Much like with traditional sports, you can almost always find an esports match to bet on. Professional players compete around the clock, battling in various leagues and tournaments all around the world.
When it comes to Dota 2, there’s always a ton of wagering options, especially when major events such as The International are taking place. As you might expect, the most popular betting options are the straightforward ones like moneylines, but there are also some very unique options that offer extra excitement and more wagering possibilities than you might expect.
Before we move on to the exciting Dota 2 prop bets, make sure to check out our Dota 2 guide to familiarize yourself with the basics of the game, if you haven’t already.
What are Dota 2 Prop Bets?
Proposition bets, also known as prop bets, are wagers based on certain events in a match that may not even affect the overall outcome.
In traditional sports, this could be something like how many rebounds a player will grab in a basketball game or how many strikeouts a pitcher will have in a baseball match. However, things are a bit different in Dota 2 and it may be difficult to understand all the different props, especially if you are new to the game.
Dota 2 ‘First Team To’ Prop Bets
First Team To bets are one of the most popular prop options for Dota 2 bettors. These are wagers where you pick which team will get the first Roshan kill, destroy the first tower or destroy the first barracks.
Usually, the match favorites will be the favorite for all of these options, but the odds are usually relatively close, as either team could realistically accomplish any of those firsts and it may not even affect the outcome of the game.
Keep in mind that certain teams’ play styles and compositions lean toward focusing on objectives early, while others focus on different things, like kills or lanes. For example, if a team loves to use Death Prophet, they may have a higher chance of getting the first tower, as the hero is great for pushing down lanes and her ultimate damages towers, unlike most abilities.
Here are a few examples of “First Team To” bets you may find:
Destroy a Tower – Team Secret -150 | OG +110
Destroy a Barracks – Team Secret -160 | OG +120
Slay Roshan – Team Secret -160 | OG +120
In the above examples, Team Secret would be the heavy favorite for the match overall, and as such come in as favorites for all these objectives. However, the odds aren’t massive, as it’s very possible for the underdogs to sneak away a tower or a Roshan first.
You may think that -160 and +120 is still a big difference, but overall, the odds aren’t that huge. When it comes to the moneyline, Team Secret would likely see something like -300 here, if not more, so there’s real value in wagering on the First To lines, even on the favorite.
Dota 2 Kills Prop Bets
Kills props are another popular proposition wager option in Dota 2. When it comes to gameplay, player kills provide teams with large advantages that they can then turn into wins, much like objectives.
There are generally a few options for kills wagers, including totals, first blood, most, and race to a specific number of kills. Let’s take a look at all of these and exactly what they mean.
Dota 2 Kills Handicap Props
As you can imagine, kills handicaps are just like handicaps in any other sport – one team is given a negative handicap and another a positive. Here’s what this may look like:
Team Secret vs Evil Geniuses: Map 1 – Kills Handicap
-10.5 Team Secret -125
+10.5 Evil Geniuses -111
What this means is that Team Secret would have to get 11 or more kills than Evil Geniuses for the first option to win, while Evil Geniuses would need to stay within 10 kills of EG for their option to win.
Generally, the favorites should be winning the match and thus getting more kills and once again Secret would be considered the overall favorite. However, kills don’t decide the game. They are somewhat of an indicator of who’s winning, but sometimes a team will dominate in kills and lose one key fight in the latter stages of the match and lose the game.
Additionally, some matches play out very slowly, meaning a big handicap may not even be reached. It’s not uncommon for a match to see 20 or even fewer kills.
Dota 2 Kills Totals Props
Once again, totals are what you’d expect – the total number of kills. It doesn’t matter which way the kills go, as long as the total number of kills ends up being OVER or UNDER the number you picked. Generally, a Dota 2 total kills betting option may look something like this:
Team Secret vs Natus Vincere: Map 1 – Kills Total
OVER 32.5 -120
UNDER 32.5 -120
This means that if the match goes to 33 or more kills, the OVER wins, while 32 or fewer kills means the UNDER bet wins. The number of kills differs wildly from game to game and depends on many factors, including the teams, the heroes picked and the flow of the game.
If wagering on total kills, make sure to take these factors into consideration, especially the heroes and the teams. Some teams love to play an aggressive style, which will naturally lend to a high number of kills, while some are very conservative.
Dota 2 Most Kills Props
Most kills is another simple one – which team will get the most kills? Once again, this generally goes to the favorite, but either team can win this bet and still lose the game overall. A most kills wager will usually look like this:
Team Secret vs Alliance: Map 1 – Most Kills
Team Secret -170
Alliance +115
As you can see, the favorites Team Secret are also favored to get more kills, as they should be winning the match and thus killing their opponents. However, the odds are not extremely high, as it could go either way and Secret could still win overall while getting fewer kills.
Dota 2 First Blood Props
The first kill of each game, known as first blood, has earned its own section for Dota 2 betting props on the majority of websites. The first kill of each game is important as it gives teams a small boost, but, like kills in general, it’s not vital to the outcome of the game and it’s really one that could go either way.
This is what a first blood prop could look like:
Team Secret vs Team Liquid: Map 1 – First Blood
Team Secret -120
Team Liquid -120
Once again, Team Secret would be another favorite in this example, however, this time the odds are even. This is because there are a ton of factors to the first kill and it is very difficult to know who will get it.
First blood depends on the teams playing, map-to-map strategies, heroes picked and a bit of luck. Generally, this type of bet is made more for making the first few minutes of the game more exciting, but there are a few teams and strategies that prioritize first blood, so it may take some research if you want to take advantage of this prop.
Dota 2 Race To Number Of Kills Props
Last but not least comes the race to a number of kills prop. This is another fairly straightforward one, as you pick a team that you think will get to a certain number of kills first. A Race To Number Of Kills prop may look something like this:
5 – Team Secret -139 | Virtus.pro +100
10 – Team Secret -152 | Virtus.pro +110
15 – Team Secret -164 | Virtus.pro +120
20 – Team Secret -175 | Virtus.pro +125
In the example, Secret is once again the favorite for that match and all the options. Five kills have slightly higher odds than the rest, and then there is a general trend in the favor of the favorites as the kills increase.
This is because the lower the kills amount, the easier it is to reach. Even an underdog can sneak away a few early kills, but as the match goes on and more kills come through, the favorite should take control of the match.
Now that you know all of the popular Dota 2 props, you’re ready to make some exciting new bets. If you’re uncertain which sportsbook to use, make sure to check out our list of the best esports betting sites.