At Pinnacle, we offer a wide arrange of different in-play betting markets on Counter-Strike 2 (CS2). Read this live betting strategy guide to get yourself fully accustomed to the markets we have on offer, and what to look out for before placing your bets.
Most CS2 Matches are broadcast live on Twitch, where you can listen to the expert views of the casters and analysts during the Match – information that might be vital to your upcoming bets. If you want to stay on top of the action while placing your bets, Pinnacle also offers live streaming on our Esports Hub.
Different types of live betting markets for CS2
Below, we will give you an overview of the different CS2 live betting markets we have on offer at Pinnacle.
Match betting
Pinnacle offers the following markets when it comes to Match betting, which is betting on the outcome of the entire Match.
Money Line
When betting on the Money Line market, you are betting on the overall winner of a particular Match.
Total – Match
In this market, you are betting on the total number of Maps that will be played during the Match. This is an Over/Under bet – for example, if you bet on Over 2.5 Maps, your bet will win if the match has at least three Maps. This option is only available on best-of-three (Bo3) and best-of-five (Bo5) Matches.
Correct Score
This market is for betting on the exact outcome of the Match.
Map betting
With Map betting, there are several markets that are focused on the outcome of a particular Map within a Match. The main one is which team will win a specific Map (a Money Line bet), but there are more options available.
Team Total – 1st Half
In this market, you are betting on how many rounds a team will win in the first half of a Map before they switch sides. Again, this is an Over/Under bet. For example, if you bet on Over 4.5 rounds, you are betting on a team to win at least five rounds in the first half.
Total Rounds – Odd or Even
This market is for betting on whether the number of rounds played on a Map will be an odd or even number.
Total – Map
In this market, you are betting on the total number of rounds to be played on a particular Map. This is an Over/Under bet. For example, if you bet on Over 19.5 rounds, your bet will win if the teams play at least 20 rounds on that Map.
Map – Team A to Win and Over X Rounds?
This market gives you the chance to bet on the winner of a particular Map together with the total number of rounds to be played. The market gives you the team name and the number of rounds that will be played, and you can bet on either Yes or No, depending on whether you think the specific outcome listed will happen or not. In order to win this market, both parts need to be correct.
Map – Winning Margin
Here, you can bet on how big the winning margin of a specific team will be. For example, if you place a bet on the market “Team A by 5”, you are betting on that team winning by at least five rounds, e.g. a scoreline of 13-8.
Round betting
When it comes to round betting, you are betting on the winner of individual upcoming rounds. This can be very risky and we recommend keeping a close eye on how the Match is playing out before betting on upcoming rounds.
- Read: CS2 Predictions
What to look for when placing in-play bets
Now that you are familiar with the in-play markets Pinnacle has to offer, it’s time to take a look at the steps you can take to come up with your own live betting strategy.
Always look closely at how the Match is playing out before placing an in-play bet.
When betting in-play on Counter-Strike 2, it’s important to look at how the Match is currently playing out. Don’t just follow the odds - instead, look at how the teams and the players within each team have been performing leading up to the Match, and are currently performing during the Match. You should also look at what their current in-game economy is. Combine the pieces of information you have gathered, together with the current odds, to decide your in-play strategy during the Match and for particular Maps.
Map veto
The advantage you have when betting live on CS2 compared to pre-match betting is that you know which maps will be played. Once you know this vital information, you can look at what the teams’ previous performance on these maps is. This can help greatly when you are betting on the Map markets.
For example, if you know that Team A has a 40% win rate on Inferno but Team B has a 60% win rate, it is worth keeping an eye on the odds for Team B to win that particular map, even if they are the overall underdogs coming into the Match.
Of course, this isn’t the only information you need to take into account, but it can be the foundation for what you decide to look for next.
T side vs. CT side
A team may not be performing well as the T side on a specific Map, while their CT side performance is very strong. A team losing rounds early on if they start on the T side won’t necessarily result in them losing the Map, as they can make a comeback during the second half of the Map.
Also, keep in mind that some maps are very skewed towards the CT side, so it’s important to know the teams’ win percentages on each side for a particular map.
Team economy
Another important aspect to keep an eye on, especially with round betting, is the economy of each team. The in-game economy plays an important role within CS2, as the more money a team has to spend, the better the weapons they can buy and the more utility items they can purchase.
Always analyze the economy of the teams in order to see who currently might have the upper hand.
The team that wins the initial pistol round will have a better chance of upgrading their inventory going into the second round, resulting in a higher probability of winning the second round and going 2-0 on that Map.
A team on a losing streak might decide to save money during one round by doing a so-called “eco-round” where they don’t buy much inventory. They do this in the hopes of picking up a couple of kills and having a bigger budget going into the next round. There is always a chance they will win these “eco-rounds”, but the data doesn't lie, and more often than not, they will lose the round.
Another factor when it comes to the economy on the CT side is “saving”. If the team playing the CT side notice that the probability of them retaking a bomb site and defusing the bomb is low, they might opt to save the inventory they have and give the T side the win on this round. This way, they have a better chance of winning the upcoming round due to having a stronger arsenal.
Team performance
The pre-match favorite going into the Match might struggle during it due to a number of different factors. The map being played may not be their best map, their opponents might be very strong at countering their strategies, or a particular player might be struggling. That’s why it is always important to get a feel for the game that is being played, and perhaps skip the current Map and wait for the next one before betting.
It's also worth considering the style of CS2 a team plays. For example, a team like Furia play very aggressively, pushing hard early on in the round to try and gain map control quickly. On the other hand, a team like Vitrus.Pro are known for their late round executes on the T side, while being methodical and cautious when playing the CT side. With this in mind, it’s good to keep an eye on the clock.
Remember to only place bets you are comfortable making and don’t blindly follow high odds on the perceived favorites. If you are ready to put your knowledge to the test, take a look at our great CS2 live odds. If you are new to live betting on CS2, we recommend starting with bigger tournaments such as BLAST or ESL events, as usually, bigger teams will be playing and they are easier to conduct research on prior to placing any bets.
