The top betting platforms add some flair to their CS2 betting coverage by providing a selection of special bets for the Counter-Strike action they cover. In this guide, we’ll break down the most popular CS2 betting markets, share our top Counter-Strike betting tips and reveal the esports betting sites that offer the best selection of CS2 special bets.

Top CS2 Betting Sites

The table below showcases the best CS2 betting sites, with a variety of CS2 special betting options to choose from. We’ve reviewed all the key aspects of each platform featured in our rankings. The CS2 betting options each site provides is one of the biggest factors whenever we update our list.

Popular CS2 Special Bets

We’ll run you through the most popular CS2 bet types to give you an idea of some unique ways you can bet on the CS2 esports action. Most CS2 gambling sites will offer these CS2 special bets, and the top platforms will offer even more!

CS2 Handicap Betting

You won’t get the best odds when one team is heavily favoured to win a match. However, fans still want to bet on their favourite teams, which is where CS2 handicap betting comes in.

CS2 handicap betting will generally give you much better odds, and subsequent payouts if you win, than standard match-winner betting. Simply put, the handicap puts the heavily favoured team at a disadvantage to give you better odds.

For example, the odds are heavily in Team A’s favour on a CS2 betting site, which means when (or if) Team A wins, you won’t get much of a profit from their victory. However, if you choose a bet of -3.5 on Team A to win, your profit margins will increase, as the betting site will provide much better odds.

To win your bet, Team A needs to win a map you bet on by at least 4 rounds. For example, Team A needs to win the map 13-9. With the handicap applied, the round score will look like this: 13 Team A – 8.5 Team B.

With handicap betting, you can continue to support your favourite team by betting on them to win, even if they are one of the best CS2 teams in the world.

CS2 Over/Unders

Over/Under betting in CS2 gambling can be used in a number of different ways, but the most popular involves the number of rounds being played. A CS2 bookmaker will give you a set margin to work with. You will need to predict how many rounds will be played on a specific map.

The best way to explain Over/Under betting in CS2 is to use an example. Let’s say the CS2 betting site gives a 22.5 round margin for a specific map in a match. This means you can bet on “under” or “over”.

• To succeed if you bet on Under, the round total should be 22 or less. For example, a 13-9 final score.
• To succeed a bet on Over, the round total should be 23 or more. For example, a 13-10 final score.

Depending on the teams playing, the Over or Under might give you different odds. If one team is heavily favoured to win, the payout for Under might be much less than Over. This is due to the chance of a heavily favoured team going to 24 rounds against an underdog being very slim.

CS2 Team Betting

CS2 team betting is essentially the act of placing bets on a certain team to win a match, in its most basic of forms. However, you can also bet on a CS2 team to win by a specific margin with special bets. A variety of special bet options for betting on a CS2 team is available at the best bookmakers out there.

Special bets for CS2 team betting include, for example, handicap bets. If you choose a team to win with -1.5, this effectively means they need to win 2-0 in a best-of-three match. If the team you’ve placed a bet on wins with a map score of 2-1, they will still lose your bet, as 2 minus 1.5 = 0.5, which means the other team actually won according to your handicap bet.

CS2 Bomb Betting

In CS2 esports, the Terrorist side is tasked with planting the bomb, while the Counter-Terrorist side has to defend the bomb site, either defusing the bomb after it has been planted or stopping the Terrorist side from planting it until the time runs out.

If Terrorists successfully detonate the bomb, or if Counter-Terrorists defuse it, the round is over. Further, if a team gets wiped out, they lose, except for instances when a bomb explodes after Terrorists all die in a round. Every map has two bomb sites. Both teams get a chance to play as CTs and Ts. Those are the first fundamental aspects you need to know before even considering practising CS2 bomb betting.

CS2 bomb odds are generally in the over/under format. For example, if you pick Over 2.5 rounds with the time running out, the odds won’t be that great, but if you are adventurous and pick Over 6.5 rounds with the time running out, the odds can be fantastic due to the higher risk involved.

CS2 Pistol Round Betting

Pistol round betting is very self-explanatory. It is the act of betting on which team will win the first round (the pistol round) in a match, a specific map, or even one half of a map.

This CS2 bet type can look like a coin-flip, with a 50% chance of each team winning. However, through proper research looking at the previous matches of both teams, and how they perform during the pistol round, you can potentially gain a great advantage.

It’s critical to research a team’s best maps. For example, if Team A ranked lower than Team B, but Team A has an excellent record on Nuke, one might go so far as to give Team A the advantage. Lastly, which side a team is on can also affect their chances of winning. For example, CT might have a slight edge on a certain map, which will drop the T’s odds of winning the first round.

CS2 Map Winner Betting

To profit from this CS2 special bet, you need to do your research. Map betting is one of the types of CS2 special bets which benefits largely from team knowledge.

CS2 map winner bets normally get placed on BO3 or BO5 matches. This special type of CS2 bet is when you pick a specific map you think a team will win. This should give the player some great odds and potential winnings.

It could just be one of the easiest ways to make some money from CS2 esports betting, as even the top teams in the world have specific maps they are just better on than others. Combine this type of research with the previous match results for both teams, and you’ve got a solid shot of winning the bet.

CS2 Match Score Betting

Match score betting on CS2 gambling sites is arguably one of the most straightforward CS2 special bets. All you need to do is pick the final map score.

However, things get a bit more complicated when you take payout potential into consideration. Check out the scenario below to get an idea of the pitfalls of match score betting. Please note: In this scenario, Team A is heavily favoured over Team B.

1. Betting on Team A for a 2-0 victory, therefore, only gives you 1.2 odds, which means the payout isn’t great at all.
2. Bet on Team B for a 2-0 victory. You get great odds (7.5) but the chances of this happening are slim.
3. If you bet on Team A for a 2-1 victory, the odds will be better (2.8), but the chances of this happening are still quite slim.
4. Betting on Team B for a 2-1 victory, the odds (5.3) aren’t as great option 2, but better than the rest.

Again, this is where research comes into play. If the heavily favoured team is weak on one specific map, for example, Mirage, while Mirage is the underdog’s best, option 4 might be your best bet. However, you need to take risk versus reward into consideration.

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
• 2.8 odds – 28 payout, 18 profit – Option 3
• 5.3 odds – 53 payout, 43 profit – Option 4

Tournament Winner Betting

Tournament winner beating is a pretty self-explanatory concept. Often referred to as ‘Outright’ or ‘Future’ betting, you’re simply betting on a CS2 organisation to win the whole tournament or event, as opposed to a single game. The top esports betting sites will all provide event winner odds for the majority of major Counter-Strike tournaments.

One major upside of a this type of bet is that you can get decent odds on the CS2 teams that are likely to be betting favourites throughout the event. Outright betting also adds some spice to every match of a Counter-Strike event, without you having to wager on each of them.

CS2 Special Betting Tips & Tricks

Let’s dive into some CS2 betting tips and tricks. The information in this section is general and provides an overview of what you can do to potentially increase your chances of winning your next CS2 special wager.

LAN Event Effects

The pressure of an enormous LAN event can sometimes cause even the top teams to fumble. Teams can make mistakes they wouldn’t normally make during an online event or a minor tournament.

All CS2 Bets Can Lose

Remember, every bet can lose. Make sure you stay calm and adequately assess the merits of each CS2 special bet before you place it!

Live Betting On Map 2

You can possibly give yourself an advantage by making use of CS2 live betting options at your chosen betting site. Live odds move fast, but present plenty of potentially profitable special betting opportunities.

Responsible CS2 Gambling

Responsible gambling is essential regardless of what you’re wagering on! You need to stay in control of the money and time you spend, and you should never rely on gambling as a source of income. If your online betting habits are affecting other aspects of your life, you need to stop. 

We recommend that all HLTV users take our Gamalyze self-assessment test before starting their CS2 betting journey. This test will help you acquire a better understanding of your gambling habits and recommend the responsible gambling tools best suited to you.

We also offer a selection of additional responsible betting resources if you require further support. Here’s a selection of our in-depth responsible gambling articles:

• Time Management – Discover the time management mechanisms on offer at most CS2 betting sites.
• Money Management – Learn more about the money management tools available at most betting sites.
• HLTV Responsible Gambling Commitment – Read more about our pledge to promote responsible gambling.

Always gamble responsibly when betting online! You must be 18+ to play.

CS2 Special Bet FAQs