CS2 maps are a critical factor in CS2 betting. Read on to learn how CS2 maps should factor into your betting choices, the map based CS2 bets you can place and get our top CS2 map betting tips.

Why Are Maps Important In CS2 Betting?

For the uninitiated, before a CS2 match gets underway, a Map Veto takes place. During this phase, CS2 esports teams remove and pick maps until there are one, three or five left, depending on the match being best-of-one, best-of-three or best-of-five. Teams will draw the maps they are not confident about and pick the ones they think they can win against their opponents.

Most CS2 teams have some maps they perform better on than others. Therefore, maps in CS2 betting should be considered significant. If a Veto doesn’t go a team’s way, their chances of winning the match can drastically reduce.

Top CS2 Betting Sites

We’ve reviewed all the biggest CS2 betting sites, focusing on several critical factors. You’ll find our latest rankings just below. The platforms towards the top of that list provide comprehensive CS2 betting coverage, and will likely have the most CS2 Map betting options.

Popular CS2 Map Bets

Most CS2 gambling sites will have multiple map-based betting options for each match and event they cover. We’ll run you through the standard CS2 bet types that the majority of betting platforms provide.

Map Winner Bets

Identical to a CS2 match bet, but you’re just betting on a team to win a specific map, not the overall match. Some sites will have a ‘Map Handicap’, which allows you to get better odds on the favourite or give the underdogs a head start!

Map Score Betting

You can bet on the exact score of each CS2 match. Predicting how many maps each squad will last is extremely difficult. That’s why you often get high odds when placing a correct score bet. You can also bet on the exact round score on each map at some sites.

Map Over/Unders

Most sites offer several map-based CS2 over/under bets for all the action they feature. ‘Total Rounds’, ‘Player Kills’ and ‘Team Kills’ are just a few of the over/under bets you can place for each map in a Counter-Strike clash.

Special/Prop Map Bets

Platforms with elite-tier esports betting coverage will offer a range of special CS2 bets for each map. These unique Prop style wagers allow you to bet on specific aspects of competitive Counter-Strike play. ‘First Kill’ is one of our favourites and is usually available for each map.

Deciding which CS2 bets to place relies heavily on your personal knowledge of the players, teams and the map they’re competing on. Each betting site has a different level of esports betting coverage, so we recommend having an account at multiple sites. Having various accounts allows you to shop around and find the best CS2 odds and gives you access to the broadest possible betting coverage.

CS2 Total Maps Explained

Some CS2 map bets are more complicated to understand than others. CS2 Total Maps betting is on the trickier end of the spectrum. That’s why we’ll provide an in-depth example to demonstrate exactly how the map bet works.

• Team A has 1.4 odds of winning the match, while Team B has 2.5 odds.
• If you’re unsure about which squad will win but think this match is likely to go to a third map, you can place a CS2 Total Maps bet by selecting ‘Over 2.5’.
• Alternatively, if you think one org will blow their opponents away by winning the first two maps, you can choose ‘Under 2.5’.
• Odds for this example could be 3.2 for ‘Over 2.5’ and 2.1 for ‘Under 2.5’.
• The difference in odds is simply because Team A is the betting favourite. The match odds suggest Team A should dominate, making a 2-0 win the most likely outcome, so ‘Under 2.5’ has lower odds.

CS2 Map Score Explained

CS2 Map Score bets allow you to predict the correct score at the end of a CS2 match. It’s as simple as that. While predicting the exact score of a CS2 match is more challenging than just picking the winner, you’ll be rewarded with much better odds.

The best way to really explain the effectiveness of CS2 Map Score bets on your potential winnings and odds is with an example. In the example below, Team A is heavily favoured to win a best-of-three match against Team B.

1. Betting on Team A for a 2-0 victory only gives you 1.2 odds
2. Bet on Team B for a 2-0 victory. You get great odds at 7.5
3. If you bet on Team A for a 2-1 victory, the odds will be better at 3.8
4. Betting on Team B for a 2-1 victory, the odds are great at 7.0

Payouts on the various options above if you bet 10 of your country’s currency:

• 1.2 odds – 12 payout, 2 profit – Option 1
• 7.5 odds – 75 payout, 65 profit – Option 2
• 3.8 odds – 38 payout, 28 profit – Option 3
• 7.0 odds – 70 payout, 60 profit – Option 4

The odds above are fictional examples. Check out our Odds Comparison page for detailed betting intel and odds for upcoming matches. As demonstrated in the screenshot below, you can also bet on the round score of each individual map in a CS2 match.

CS2 Map Betting Tips

Now that you know why maps are important in CS2 betting, let’s dive into some tips. These tips might help you in your CS2 map betting endeavours, but nothing is guaranteed.

Research Teams & Their Maps

Some teams are better on specific maps than others. For example, a top-tier CS2 team could have a 70% win ratio on Nuke. Therefore, research is of the utmost importance in Map Score betting or any other form of CS2 map-related betting.

At HLTV, we’ve covered you with team match histories, previous results, stats and more. Arming yourself with knowledge can lead to very profitable bets. With proper, diligent research into CS2 maps for specific teams in a match, you can increase your chances of winning a bet.

Individuals Matter

It is not only about teams and their performance on specific CS2 maps. Instead, individual players can make a massive impact on the outcome. For example, a particular player new to a squad with great stats on Inferno could increase their team’s chances of winning even though the team has previously performed poorly on the map.

Again, diligent research is vital here, and it could also help bettors make CS2 kills betting predictions more accurately. Another tip to note is when a new in-game leader (IGL) joins a squad. This person might have better calls on specific maps historically, and if you can find out which ones, you could sway the odds in your favour.

Live CS2 Map Betting

While many map-related bet types can be placed pre-match, users can also consider their chosen site’s live betting options. This allows you to first see the Map Veto of a specific match before making a bet.

A good example is if Nuke is the second map in a match, and you know Team A has much better stats than Team B, despite being the underdog of the match as a whole, you could get some great odds placing a bet that Team A will win the second map

Responsible CS2 Gambling

It’s essential to maintain a responsible gambling approach when betting online. Staying in control of the money and time you spend is critical to keeping things fun. If CS2 betting or any form of online gambling is negatively impacting you or those close to you, you should stop immediately. 

We urge all HLTV users who bet on CS2 esports to take the Gamalyze self-assessment test. This brief quiz will provide you with a deeper understanding of your gambling habits and recommend the most appropriate responsible gambling tools for you.

At HLTV, we also offer a selection of additional responsible betting resources for those who require further support. Here’s a sample of our in-depth responsible gambling articles:

• Time Management – Discover the time management tools offered by CS2 betting sites.
• Money Management – Learn more about the money management tools betting sites provide to users.
• HLTV Responsible Gambling Commitment – Read more about our pledge to promote responsible gambling.

Remember, always gamble responsibly! You must be 18+ to play.