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Explainer live blog
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Gabby Chan League of Legends Mar 31, 2025
Understanding Fearless Draft in League of Legends Esports Fearless Draft was first implemented in top-tier leagues during the 2025 Split 1 and the First Stand tournament. After its intriguing debut, Riot Games announced on March 16, 2025, that Fearless Draft will remain for the remainder of the 2025 season. Here’s everything you need to know about Fearless Draft and how it impacts the game.
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Archie Henry Counter-Strike 2 Dec 13, 2023
An introduction to the CS2 map pool There are currently seven maps in the Active Duty map pool – the most balanced and competitive maps that are used in all of Valve’s official events. If you want to make money from betting on CS2, knowledge of the different maps and the impact they can have on a match is crucial. Read this article to learn more.
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Simon Teunissen Oligboh Counter-Strike 2 Nov 21, 2023
A beginner’s guide to CS2 betting Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) has cemented the franchise’s position as one of the most important esports games of the last decade. Its popularity has also generated huge growth in betting, but if you are an esports fans that is new to the idea of betting on CS2, this introduction will help you get started.
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Archie Henry CS:GO Feb 1, 2023
An introduction to the CS:GO map pool There are currently seven maps in the active duty map pool – the most balanced and competitive maps that are used in all official Valve events. If you want to make money from betting on CS:GO, knowledge of the different maps and the impact they have on a match is crucial. Read on to learn more.
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Pinnacle Educational Dec 3, 2022
What is implied probability? By understanding the implied probability of esports odds, bettors are in a healthier position to make a profit. This article explains how to convert both Decimal and American esports odds to their implied probability.
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Pinnacle Educational Dec 2, 2022
How to calculate expected value The Expected Value of a bet shows us how much we can expect to win (on average) per bet, and as such is the most valuable calculation a bettor can make when comparing bookmakers' odds. How can you calculate Expected Value in esports betting in order to predict your winnings? Read on to find out.
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Pinnacle Rocket League Nov 30, 2022
A beginner's guide to Rocket League betting The rocket-powered cars soccer game, Rocket League, is speeding onto the esports scene with a simple yet exciting format that has won plenty of admirers. The number of people playing, watching and betting on Rocket League is on the rise. Continue reading if you want to learn more about the basics of Rocket League betting.
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Archie Henry CS:GO Jun 2, 2020
The CS:GO money system explained If you are sat there watching a CS:GO stream and have no idea what’s going on, or why one side has more guns than the other, then this guide will be useful in your understanding of the game. Continue reading to learn more about the CS:GO money system and what it means for your betting.
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Pinnacle Educational May 27, 2020
What is the difference between LoL and Dota 2? League of Legends and Dota 2 remain two of the most played MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) genre within esports. Whilst the games themselves seem very similar in style, characters and general appearance, some key fundamental gameplay differences make these two games stand out from each other.
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Adam Boothe CS:GO May 20, 2020
The importance of Pistol Rounds in betting strategy In the first-person shooter Counter-Strike, the opening sequence of every single game is what is known as the pistol round, or pistol. It determines which side has the economic advantage into that particular half.
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Pinnacle Strategy Mar 16, 2020
How to use an esports in-play betting strategy While the simplicity of pre-game esports betting markets make them ideally suited to novice bettors, in-play betting is becoming increasingly popular with more advanced bettors. Want to know how in-play esports betting works and how it can help you make a profit? Read on to learn how.
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Michael Moriarty Educational Feb 6, 2020
What is the GSL style format? A large number of esports tournaments use a group format that’s not used outside of the space. We’ll take a look at the format commonly known as GSL-style groups, how it works, where it came from and how many events use it.
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Michael Moriarty Rocket League Oct 2, 2019
Understanding the RLCS The entire Rocket League esports ecosystem revolves around the Rocket League Championship Series (or RLCS), in which teams compete to reach two world championship finals a year. If you’re new to betting on the circuit, read on to find out more.
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Dota 2 Betting: How to bet on Dota 2 Dota 2 betting is becoming increasingly popular within esports betting, with Dota's action-cum-RTS style being a perfect match for the excitement of online betting.
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Stuart Bridges League of Legends Jul 11, 2019
The different League of Legends roles explained Roles are the cornerstone of how LoL is played and if you are unaware of what the roles are or what they mean, then understanding a game of League of Legends can be difficult. For example, why is that champion just standing there not hitting anything? If this is a question you have ever asked yourself, then this simple guide should explain everything you need to know.
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Pinnacle Educational Jul 5, 2019
How to bet on esports: The basics Whether you’re new to esports or have been a fan for years, this how to bet on esports guide is the perfect place to start for any novice bettor. Starting with the very basics, this article will help you learn more about esports betting and the available markets at Pinnacle.
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A beginner’s guide to CS:GO betting Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has reinforced the franchises' position as one of the most important esports games of the last decade. Its popularity has also seen a huge growth in CS:GO betting, but if you are one of those esports fans that is new to the idea of betting on CS:GO, this introduction will help you start.
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Pinnacle League of Legends Jun 14, 2019
An introduction to live betting on League of Legends Identifying the earliest possible stage of any prediction is important. Consider the pre-game element of LoL during the initial pick and ban phase - if Team B bans Team A’s most important Champion, this can have a tremendous impact on the game. Understanding multiple different stages to the game is vital when handling live betting on League of Legends.
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Pinnacle Educational Jun 1, 2019
Does home field advantage exist in esports? It is widely accepted that teams playing at home in competitive sports benefit from improved performance compared to playing in their opponent’s stadium (or a neutral venue) but does this also apply to esports? What is home field advantage (HFA), does it exist in esports and why is it important for bettors to understand? Read on to find out.
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Using map knowledge to inform CS:GO betting Some bettors may think all seven maps play out the same way in CS:GO, but they are actually incredibly different. Certain maps have a slight bias to different sides, while others will be better-suited to different play styles. Read on to find out why map knowledge is important when betting on CS:GO.
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Stuart Bridges League of Legends Feb 25, 2019
A beginners guide to League of Legends betting League of Legends is officially one of the biggest competitive online games in the world. In response to the demand, Pinnacle has consistently expanded its LoL betting markets, from the LCS, LEC to the LPL and LCK. Continue reading for a beginner’s guide on how to bet on League of Legends.
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How to use Kelly Criterion for esports betting Bettors should always look for a mathematical edge rather than rely on their impulses. Learning how to use the Kelly Criterion, for example, is a great way for bettors to determine how much they should stake. Read on to find out.
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Pinnacle Hearthstone Aug 1, 2018
A beginner's guide to Hearthstone The popularity of Blizzard’s card game Hearthstone has been increasing in recent years, with playing numbers now hitting over 70 million. Game updates are frequently released so Hearthstone betting offers a unique challenge. Read on to learn the basics of Hearthstone betting.
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Pinnacle Starcraft Broodwar Jun 5, 2018
A beginner's guide to StarCraft: Brood War The remastered version of StarCraft: Brood War (SC) bred new life into the game and 2017 saw the highest amount of prize money distributed since 2011. With the game having a resurgence, the betting market is thriving. Read on for an in-depth guide to StarCraft: Brood War betting guide.
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Pinnacle World of Tanks Apr 13, 2018
A beginner's guide to World of Tanks World of Tanks holds the record for the highest recorded amount of players on one server at a given time and has one of the highest number of active players of any eSports game. The game’s increasing popularity means bettors are now turning their attention to World of Tanks betting markets. Read on to find out how to bet on World of Tanks.
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Pinnacle Educational Mar 5, 2018
A beginner’s guide to Street Fighter betting Capcom released Street Fighter 5 (SFV) in February 2016 and has sold almost two million copies since. Punching its way into the world of eSports betting, SFV is now one of the most entertaining games to watch thanks to its fast-paced, action-packed fights. Read on to learn the basics of Street Fighter betting.
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Pinnacle Educational Mar 2, 2018
Will PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) be the next major eSports title? PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) is beginning to thrive as an eSport despite the game being unfinished and large issues still remaining. Read on to find out more about the problems in the game and what it needs to do to become one of the major eSports titles.
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Pinnacle Heroes of the Storm Mar 1, 2018
A beginner’s guide to Heroes of the Storm betting Heroes of the Storm (HotS) is trying to bring something new to the world of MOBA games with its unique features and approach. Under the wing of Blizzard, HotS has everything it needs to compete with LoL and Dota 2. Read on to find out more about Heroes of the Storm betting.
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Pinnacle Overwatch Jan 24, 2018
A beginner's guide to Overwatch betting Although it was only released in May 2016, Overwatch has quickly become one of the most popular eSports games to both play and bet on. Understanding how the game works will help bettors find an edge over the bookmaker when it comes to Overwatch betting. Read on to learn how to bet on Overwatch.
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Pinnacle Strategy Jan 24, 2018
How to calculate betting margins With a large number of bookmakers claiming to offer the best odds and an equally large number of websites comparing betting odds, are you really getting the best deal? In this simple guide we explain how odds work to help you make educated decisions when looking for the best betting odds. Don't place another bet without knowing how much it really costs you.
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Pinnacle Educational Jan 19, 2018
A beginner’s guide to PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds betting PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) has achieved a lot in its short lifespan. Nominated for Game of the Year multiple times, this still technically unfinished game is now becoming increasingly popular amongst eSports bettors. Want to learn how to bet on PUBG? Read on for a beginner’s guide to PUBG betting.
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Pinnacle Educational Nov 8, 2017
Arbitrage betting explained Arbitrage betting promises risk-free returns - the Holy Grail of gambling - so is naturally a very popular topic within the betting community, but how does arbitrage betting work? We have laid out everything you need to know; this is arbitrage betting explained.
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Benjamin Cronin Educational Nov 1, 2017
An introduction to esports betting Following the launch of Pinnacle’s new Esports Hub, our Content & Social Media Manager - Benjamin Cronin - has sat down to answer the questions that every novice esports bettor will be asking. Is esports betting for you? How do you bet on esports and why should you choose Pinnacle? Read on to find out.
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Pinnacle Starcraft 2 Oct 31, 2017
The basics of StarCraft 2 betting StarCraft 2 is the fastest-selling real-time strategy (RTS) game in history. Understanding how to bet on StarCraft 2 is therefore of great importance to esports bettors. Despite hefty competition and a decline in playing levels, the game still gave out over $3.5 million in prize money last year. Read on to find out more about StarCraft 2 betting.