Bringing together the best of the best when it comes to Overwatch, the Overwatch World Cup is a huge annual event in the world of eSports. Taking in players from all over the world, it’s organized by Blizzard themselves, setting itself apart with its massive sense of scope and scale. In this article we’ll break down what this all means, then look at how this can effect your betting and what you can do to improve your winning potential.
The tournament itself would begin back in 2016 bringing in approximately sixteen teams, and this would continue to grow over time. Broadcast internationally, it’s open to all, with teams from all nations taking part in the first-person multiplayer shooter. With its team based action, players will represent their countries, as they step onto the world stage, playing for the highly coveted cup. Partnering with companies such as Disney in order to bring the game to an even wider audience, Blizzard have really managed to make this a truly global event.
With so many players then it stands to reason that there’ll a great deal of competition on offer, with a lot riding on the final results. How do you best spot the Overwatch winners then, which teams will make it through, and who will be left at the wayside?
Where To Bet Overwatch World Cup:
America:
When available, you should be able to find most of your Overwatch bets through Bovada, which covers the majority of events and tournaments.
Canada:
For this you’ll want Bet365 Sportsbook, as it offers the most Overwatch and eSports related bets at any given time.
Everywhere Else:
Everyone internationally will want to head on over to Bet365 Sportsbook again, as it provides the widest range of eSports wagers across the globe.
What is Overwatch World Cup?
Known as the OWWC, the Overwatch World Cup is a series that’s managed by the game’s developers, Blizzard Entertainment. Previously sponsored by companies like Coca Cola and T-Mobile to name just a few, the finals take place offline, usually at the BlizzCon event. Broadcast by Twitch, along with the likes of ESPN, and now Disney as well, it’s becoming a hugely popular event worldwide.
With a prize-pool standing at $90,000 and counting, it’s one of the largest events of its kind, being the end goal for many professionals competing in the eSport. Here’s a general layout of the Overwatch Cup itself, and how it’s formatted in the basic sense throughout the duration of the tournament:
- Group Stages: All matches are made up three-map sets, whilst no Assault maps will be used at this particular level of the tournament.
- Playoffs: This largely consists of first-to-three match wins, playing through the quarter-finals, and semi-finals.
- Finals: This will see the winners overall crowned, winning their share of the prize money alongside the other top four positions, as well as winning the Cup itself.
Using a single-elimination bracket for the majority of the event, round-robin style group events were used in previous years. Where do the winners come from though, and how do you know where to look for the winning signs when it comes to professional Overwatch eSports?
Common Overwatch World Cup Questions:
What sort of bets are offered for the Cup?:You’ll find that the first thing you’re presented with is the chance of betting on either of the teams competing, along with bets provided. Then you should be able to find the different match handicaps, altering the odds to something far more appealing. You can also bet on each of the maps individually, allowing you to make your betting slip far more specific than it would be otherwise. Props will also be open, as and when they become available, focusing on map wins and the correct final scores predicted.
Where can I see the games?:
A lot of the games in the Overwatch World Cup, and league, will be playing over on YouTube through the ‘Overwatch League’ channel. You can also find a lot of the older games here as well, allowing you to easily catch-up on any past missed matches. The ‘PlayOverwatch’ channel on Twitch will also have a variety of live games and commentaries made readily available there too. Some of the smaller matches may also be available to watch through the sportsbooks as well, but this all depends on where and when you bet.
How to Bet Overwatch World Cup:
Bovada:
First head on over to ‘Sports’ at the top, followed by ‘All Sports (A-Z)’ and select ‘Esports’, which takes you through to the ‘All Esports’ roll-down menu. Now you can find ‘Overwatch’, when it’s available with open events, and move on down to pick ‘Overwatch – World Cup’. Then you can find all the upcoming matches to choose from down the center of the page, taking you through to each one, with the larger bets near the top, and the props, if any, near the bottom.
Bet365 Sportsbook:
Moving down the left side to ‘Esports’, open it up to find the ‘Match Lists’ at the top, along with ‘Overwatch’ when available. Here you’ll find the upcoming matches, whereby you can either select the winner of the match overall from the odds beside it, or open it up by clicking on the match itself. From the top you can now select either ‘Match Markets’ bringing up the more specific prop bets, or move across to each individual map itself.
Overwatch World Cup Betting Strategy:
First things first, you definitely want to gain a basic comprehension of how the game handles, and this is fairly easy given the amount of content and archived games that are available online. Whilst it’s not free-to-play as of yet, it’s still fairly simple to get a layman’s understanding of the game format and hot it runs. Next you want to shop around for the highest odds available, and work back from here, seeing how the numbers provided stack up against the players abilities.
After a while you will begin to notice patterns in the player’s behaviour in-game, and you can use this to form your own personal betting strategy. All the players will already be at a professional level, so there’ll be plenty of history and material to work from, allowing you to make a more substantial and informed bet.