Once again Blizzard has proved that they know what fans of eSport gaming want. Hearthstone is a strategic game, in which players compete with cards against each other, with an aim to reduce the opponent’s health to zero. The cards in Hearthstone are comprised of other previously released games of the producers, Blizzard.
How quickly the game has grown, was particularly noticeable at the start. The number of downloads very soon reached the millions, and shortly after the games release the first tournaments were already being offered. In 2015, a year after its release, it attracted 500 000 US Dollars prize money at Blizzcom, however one year later, the prize money had risen to 1 000 000 Us Dollars. This radical increase in prize money shows to which extent Blizzard counts on the community and has built up the electronic competition round Hearthstone. Bookmakers are also attuned to the success of this card game and offer occasional bets on big events.
How is Hearthstone played?
As with most other eSport games, Hearthstone is played online. Nowadays the game has over 800 different playing cards, which create an extensive choice of entities, weapons and spells.
Each player receives 30 life or health points, which the opponent has to reduce to 0 in order to win the game.
Before the game each player chooses a deck of 30 cards from nine different categories (shaman, druid, warrior, rogue, paladin, hunter, warlock, mage and priest). Each card can occur a maximum of twice in the deck, apart from legendry cards which can occur only once.
Cards are playable with so called mana crystals, and a card can only be played if enough mana is available. For each move, a player receives one mana in his pool, and mana used in previous rounds is also returned to the mana pool.
The game is ended when one of the counterparts is able to reduce his opponent’s health to 0, and thereby claims victory.
General Introduction to betting on Hearthstone
Because of the rapid growth of the game it is now possible to place bets on big events. Next to games like League of Legends, Dota 2 and Counterstrike, Hearthstone remains in the shade, and has few tournaments on which one can bet. The fault could lie with Blizzard itself, as there is only one large tournament. However, there are a great number of Leagues, through which one can qualify for BlizzCon, and the large tournament that takes place there.
Nevertheless, one should concentrate much more on the tournament mode, and seize the opportunity to offer all players of this beloved card game a stage to possibly make it even bigger and more popular.
Where is the best place to bet on Hearthstone?
There are enough bookmakers who are interested in this game. This was already apparent when in 2016 the big Hearthstone tournament came up, and sports betting portals voluntarily included it in their portfolios.
As well as the largest tournament, the Hearthstone World Championship, this year another tournament is being added. The Championship Tour will be brought to life, with three events. The Global Games tournament in which players represent their countries also caught our eye, and we had a look round for various bookmakers, to see who has best bets on offer for you.
- eGamingBets – Perhaps a dedicated eSport bookmaker is exactly the right choice in this case, who also offers betting opportunities on smaller tournaments, which stand in shadow of Blizzcon. In July 2017 the Global Masters took place and was 100% covered by this provider. Other tournaments are also often on offer too, while other bookmakers do not take them on.
- Bet365 – The sports betting giant naturally does not offer the smaller tournaments, however, the two previous World Masters in 2015 and 2016 were on offer and live bets could even be placed. The Global Games are unfortunately not on offer here, and therefore there is a higher chance that the Champions Tour Tournaments also will not be covered.
Providers such as Bet at Home for instance have recently upgraded their eSport portfolio. However even here there are very few Hearthstone betting opportunities on offer.
The best solution for Hearthstone betting fans therefore is to open an account with a dedicated eSports bookmaker, such as eGamingBets, in order to find adequate betting opportunities.
When can bets be placed?
Bookmakers currently have enough opportunities. Along with the tournament between the countries, Blizzard has already announced a Championship Tour, which will offer games of a very high level.
However it seems that the bookmakers are not playing along, and it looks as though we will have to wait until some time and the Hearthstone World Championships for another opportunity to place bets.
The exception to this, as already mentioned, are eSport bookmakers who need to fill their betting portfolios and for this sometimes turn to the smaller tournaments. We wanted to show you at one glace, the most important Hearthstone tournaments, which we have listed below:
- Hearthstone World Championship – the largest tournament on the Hearthstone scene, which so far has always taken place at the Blizzcon and there attracted great public interest. In 2017 no World Championships will take place, instead the Champions tour will probably conclude at the Blizzcom, which is sure to be covered by several bookmakers.
- Global Games – the Hearthstone Global Games can be considered a type pf world championships, where players represent their counties. It is a sure sign of Hearthstone´s popularity that 48 countries are represented. The Global Games also enjoys some coverage by bookmakers.
Apart from the above mentioned Champions tour, these tournaments were the only ones we could find.
Another possible option for bookmakers could be for example the Dreamhack, where Hearthstone is also played. Games like Counter Strike also take place there and are included in the portfolio, so the chances for Hearthstone betters are not bad.
What types of bets are possible for Hearthstone?
Here it is also disappointing when we see what is offered by the bookmakers. On the other hand, one must ask oneself, what types of bets are possible for a card game? The bookmakers fall back here on the standard bets:
- Winner and looser bets – the most common type of bet in the sports betting business. No explanation is necessary.
- Map Bets – Most games in the last sixteen or quarter finals are played in a best-of modus. A number of individual games (maps) must be won, to decide the overall match. Some bookmakers give you the chance to bet on single segments of the match.
Where appropriate, a few sports betting portals may also offer handicap or over-under betting.
A handicap bet is when the favourite start at a disadvantage, which he must make up for. The outsider must try to retain the advantage that he enjoys as a result of his opponents handicap.
The over or under bet is a figure given by the bookmaker. Mostly these bets are only offered when the best-of rounds start. If you are sure that the number of maps quoted by the bookmaker is overinflated, as both players are very comparable in strength, then place an over bet. If you are certain that the favourite will win quickly and mercilessly, then place an under bet.
What should you be aware of when betting on Hearthstone?
As with every type of sport, your biggest advantage is to be informed. The first thing and hardest thing to do is to be able to assess the players. Here you can inform yourself over the following platforms:
- Facebook account or fan page
- The players Twitter account
- Reddit Hearthstone Category
- Relevant Hearthstone forums
A lot is discussed on forums and they are a good place to acquire knowledge and tips about players which could have an impact on how you choose to bet.
