Since CS: GO came out back in 2012, the Counter-Strike competitive scene has been remarkably popular. From the ESL Pro League to Blast Premier, there are some huge franchised CS: GO leagues that fans follow every season. On top of this, there are also countless annual CS: GO tournaments, too, which is why the CS community is never short on eSports content to enjoy.
However, here’s where things get interesting: the release of Counter-Strike 2 is going to shake up the CS competitive scene and change it forever. That’s right: CS: GO will only be around for a few more months before CS2 takes over and CS2 tournaments become the new normal.
Interested to learn more about this? The following guide dives into everything you need to know surrounding the upcoming CS2, future CS2 tournaments, and more.
When is CS2 Coming Out?
Good news: CS2 is coming out in Summer 2023. An exact CS2 release date hasn’t been provided by Valve yet, but most industry experts expect it to be released in July. It’s also important to remember that the CS2 open beta has already been released and this gives lucky players a chance to provide feedback and spot in-game bugs that can be fixed before the official release.
PGL Major Copenhagen 2024 Will Be the First CS2 Tournament
After the news about CS2 broke, it didn’t take long for the first-ever CS2 Major to be announced.
The announcement was made by PGL at the end of March 2023. They let everyone know that the first CS2 Major will be held in Copenhagen from March 17-31, 2024. It will have a crazy prize pool of $1,250,000, and the best CS teams from around the world will be taking part — so it’s going to be extra special. Tickets aren’t available to buy yet, though, so stay tuned for more updates soon.
At the same time, it was also announced that the BLAST Paris Major 2023 will be the final-ever major CS: GO tournament. Although it’s a sad moment for fans, it’s also a happy moment. This is the dawn of a new era four Counter-Strike, and there are so many reasons to be excited about it. After all, CS2 is expected to surpass CS: GO in terms of gameplay, visuals, and features.
How Can You Bet on CS2 Tournaments?
Aside from the PGL Major Copenhagen 2024, no other CS2 tournaments have been officially announced yet. However, eSports fans like yourself are eager to know how (and where) they’ll be able to place bets on future CS2 tournaments. This is natural, as Counter-Strike betting has been a popular trend for several years now.
Once the Counter-Strike 2 era begins, the best place for CS2 betting will be Thunderpick. In the online eSports betting world, Thunderpick is one of the most popular sites that fans of Counter-Strike and other popular game titles like to use. Here, you’ll be able to browse through all of the latest and upcoming CS2 tournaments, check out the odds, and then start placing bets on different matches — simple.
Joining Thunderpick is easy. All you need to do is follow these steps:
- Visit Thunderpick
- Select the ‘Sign Up’ option
- Enter the required personal details and confirm your DOB (this is so that Thunderpick knows you’re above the legal gambling age)
- Verify a phone number or email address
- Make your first deposit and get ready to start placing CS2 bets!
One of the best things about the Thunderpick eSports betting platform is that it accepts cryptocurrencies. If you’ve invested in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, what this means is that you’ll be able to use your cryptocurrencies to place bets on all of your favorite CS2 tournaments and Majors.
CS2 Betting Markets
Currently, it’s expected that CS2 betting markets will be very similar to the existing CS: GO betting markets. With this in mind, you can expect the following betting markets to be available for CS2 tournaments once the game officially launches in the summer of 2023:
- Tournament Winner
- Match Winner
- Map Winner
- Handicap
- MVP
Here’s a closer look at these different betting markets.
Tournament Winner
This is one of the most popular types of bet amongst CS eSports fans.
It’s a simple bet on which team you think is going to win a tournament. An example of this would be betting on FaZe Clan to finish 1st place at BLAST Premier: Spring Groups 2023.
Sometimes, when CS tournaments follow a Group Stage format, some fans also like to bet on which team will be the group winner.
Match Winner
A match-winner bet (also known as a moneyline bet) is when you bet on which Counter-Strike team you think will win a match. Most CS matches are BO3 or BO5, so make sure to check this before placing your bet.
Map Winner
Map winner bets are typically placed on BO3 or BO5 matches. It’s a unique type of bet where you pick a specific map that you think a team will win on. Because this bet is slightly more complex, it’s recommended that you only do this if you have a strong knowledge of the team you’re betting on.
Handicap
Handicap bets will be quite common when CS2 gets released. This will involve teams being rewarded or deducted a hypothetical number of rounds by the eSports betting company.
For example, let’s say FaZe Clan is facing Heroic. As part of the handicap bet, Heroic (the underdogs) are rewarded +5 rounds. If you bet on Heroic to win, but they lose the match 16:12, you’d still win the bet. This is because the handicap awards Heroic +5 rounds, which takes the score to 16:17.
MVP
MVP (Most Valuable Player) awards are given to specific players at the end of rounds in CS: GO — and this will be the same in CS2. If you think you know which player on a team is going to perform exceptionally well, then you can bet on them to be the MVP.
CS2 betting may be a while away but rest assured we will be ready with some of the best odds here at Thunderpick.