Part of the Counter Strike: Global Offensive Pro Tour, the ESL One: Cologne 2020 was to be a huge event hosted in the city of Cologne. Later it would end up taking place in the closed ESL Studio there, featuring sixteen teams in total participating for a shot at the main prize. Now we’ll take a closer look at the competition, what drives it, and how you can stand to turn a profit when betting.
Organized by the ESL themselves as part of the Intel Grand Slam series, it would attract a huge number of names to the event. Using the Global Offensive version of Counter Strike, it’s the latest in what the eSport has to offer on an international stage. Bringing in Intel and Mountain Dew as sponsors to name but a few, the prestige behind the event is also huge, with a host of teams looking to create a reputation for themselves. BLAST Premier Points are also on the table, ensuring the competition stands to get extremely heated in the run-up to the championship.
First planned for May, it was pushed ahead to August in 2020, taking place in a closed studio as opposed to a stadium. Where does this leave you and your bet though, and how can you hope to secure a winning bet on the right team?
Where To Bet CS:GO – ESL One: Cologne 2020:
America:
Bovada is available all across North America, with a wide ranging selection of bets when it comes to CS:GO.
Canada:
For this, Bet365 Sportsbook is best, with it offering Canada a number of CS:GO and eSports bets in general.
Everywhere Else:
Again Bet365 Sportsbook is the best, offering its bets all over the world internationally, with it covering a number of different events.
What is CS:GO – ESL One: Cologne 2020?
Usually hosted offline, it was originally slated to take place at the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, but the closed ESL Studio has also taken the role of venue here. Set at the end of August, it’s part of the Intel Grand Slam, which itself is a huge eSports competition taking place all over the world. Organized by ESL One too, these ESL run tournaments have a strong reputation throughout the eSports community, overcoming all manner of obstacle.
The prize-pool currently stands at a massive $1,000,000 USD, along with Pro Tour and BLAST Premier points being offered along the way. Here’s what the contest looks like in the general sense at this present time, which could change in the future:
- Group Stage: There’s two double elimination format groups, with each one having eight teams, and the matches are best-of-three.
- Playoffs: The quarter-final and semi-finals are best-of-three again, with a single elimination bracket being used.
- Finals: For the Grand Final it’s a best-of-five match, and then the prize money and points are spread out accordingly.
Moving on up the rankings, teams stand to gain a lot from the tournament, so the competition is definitely heavy. Where do the winners themselves come from though, and how can we hope to spot them more easily when placing bets?
Common CS:GO – ESL One: Cologne 2020 Questions:
How can I gain an idea of who will win?:Communication, first and foremost, is essential here, as a Counter Strike team must work together if they want to have a hope of winning. It’s still important to gain a clear idea of who each of the individual players are, as any change in style could shift the momentum of a match completely off its balance. Watching the individual streams of players can gain you some idea of the tactics they’re willing to use, seeing if they’re capable of bringing them out in a larger game. There’s plenty of telltale signs once you know where to look for them, and it’s observing how these will clash with the opposition that’s the key.
Best ways to see the matches online?:
With it being an official ESL event you’re not going to be short of sites to watch the games live online. The ESL_CSGO channel on Twitch is the main stream for all things Counter Strike related, so this is perfect for following. Using YouTube you can find the ‘ESL Counter-Strike’ channel, which shows not just past games, but news and features too. Make sure to stay up-to-date on social-media as well, as this can provide you with further alternative avenues for watching.
How to Bet CS:GO – ESL One: Cologne 2020:
After selecting ‘Sports’ use ‘Esports’, and this will provide you with the ‘All Esports’ drop down menu. Then you can find ‘Counter Strike: Global Offensive’, and this will show all the open ESL events and tournaments. Once you have this you can bring up all the upcoming games down the page, choosing the ones you’re looking for.
Bet365 Sportsbook:
Down the side on the left is ‘Esports’, and this will bring up all the eSports alphabetically in the middle of the screen. Near the top are all the ‘CS:GO’ bets, with the featured events listed besides each of them, with ‘ESL One Cologne’ being the one you’ll need when available. Underneath the listing will be the different betting markets, taking you through to create the betting coupon you want.
CS:GO – ESL One: Cologne 2020 Betting Strategy:
Given the intimate nature of the venue, Cologne will play differently to those expecting a large live audience, so keep this in mind. See who the players are and what their approach to the game is, such as whether or not they’re cautious, or all out aggressive. Sometimes it’s better to spread your bets across the board at this level, making sure that you’ve covered all your bases.
There’s thirty rounds to each game, so the over/under is definitely your friend here, especially when it comes to teams that are guaranteed to dominate. Keep up-to-date as to any changes, such as the map and the player line-up, and you should be able to place your bets more effectively.