Dota 2 is a 2013 multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game from Valve that is still one of the most popular choices for gamers and esports bettors. Similar in design to League of Legends, Dota 2 allows two teams consisting of five players to battle in matches where the goal is to defend your base (Ancient) and destroy your opponent’s.
While this iconic game may have peaked in popularity years ago with over a million active players, you can still find Dota 2 matches to bet on at Bovada today as well as futures bets for May 2025 when the BLAST Slam III goes down.
But before you go betting on Team Falcons to win the BLAST Slam III with +450 odds, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with the guide below for how to bet on Dota 2.
Understand the Game Thoroughly
No matter which game you choose to bet on with esports, you’ll want to have a thorough understanding of how the game works first. Live streaming of matches is also available on the Bovada site where you place your bets.
Playing the game yourself can be a big help too, but it’s not a requirement as you also could watch Twitch streams and YouTube videos to learn a lot about the dynamics of team play and strategies involved in consistently winning Dota 2 matches, which typically last from 20 to 60 minutes and are best-of-3 or best-of-5 series.
You should get very familiar with some of the best teams and players in Dota 2. Team Spirit, Team Falcons, and PARIVISION are among the favorites to win the next big tournament in May thanks to their past track record of success. Team Spirit won The International, the huge annual Dota 2 tournament, in 2021 and 2023. Team Liquid won it last year.
With a game like Dota 2, you have to pay attention to patch updates from the developer that could influence new strategies from the best teams or help underdogs get into the upper ranks of the best. Since the game has a variety of skills and styles with some teams preferring aggressive play over objective-based play like destroying a tower or killing Roshan to obtain special items for powers.
Types of Bets in Dota 2
You should get familiar with the types of bets available for Dota 2 at many sportsbooks, including:
- Match Winner – Simply bet on which team wins like a moneyline in traditional sports wagering.
- Map Winner – In series play, you can bet on the winner of each individual game (map).
- First Blood – Bet on the team to get the first kill.
- Total Kills – Prop bets for the over/under on a team’s total kills (can be for the whole match or by map)
- Handicap – Spread betting like giving an underdog team +1.5 maps in a series
- Futures Bets – Bet on future tournament winners for events such as the BLAST Slam III (May) or The International (Fall 2025).
General Dota 2 Betting Tips
Finally, here are some general Dota 2 betting tips that should help maximize your success:
- With unpredictable and volatile gameplay, don’t fear betting on underdogs to defeat favorites with high odds.
- Utilize live betting as momentum swings can drastically change odds, creating value.
- Do your research at sources like Liquipedia, Dotabuff, and OpenDota to track player/team performance, focusing on recent outcomes and historical head-to-head matchups.
- Follow along with the Dota 2 community at social media sites such as Twitch, Reddit, X/Twitter, and Discord to keep in touch with the latest team news, roster changes, and tournament updates.
- Watch live matches to get a good feel for how teams play the game.
- Keep to a bankroll with small unit sizes for consistent betting, and track your results by bet type (moneyline, props, maps, etc.) to see where your strengths and weaknesses lie as you may be much better at one bet type (ex. First Blood) than another.