VALORANT esports betting

Developed by Riot Games, Valorant is one of the latest hits in esports and online gaming. It’s a free to play (F2P) tactical first-person shooter (FPS) that takes inspiration from classics such as the Rainbow Six, Counter-Strike, and Overwatch series.

Why is this game so popular? Mostly because of its famous developer, Riot Games. If you like esports, you may have already heard of them.

Riot Games are responsible for League of Legends and Overwatch – two of the world’s most popular esports titles. They have also developed some more modest successes like Legends of Runeterra, Teamfight Tactics, and several others.

With gameplay that derives from a number of famous esports games, Valorant is set to be a blast. It’s clearly a game that was built for competition, meaning that you’ll see many Valorant tournaments and leagues soon.

Betting on Valorant esports

This game has an evident focus on competitive play. The Valorant esports scene may be just starting now, but it’s already growing quickly. Finding a reliable online bookmaker is a crucial step to engage in Valorant betting. Below are the top-rated esports betting sites for gamblers in United States.

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Valorant bet types

How does competitive Valorant work? There’s only one game mode during beta. Players team up in groups of five players to play against each other. The winners of the round go to the next phase of the competition.

Because of how new the game is, there are no specialised multiplayer divisions yet. More modes may be added in the future. Recheck this page for more information after the game’s full launch for future updates.

If you want to gamble on Valorant matches, take a look at the different types of esports bets outlined below.

Winner
In this wager, you define which team will win the game. It’s the most straightforward bet you can make. It’s also possible to bet on the outright winner of a Valorant competition.

Over/under
This type of bet predicts a particular statistic related to a match. For instance, you can bet on whether a team has more or less than a specified number of kills in a contest (e.g. over/under 17.5 kills). Total rounds is another popular over/under market.

Handicap bet
Also called a line bet or spread bet, this kind of wager assigns each team a points handicap in order to level the playing field somewhat and draw money to both sides of the contest. If the favourites are given a -1.5 handicap, for instance, then they must win by at least two points for the bet to win.

Other Valorant bets
Besides these, there are several other types of bets. The Valorant betting community is still growing, so we may see different kinds of wagers gain popularity over time.

Tips for betting on Valorant

Valorant betting strategies are not so different from the ones used for other esports games. You need to find reliable Valorant betting sites, learn about the game and leading players, and pick your wagers carefully.

Taking the time to learn about the leading players and teams is the best strategy for esports betting. Games that have existed for years have clear favourites, but this is not yet the case in Valorant betting. In a new scene, you need to watch out for the rising stars if you want to win.

Another useful hint is to see if any famous players from other games – like Overwatch, for example – have migrated to Valorant. Pro esports players will have an edge against competitors who are starting out in this new game, so it often pays to side with experience.

Schedule for Valorant esports events in 2020

Are you looking for a Valorant competition to participate in or bet on? Despite how new the game is, several competitions are currently happening around the world.

It’s important to know that some of these dates may change. Not only is Valorant a recent addition to the online gaming scene, but the world is facing the COVID-19 outbreak right now. Several esports competitions are suffering from sudden shifts in their schedules because of these unique conditions.

At the moment, the Valorant esports community has not planned any major recurrent events. This is mostly due to the game still being in the beta testing stage, which amounts to a limited number of players. You can keep up to date by checking Valorant bookmakers. The community is growing quickly, but it’s still not as large as it will be in years to come.

Confirmed A-Tier Valorant tournaments for 2020

T1 x Nerd Street Gamers Showdown
June 26-28	16 teams	$50k prize pool	North America
WePlay! Invitational
July 15-19	8 teams	$50k prize pool	Europe
RAGE Japan Tournament
August 1-2	16 teams	¥5m prize pool	Japan

Valorant gameplay and features

What is Valorant, and why is it so popular despite not even having a full release right now? The answer is simple: it’s Riot Games’ new competitive shooter. Overwatch is one of the most famous shooters in the world, so everybody is eager to know what’s up with this new offering. Riot also created League of Legends, which is one of the most prominent titles in world esports.

So far, gamers describe the gameplay as engaging, smart, and very tactical. It has a variety of characters, just like Overwatch, and they have a range of different abilities.

The target audience for the game is predominantly FPS fans. If you’re not into games such as Counter-Strike, PUGB, Call of Duty, Apex Legends, Overwatch, or Rainbow Six, you probably won’t like it. If you do, however, this game may be one of your favourites this year.

How to play Valorant

The first step to playing Valorant is to get access to the game. During the beta testing phase, you can grab an access code online. After the official launch, you can download the game normally. Valorant is free to play, meaning that you only pay for the goods that you buy in the game.

While the core Valorant gameplay features are pretty straightforward, the game is far from simple. It’s a 5-vs-5 arena in which one team tries to set up a bomb, and the other tries to stop it – in other words, a classic defender-against-attacker game.

Each round ends when the bomb explodes, is diffused, or if the five members of any team die. Most games are best out of 25 matches (so you need 13 wins). Also, the matches are quick, with most concluding in less than two minutes.

More game modes may be added after launch. However, there’s no official confirmation yet.

Valorant agents and their attributes

In order to win when you play Valorant, it’s essential to combine the strengths of different agents, which are the playable characters. As in Overwatch, a well-structured team will have a significant advantage over one that lacks cohesion and synergy.

The Valorant beta features nine different agents:

Who is the team behind Valorant?

Riot Games got famous with the success of League of Legends, which was launched in 2009. After that, the company continued to grow, and it entered the FPS market with Overwatch back in 2016.

The success of Overwatch meant that the game would need a successor sooner or later. Valorant is the answer. Curiously, it was already in development before Overwatch was even launched. This means that this game is likely to become big in no time.

According to lead designer Trevor Romleski, the game was in development for six years. The first three years were focused on research, and the second half was the actual development.

Watching Valorant esports events

Valorant has been an esport since its inception. Unlike other games that may have shifted focus to competitive play later on, this one was created to be watched.

If you want to learn how to play Valorant or engage in Valorant betting, you may need to watch games. Fortunately, there are several websites where you can do just that.

At the moment, watching or playing Valorant does not have any restrictions in any country. So, you may watch it from anywhere. If you want to bet on Valorant, however, you may face some roadblocks. Sports betting is not legal in every country, while some jurisdictions that allow wagering on sports do not approve of esports betting. So, you may want to check your local legislation before you engage in this kind of activity.

How to watch Valorant live streams online

There are two main options for watching a Valorant competition. You can either use Twitch, or find an online betting operator that offers live coverage of the most popular pro gaming events.

Twitch, in case you are not familiar with it, is the world’s largest streaming platform focused on games and esports. Most big events are streamed in the channels of sponsors there. It has a huge gaming community, and some people consider it a big part of the reason why esports have become so popular.

If you like in-game betting, you may want to use Valorant betting sites that offer live esports streams. That way, you can watch Valorant tournaments and make your wagers at same time without having to switch back and forth between different websites and browser tabs.

The verdict

Valorant is an excellent F2P tactical FPS that follows the tradition of Overwatch, Counter-Strike, and Rainbow Six. A competent company developed it, and the people playing it right now don’t have complaints about its quality. It will undoubtedly become one of the best esports games in 2020.