched teams.
  • Totals: These are usually over/under bets where you could be betting on whether a certain team or player will get a higher or number of kills compared to a number set by the betting site. 
  • Parlays/combos: These are tricky bets where you have to get multiple correct predictions in order to win your bet. For example, you could bet that SK Gaming, NiP and Fnatic all win their next CS 2 matches. Each team would then have to win in order for you to win your parlay bet.
counter-strike 2 cover image
Image credits: Valve

CS 2 betting markets

No CS 2 betting guide would be complete without a quick look at some of the betting markets that you can get for this game. Each betting site will take great pride in putting on the largest number of betting markets for each CS 2 match and tournament, with GG.Bet being a great site for prop bets.

Here is a quick overview as to some of the different betting markets:

  • Futures/outrights: These bets refer to the overall tournament results. For example, you could bet that G2 Esports will win the next ESL tournament, or that the winner of the next IEM contest will be from a specific region. 
  • Props: These are bets that are unrelated to the overall match result. They could be bets on which player gets the first kill, which team will be the first to five kills, who will win the first map and even what the correct score will be.

CS 2 live betting

There are few things more exhilarating than CS 2 live betting. With Counter-Strike in-play bets, you can make your bets during the game. The odds will be changing all of the time in correspondence to the live action.

Live betting can be a great way of getting extra value from your CS 2 bets compared to pre-match betting, but it can require a little more skill to get right. Don’t forget that most decent esports betting sites also let you cash out your bets early so that you can cling onto a winning result.

Popular CS 2 tournaments for your CS 2 bets

CSGO was one of the most popular esports to bet on, despite the fact that it has a much more fragmented competitive structure compared to other esports such as Overwatch and Call of Duty.

However, there are a number of tournaments that are definitely worth checking out if you want a superior CS2 betting experience. There are many CS 2 tournaments, but here are a few to keep your eye on:

  • ESL Pro League
  • Blast Premier
  • PGL
  • Intel Extreme Masters
cs 2 maps
Image credits: Valve

Understanding Counter-Strike 2

You’re not going to succeed with your CS 2 betting unless you know the basics of the gameplay. Counter Strike 2 is an update on the classic Counter Strike: Global Offensive game that became one of the biggest esports of all-time.

CS 2 features the same basic multiplayer tactical first-person gameplay concept that has two competing teams – the Terrorists and the Counter-Terrorists – who have to beat each other by carrying out certain objectives.

There are a number of different game modes in CS 2 which include Competitive, Premier, Casual, Wingman, Deathmatch and Hostage. The main mode – Competitive – has the Terrorists aiming to either plant a bomb at one of two bomb sites or two kill all of the Counter-Terrorists. Conversely, the Counter-Terrorists will win the game if they either kill all of the Terrorists or defuse the bomb. 

Teams and Player Roles

CS 2 is played as a team game where there are two teams of five players each. These teams will usually feature players who have the following dedicated roles:

  • Anchor: A player who acts as a defensive unit at a bomb site.
  • AWPer: A sniper operating at the edges of the map.
  • Caller: Another word for the leader of a team. 
  • Entry fragger: The player in the team who leads the attack. 
  • Lurker: A team member who acts as a lone wolf, often to get a strategic advantage over their opponents. 
  • Rifler: A player who primarily uses assault rifles such as AK-47s.
  • Support: The player who aims to defend bomb sites as well as throwing grenades and flashbangs to assist an attack.

A quick guide to maps in CS 2

All CS 2 games take place on a map. There are nine competitive maps in CS 2 and they all pose differing challenges for the competing teams.

Here’s a quick overview of what to expect from these maps:

  • Ancient: This map featured in CSGO and it features tricky jungle terrain.
  • Anubis: Possibly the prettiest map in CS 2 featuring a desert terrain dotted with palm trees.
  • Dust 2: This looks just like the original map from CSGO and while it features the same layout, it benefits from improved lighting. 
  • Inferno: A hugely popular map from CSGO given a great upgrade – good news for fans of those notorious chickens. 
  • Nuke: This has benefited from a major upgrade which makes those underground corridors all the more atmospheric. 
  • Mirage: Featuring a wonderfully rendered palace bedecked in extravagant tiles and an exotic exterior that will make all of the gameplay carnage so much more compelling. 
  • Overpass: This map has also enjoyed a decent upgrade with enhancements to the lighting in the underpass while there are even some balloons on the party benches to add some celebration to the chaos. 
  • Office: The scene for many dramatic hostage rescues, Office returns with plenty of cool features – especially the revamped shattering glass effects. 
  • Vertigo: Not too many changes with the classic CSGO map apart from a slight enhancement in the lighting of the tower block.

Key terminology to know for your CS 2 bets

Counter-Strike 2 has already generated plenty of its own jargon that you’ll need to understand to get a better handle of what CS 2 gambling is all about.

Here are some key phrases to get acquainted with. 

  • Ace: Where one player kills all five members of the opposing team in a single round. 
  • AWP: The standard sniper rifle featured in Counter-Strike, used by an AWPer.
  • Baiting: Lulling the opponents into a false sense of security to leave themselves exposed to attack.
  • Boost: A fun move where one player crouches down and another jumps on them so as to get a higher position in which to shoot.
  • Eco round: Where a team opts to play with the cheapest and most basic weapons so as to save the heavy machinery for later rounds.
  • Flashing: Using some kind of flash grenade to blind the opponents. 
  • Frag: Another word for a kill.
  • One-tap: Usually refers to killing an opponent with a single headshot.
  • Rotating: Basically when players in a team switch positions on the map.
  • Smurf: When a good player uses another account to play against less experienced players. 
  • Tagged: Refers to when a player has picked up a small amount of damage.