The Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) was the official tournament series and the highest level of competition in Dota 2 esports. Introduced in 2021, the DPC completely revamped the competitive Dota 2 landscape and moved away from the previous format which was similar to that of Counter-Strike, with several minor tournaments and Majors spread across the year.
After the 2023 season, the Dota Pro Circuit was scrapped by the Dota 2 team as they felt that the DPC was making the professional Dota scene less exciting and less fun due to the rules and regulations that it carries with it.
What is the DPC?
Initially, the competitive Dota 2 scene was very similar to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, but in 2021 Valve decided to introduce Dota Pro Circuit (DPC), which led to significant changes to how Dota 2 esports operates.
By forming Dota Pro Circuit, the Dota 2 esports was more closely resembles that of League of Legends, featuring regional competitions (DPC Regional Leagues), which served as qualifiers for international events such as Majors and The International.
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Along with League of Legends and Counter-Strike, Dota 2 is one of the biggest and most-watched esports in the world, and as a result, an esports title with betting markets available on the majority of online betting sites.
That includes traditional bookmakers, such as bet365, William Hill, 888sport, and Betway and esports bookmakers, such as GG.Bet.
Some betting sites ran special DPC promotions and free bet bonus offers. However, those are typically available only for important events and matches in the DPC circuit, such as regional league playoffs, DPC Majors, and The International.
DPC bet types available at betting sites
Betting on Dota 2 is similar to betting on League of Legends since both teams belong to the Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) genre and play similarly. And many of the bet types that are available for LoL betting were also available for DPC betting.
Moneyline
Moneyline is the most straightforward bet a punter can place on any Dota 2 match. With it, we’re predicting which team will win the next game, and it doesn’t matter how long it takes or what the final result is.
Handicaps
Handicaps are one of the most popular bet types, which add a bit more flexibility compared to moneyline bets. With handicaps, the bookmakers even the playing field between two teams by giving the favourites an imaginary disadvantage and the underdogs an imaginary advantage, which can include many things.
Most commonly, the handicaps are offered in the form of kills and maps won, but it’s also possible to place handicap bets on towers or barracks destroyed, and Roshan kills. Some of the most popular bet types in Dota 2 esports includes:
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Totals (Over/Under)
Totals (or over/under) is another standard bet available in sports and esports betting, which allows punters to predict whether a certain statistic in a game will exceed the predetermined value. In Dota 2, totals are used primarily to predict the number of maps played (in best-of games), the number of towers and barracks destroyed, and the number of kills in a match.
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Outrights (Futures)
Outrights or futures are wagers on a future event. Rather than betting on which team will win the next game, futures allow DPC punters to place bets on who will win the next DPC regional league, the next Major, or which team will be crowned The International champions. Besides outright winners, outright betting markets can also include:
- Team to reach the finals
- Stage of elimination
- Team with the most kills in a tournament
- Tournament MVP
- Player with the most kills
- Over/under kills of a specific hero in a tournament
- Most picked hero in a tournament
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“First Team To”
One of the most popular proposition bets available for DPC betting is “first team to”, a self-explanatory betting market that allows punters to predict which team will achieve something in a game before their opponents. The four main examples of first team to markets in DPC betting include:
- First team to secure a kill (First Blood)
- First team to destroy a tower
- First team to destroy barracks
- First team to kill Roshan
Dota Pro Circuit Key Dates 2023
Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) season consists of three tours, which are separated by a DPC Major, and it ends with The International, traditionally held in Autumn. The 2023 DPC season officially started on January 9, 2023, and is scheduled to end in October with TI23.
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DPC WEU
- Division Tour 1: Division I – January 9-31
- Division Tour 2: Division I – March 13 – April 3
- Division Tour 3: Division I – May 15 – June 5
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DPC EEU
- Division Tour 1: Division I – January 8-30
- Division Tour 2: Division I – March 12 – April 2
- Division Tour 3: Division I – May 14 – June 5
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DPC CN
- Division Tour 1: Division I – January 5 – February 4
- Division Tour 2: Division I – March 14 – April 3
- Division Tour 3: Division I – May 16 – June 5
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DPC SEA
- Division Tour 1: Division I – January 9-30
- Division Tour 2: Division I – March 13 – April 3
- Division Tour 3: Division I May 15 – June 5
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DPC NA
- Division Tour 1: Division I – January 9-29
- Division Tour 2: Division I – March 13 – April 3
- Division Tour 3: Division I – May 15 – June 5
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DPC SA
- Division Tour 1: Division I – January 10-30
- Division Tour 2: Division I – March 12 – April 2
- Division Tour 3: Division I – May 14 – June 5
DPC Majors 2023
After each DPC Regional League tour, Valve hosts a Major, an international Dota 2 esports tournament for the top-performing teams from all six regions. Each DPC season has three Majors, which are hosted at various locations around the world by multiple esports tournament organisers.
All DPC Majors have a $500,000 prize pool and 2,700 DPC points, which are used to determine which 12 teams receive a direct invite to The International.
The dates for the DPC majors in 2023 are:
- Lima Major 2023 (Lima, Peru) – February 22 – March 5
- ESL One Berlin Major 2023 (Berlin, Germany) – April 26 – May 7
- Bali Major 2023 (Bali, Singapore) – June 29 – July 9
- The International 2023 (Seattle, Washington) – October 14-29
How To Bet On The Dota Pro Circuit
Dota 2 is one of the world’s most-watched esports and one of the first esports titles to have its betting markets offered by traditional bookmakers.
Over the years, all major esports betting sites – including traditional sportsbooks – have embraced Dota 2 betting and regularly cover DPC leagues and tournaments.
Due to how easy it is to access DPC betting markets and how simple it is to get familiar with the available bet types, Dota 2 is a perfect game for those who want to get into esports betting but have never bet on esports before.
Those without experience betting on Dota 2 might want to follow our esports betting previews to understand how to find solid betting opportunities. But it doesn’t take long for anyone to get a firm grasp of the basics and start betting on DPC.
How To Watch The DPC 2023
Dota Pro Circuit matches, including Majors, are regularly broadcasted on Twitch, YouTube, VK, and various Chinese streaming platforms, such as Weibo and AfreecaTV.
- China: https://www.twitch.tv/pwrdesports1
- Western Europe: https://www.twitch.tv/pgl_dota2
- Eastern Europe: https://www.twitch.tv/paragon_eng
- Southeast Asia: https://www.twitch.tv/epulzegaming
- North America: https://www.twitch.tv/pgl_dota2en2
- South America: https://www.twitch.tv/esb_dota2
DPC 2023 Prize Money
Dota Pro Circuit was the primary competitive esport tournament system of Dota 2 esports and one of the most lucrative in the esports industry.
Each DPC regional league offered $205,000 in the total prize pool per tour in addition to the $500,000 put on the table for each of the three Majors. But the real money comes with The International, which holds the record for the most lucrative single-esports tournament in history.
The International prize pool starts at $1.6 million, but the total amount varies depending on the success of the crowdfunding via Dota 2 Battle Pass sales. The TI prize pool exceeded $18 million over the last seven iterations of the event and peaked at $40,018,195 in 2021.
- DPC Regional Leagues (Division I): $250,000
- DPC Majors: $500,000
- The International: TBA