Dota 2 is a game ripe for analysis. Starting with the draft or even the team matchup history, there is a lot of information to work with when betting on a Dota 2 match. Knowledge and deep understanding of the game can give an experienced bettor an objective edge — data eliminates uncertainty.

The amount of data to toy with can be very intimidating for first-timers, but at Dotabuff we pride ourselves on providing the most valuable information about the game in the most comprehensive and concise way. With the help of this guide you will get acquainted with how Dota 2 betting works and what tools you can use to your advantage.

We can also help you choose the best bookmaker that fits your needs. Our recommendations are based on a variety of factors, including potential bonuses, bookmaker margins and reputation within the Dota 2 betting community.

There are many ways to bet on a Dota 2 match. The simplest ones are the Match and Series outcome, which should be self-explanatory.

Odds provided by the bookmaker determine the potential payout you get. For example, if you bet $10 on a team that has 2.5 odds to win a match, and they win it, your payout will be $25, or a $15 profit.

When you win a bet, the Payout = Odds x Bet.

There are many other ways to bet on Dota 2 matches. Many bookmakers offer Special bets and the most popular in Dota are First Blood, F10K and Match Duration.

First Blood is the first kill made in the game, and some bookmakers offer odds on who is going to be the first victim of the match. This category is highly volatile, but the lane setups and matchups can provide a lot of information to work with.

F10K is the first ten kills. The bet is placed on the team that you think is going to get the first ten kills in a game and, once again, understanding the drafts and the lane setups can be a lot of help. You can use the “matchups” tab for Heroes to see how they stack up against each other.

There is also Match Duration, where the bookmaker provides odds for the match ending over or under a specific timing. You can use the teams’ profile pages to see how long their matches typically last, while also paying attention to the drafts, as there are heroes who are designed to keep the match in a stalemate until late game.

First of all, you need to choose a bookmaker. Most of them provide first-timer bonuses, so be aware of the potential freebies you can get.

There is nothing wrong with using multiple bookmakers, as they sometimes provide different odds for the same match. It can be beneficial to bet on different matches with different bookmakers.

Once you have decided what outcome you want to bet on, you place your bet via a betslip. Then, if you’ve bet on a winning outcome, you will receive the winnings based on the odds when the bet was placed.

Pretty much every single tournament is covered by bookmakers nowadays. We would highly recommend betting on bigger leagues and events — at the highest level of play the human error factor is lower and game analysis yields more consistent results.

You can always check upcoming tournaments and games in our Esports section. The Premium tab on the Leagues page should also highlight the most important tournaments of the season.

Research the teams you are betting on. Check their drafting history, match duration history and matchup against their opponent. Keep an eye on the current trends via our blog and stay up to date with the meta developments.

We can't tell you how to handle your money, but what we can do is provide you with all the tools and information necessary to make an educated bet.