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Feature live blog
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Michael Moriarty Rocket League Nov 28, 2022
How to watch... Rocket League So you’re wanting to get into watching an esport, and while making your decision you stumble upon Rocket League. Fast paced action, soccer but with cars – you fall for it almost immediately. But you’re missing the finer points on the stream – we’re here to help.
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Thorin League of Legends Apr 30, 2021
Player vs. Coach – The success behind “Faker” and Brady In his latest feature for Pinnacle, the Esports Historian “Thorin” takes a look at the relationship between coach and player; contrasting legendary LoL player “Faker” and his coach “Kkoma” with legendary football quarterback Tom Brady and his long-time coach Bill Belichick.
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Fresh consideration on s1mple vs. ZywOo s1mple and ZywOo are considered transcendent talents in CS:GO, Thorin considers a more holistic view on their competition to claim the status of world's best player.
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Adam Boothe CS:GO Mar 8, 2021
Pinnacle CS:GO Power Rankings In the first week of each month, we will release the official Pinnacle CS:GO Power Rankings, with curator Adam Boothe offering a brief overview of the teams, and some honorable mentions that missed out.
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Jack Stewart League of Legends Feb 18, 2021
Ascending to God status: Gilius has one more miracle run to make A player who has earnt the moniker of "GodGilius", Schalke 04's Jungler Erberk “Gilius” Demir has established himself as one of the best in the league. Find out more about his rise to the top in Jack Stewart’s feature.
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Thorin Educational Jan 29, 2021
Building the Narrative: Esports and the Super Bowl In his latest column for Pinnacle Esports, Duncan “Thorin” Shields tells us how the biggest events in Esports and the NFL's Super Bowl use similar devices to build a compelling narrative.
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Adam Boothe CS:GO Jan 20, 2021
The 2020 CS:GO Power Rankings Review In this special edition of the Pinnacle Power Rankings we recap one of the most unique years in CS:GO history.
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Michael Moriarty CS:GO Jan 19, 2021
Best Roster Moves of 2020 With the 2021 season rapidly approaching, many teams have made changes to their squads, for better and worse. This article sees us look at a few of the teams that, in our opinion, made the best roster moves of 2020.
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Michael Moriarty CS:GO Jan 19, 2021
Worst Roster Moves of 2020 With the 2021 season rapidly approaching, many teams made changes to their squads, for better and worse. This article sees us look at a few of the teams that, in our opinion, made the worst roster moves of 2020.
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Adam Boothe CS:GO Dec 23, 2020
The impacts of Roster Instability The rapid growth of professional esports has been a major point of focus for the top echelons of CS:GO teams over the past two to three years. When the professional scene emerged in 2013, it began with five dedicated players and a part-time coach and manager for the highest paying organizations. Those clubs have since evolved, with dedicated positions for not only coaches and managers, but also for analysts, trainers, and psychologists.
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Michael Moriarty CS:GO Dec 23, 2020
Rugby, and the future of CS:GO and VALORANT There's been a common question of whether or not VALORANT can, or will, overtake and dominate CS:GO in esports. But what if they could co-exist? For that, we look to traditional sports and the example Rugby can offer.
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acoR & Nash - The Burden of the Superstar In his second column for Pinnacle, Duncan "Thorin" Shields draws parallels between CS:GO AWPer acoR and NBA legend Steve Nash, delving into the burden of the superstar.
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The hidden depth of MMA and Counter-Strike Duncan "Thorin" Shields opens his first column for Pinnacle focusing on the hidden depth that exists in both MMA and Counter-Strike, and why so many people become new spectators for both.
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Mathieu Quiquerez CS:GO Nov 10, 2020
Aspects of communication in CS:GO Communication. Rightfully one of the most recurrent themes in Counter-Strike, it has also always been a topic of great interest for me. I used to be very affected by the quality of my teams’ vocal exchanges during games.
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Adam Boothe CS:GO Oct 2, 2020
Using maps in your CS:GO betting strategy For as long as I have been following the competitive Counter-Strike scene, the professional map pool has consisted of seven maps in active circulation at one time. However, beyond this Valve has, at seemingly random moments, swapped in a new map with the intention of updating the one they are removing.
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Mathieu Quiquerez CS:GO Sep 25, 2020
The pros and cons of international rosters in CS:GO We have come a long way in accepting that international rosters can compete at the highest level in Counter-Strike. Teams like FaZe and mousesports have opened up an avenue which other teams have then followed, with G2 being the latest remarkable example.
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Michael Moriarty CS:GO Sep 21, 2020
Looking at the CS:GO coaching bug Right at the end of August 2020, just after ESL One Cologne crowned Heroic as its winner, a new scandal rocked competitive CS:GO. A bug in the game meant that coaches of teams could exploit the camera to gain information they were not supposed to be privy to.
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Mathieu Quiquerez CS:GO Sep 18, 2020
The eternal dilemma of individual consistency Having watched and participated in expert panels for years, I can safely say that consistency is one of the most recurrent terms in the realm of Counter-Strike. In fact, one of the highest praises we can possibly give to a player is to say they’re consistent.
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Mathieu Quiquerez CS:GO Aug 24, 2020
Using professional expertise for CS:GO betting Betting both on CS:GO and in general is a topic I’ve been slightly reluctant to cover and address for a while. I will start off by saying that you should always think any bet through and bet responsibly if it is an activity that you enjoy.
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Michael Moriarty CS:GO Aug 17, 2020
How is CS:GO popular? CS:GO has been out as a game for eight years, although the Counter-Strike franchise it forms part of has existed for over two decades. Not many games manage to sustain such longevity at the top, so how is CS:GO popular?
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Mathieu Quiquerez Educational Aug 7, 2020
The impact of fatigue on performance Fatigue is a very prominent issue in CS:GO at the moment, with a number of top players recently taking prolonged breaks from competition. In his latest column, former professional player Mathieu “Maniac” Quiquerez lends his insight into how fatigue can affect a player’s performance.
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Michael Moriarty CS:GO Jul 31, 2020
CS:GO weapons guide To take part in CS:GO, you need to get to know the weapons. From the different types of guns all the way to the grenades, mastering these elements will be the only way you’ll reach the top of your game.
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Adam Boothe CS:GO Jul 23, 2020
How different tournament formats affect CS:GO betting The competitive scene of each game is very different. It is critical to understand how the scheduling affects not only the players, but a bettor’s ability to find opportunity. This article will look at how the CS calendar operates in its current state, broken into two parts and covering the top level of the scene first.
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Mathieu Quiquerez CS:GO Jul 22, 2020
What makes a good IGL? Players that compete in CS:GO often struggle with taking up the role of In-Game Leader (IGL). We asked former professional player Mathieu “Maniac” Quiquerez on his thoughts about what makes a good IGL.
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Michael Moriarty Rocket League Jul 10, 2020
RLCS X: Rocket League's new esports format Psyonix have announced a drastic restructure to their flagship competition, the Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS). Changes include dropping the league format, instituting new “Major” competitions and one, annual, World Championship event.
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Michael Moriarty Valorant Jul 7, 2020
VALORANT Ranks Explained Are you starting to make your journey towards the top of VALORANT? In such a case, it’s probably best to understand the game’s ranking system, in order to figure out how where your skill level is at that moment to continue improving.
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Pinnacle Educational Jun 24, 2020
How the Swiss-System works in esports For those of you that are avid watchers of CS:GO Majors, you may notice that the opening two sections host a format not seen at many other tournaments, the Swiss-system. We’ll look at how it came to be, and where it originated from, before injecting itself into esport tournaments across the world.
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Michael Moriarty Valorant Jun 19, 2020
Is VALORANT a viable esport? With VALORANT’s official release having occurred in the middle of June, naturally everyone’s eyes are looking to where it’ll head next. A big expectation of many is that it’ll explode as an esport, but will it be viable, and what approach will it take? We muse over some potential directions.
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The Dota 2 Hero Dota 2 May 29, 2020
How does Dota 2 ranked work? You have decided that now is the time to take a step into the daunting world of ranked matchmaking. The intimidating 'Ranked' button calls you to play for higher stakes. But before you enter, here is some knowledge to take with you on your journey.
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Jack Davidson Dota 2 May 28, 2020
The Most Expensive Dota 2 Skins Similar to CS:GO, skins are cosmetic items available for purchase within the Dota armoury. These items change the way heroes appear in game and some even affect the appearance wearer’s spells by adding particle effects and unique colouring. Whilst these changes do not provide any power advantage to the player, they are extremely sought after and can fetch a high price on the Steam market.
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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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Mathieu Quiquerez CS:GO May 20, 2020
Effects of using a substitute in CS:GO On occasion in CS:GO, teams have to opt for using stand-in players or substitutes. With teams like Astralis expanding their roster to seven members to allow for substitutions to occur, former CS:GO professional player Mathieu “Maniac” Quiquerez looks into the impact this can have on teams.
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Michael Moriarty CS:GO May 15, 2020
Most expensive skins in CS:GO In 2013 Valve released the Arms Deal update for CS:GO in which they introduced weapon skins to the game. These are graphical items available to purchase and trade that make your guns, knives, gloves and other items look different.
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Mathieu Quiquerez CS:GO May 13, 2020
The impact of moving to online CS:GO Due to the current global pandemic, offline esports events have suffered cancellations or postponements. As such, the fledgling industry has returned to a natural home – online. We’ve enlisted the assistance of a former professional CS:GO player to discuss the affects this may have on a number of teams.
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Michael Moriarty CS:GO May 11, 2020
The rise of 6-man rosters in CS:GO Traditionally, teams in the Counter-Strike series have retained a solid 5-man roster. While other esports, like League of Legends and Overwatch, have moved into a larger roster environment, the majority of CS:GO has so far remained steadfast in its commitment to not having more than five people on a team.
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Michael Moriarty CS:GO Apr 27, 2020
CS:GO callouts explained While you may know your Inferno’s from your Dust2’s in the CS:GO map pool, knowing the names of each part of the map may not be in your wheelhouse. Read on to get a better understanding of where exactly these places are that casters and players talk about.
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Mathieu Quiquerez Valorant Apr 17, 2020
VALORANT vs CSGO: A pro's perspective VALORANT has burst onto the esports scene and is gaining momentum with the potential to become a top title. With so many questions about similarities and differences between VALORANT and CS:GO, we enlisted a former professional CS:GO player to run through an in-depth analysis of VALORANT vs. CS:GO.
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Pinnacle Strategy Mar 24, 2020
The difference between LAN and Online esports When betting on esports it is important to take into account whether the tournament is a LAN event or online. Many factors can enhance a player’s performance - or have a negative impact - and understanding why a player played better or worse in a match can be beneficial when betting on events in the future. Read on to find out more.
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Michael Moriarty CS:GO Mar 24, 2020
What is CS:GO Totals betting? Outside of the main options for betting on CS:GO matches, there are many alternative markets to bet on. One of the easiest alternatives to understand are Match Totals and Map Totals markets. So, how does Totals betting work and what is important for bettors to understand to utilise it? Read on to find out.
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Michael Moriarty Educational Mar 5, 2020
The history of esports Esports is tapping on the door of mainstream sport status across the globe. Where did it begin? This a brief look at the history of esports, including the start of a number of tournament organisers and a number of the big esports.
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Michael Moriarty CS:GO Jan 23, 2020
North at DreamHack Open Leipzig: Return of MSL The first event of the 2020 CS:GO calendar, DreamHack Open Leipzig, is imminent. In attendance will be North, who will be lining up with In-Game Leader Mathias "MSL" Lauridsen for the first time since September 2018.
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Benjamin Doughty CS:GO Jan 13, 2020
CS:GO: The year in review 2019 has brought us many memorable moments in Counter-Strike. We witnessed Astralis dominate the Major circuit, and saw Team Liquid break records to take the Intel Grand Slam in record time eventually resulting in Intel changing the requirements.
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Michael Moriarty CS:GO Jan 9, 2020
Looking at Astralis vs Liquid in 2019 Throughout 2019, there were two main powerhouse teams battling it out for the top. Barring a brief gap of a couple of weeks in October, the top spot on the HLTV.org team rankings was held by either Astralis or Team Liquid.
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Michael Moriarty CS:GO Oct 30, 2019
How does the ESL Pro Tour work? Before ESL One New York 2019, ESL announced their CS:GO tournament plan for 2020. This mostly encompasses the ambitious project of the ESL Pro Tour, where ESL and DreamHack interconnect their tournaments at various levels. -
Michael Moriarty CS:GO Oct 25, 2019
Why don't superstar teams work in CS:GO? Place yourself in this position: You’re the general manager of an esports organisation and you want to make a big splash into the world of CS:GO. The best way to do this, you think, is to cherry-pick the five best performing players in the world and place them all on one roster.
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Michael Moriarty CS:GO Sep 2, 2019
Interview with North's mithR After announcing our new partnership with North, we sat down with the team to gain an understanding of who they are and how they approach the game. In the final interview, we speak to the team’s coach, Torbjørn “mithR” Nyborg. -
Michael Moriarty CS:GO Aug 30, 2019
Interview with North's JUGi After announcing our new partnership with North, we sat down with the team to gain an understanding of who they are and how they approach the game. The final player we’ll speak is the team’s newest addition, AWPer Jakob "JUGi" Hansen. -
Michael Moriarty CS:GO Aug 28, 2019
Interview with North's valde After announcing our new partnership with North, we sat down with the team to gain an understanding of who they are and how they approach the game. The fourth in the series sees us talk to the team’s IGL, Valdemar “valde” Bjørn. -
Michael Moriarty CS:GO Aug 23, 2019
Interview with North's Kjaerbye After announcing our new partnership with North, we sat down with the team to gain an understanding of who they are and how they approach the game. The third interview sees us talk to former Major MVP, Markus “Kjaerbye” Kjærbye. -
Michael Moriarty CS:GO Aug 19, 2019
Interview with North's gade After announcing our new partnership with North, we sat down with the team to gain an understanding of who they are and how they approach the game. The second in the series sees us talk to one of the newer team members, Nicklas “gade” Gade.
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Michael Moriarty CS:GO Aug 15, 2019
Interview with North's aizy After announcing our new partnership with North, we sat down with the team to gain an understanding of who they are and how they approach the game. First in this series is the team’s longest serving member Philip “aizy” Aistrup. -
The complete history of Dota 2 If you’re betting on Dota 2, knowledge of the game and the teams or players competing is a basic requirement. While learning more about the history of the game itself won’t necessarily inform your betting now, it’s still an interesting subject for esports bettors. Read on for a brief history of Dota 2.
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Benjamin Cronin Educational Jun 8, 2019
The difference between betting on Esports vs. traditional sports The popularity of esports has soared in recent years and the influx of new fans has brought with it a new wave of bettors. Although the basics of betting are the same no matter what you bet on, there are some major differences between betting on esports and more “traditional” sports. Read on to learn more.
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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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Pinnacle Educational May 30, 2019
Interview with a Pinnacle Esports Trader With the demand for esports betting sky-rocketing, we got one of our Live esports traders, Michael Prim, to give us an interview. Why is live betting so popular with esports bettors? What game state changes are the most critical? When do bettors overreact to a situation? Read on to find out.
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Pinnacle Educational Aug 1, 2018
What eSports game best suits you? There are a whole variety of different eSports games around at the moment and those new to the world of eSports will probably be spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing which games to play or watch. Want to know what eSport best suits you? Read on to find out.
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Pinnacle Educational Jun 5, 2018
What is the best gaming equipment? Playing eSports titles yourself is the best way to understand the complexities of a game you’re betting on and owning the correct equipment is essential to have the best gaming experience. What are the best gaming peripherals available? Read on to find out.
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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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Is CS:GO becoming more T sided? Playing on the counter-terrorist side in CS:GO has always been seen as an advantage. Multiple updates have changed CS:GO extensively, leading many to believe CS:GO is becoming more terrorist sided. Is this actually the case? Why is it important for bettors to analyse the T side bias in CS:GO? Read on to find out.
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May's eSports Player of the Month Pinnacle’s Player of the Month for May is Jake ‘Stewie2k’ Yip. Despite winning the Boston Major with Cloud9, he decided to take a leap of faith and join the Brazilian side of SK Gaming in March 2018. What makes Stewie2k one of the most exciting players in CS:GO? Read on to find out.
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Pinnacle Overwatch Apr 17, 2018
The best Overwatch Twitter accounts to follow As Overwatch is regularly updated, betting on it without having up-to-date information is difficult. Following the best Twitter accounts will provide you with essential data that can be the difference between winning and losing a bet. What are the best Overwatch Twitter accounts to follow? Read on to find out.
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Pinnacle Starcraft 2 Apr 17, 2018
March's eSports Player of the Month Pinnacle’s Player of the Month for March is Sasha ‘Scarlett’ Hostyn. By winning the IEM PyeongChang tournament sponsored by International Olympic Committee in February, she became the first female in eSports to win an international event. Why is Scarlett a role model for women across the globe? Read on to find out more.
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Interview with a professional CS:GO player: Petra We recently sat down with Petra from the CS:GO team Singularity to ask her a few questions. How do you get a career in playing eSports? What’s it like to play CS:GO for a job? Read on to find out.
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Pinnacle League of Legends Mar 19, 2018
February’s eSports Player of the Month: Faker Pinnacle’s Player of the Month for February is Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-Hyeok. He was crowned eSports player of the year for 2017 but has begun 2018 disappointingly, having his worst ever start to a season in the LCK. What is so special about Faker? Read on to find out more.
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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 Overwatch Mar 1, 2018
Interview with a professional Overwatch player: Logix If you are interested in eSports, you probably want to know what it’s like to be a professional player. Logix from the Overwatch team Florida Mayhem was kind enough to sit down and answer a few of our questions. How do you make it as a professional eSports player and what is it like to play Overwatch full-time? Read on to find out.
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January’s eSports Player of the Month: coldzera The first person to win Pinnacle’s eSports Player of the Month title was an obvious choice. Marcelo ‘coldzera’ David is well on his way to becoming the best CS:GO player there has ever been. How does coldzera compare to other CS:GO players and why is he so good? Read on to find out.
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The best CS:GO Twitter accounts to follow To be a successful bettor you need to have the most accurate data available. Researching player or team statistics is important, and following the correct Twitter accounts can also give you this and an edge over the bookmaker. What are the best CS:GO Twitter accounts to follow? Read on to find out.
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Pinnacle Educational Oct 16, 2017
The road to five million eSports bets Our Head of Sportsbook is an avid eSports gamer. Back in early 2010, convinced of the huge betting potential it presented, he decided to post Pinnacle’s first ever eSports market. Find out how we got from that first bet to surpassing five million eSports bets.