CS:GO Betting – Intel Extreme Masters Tournaments
Intel Extreme Masters (IEM from now on) is a joint venture of Intel and ESL whose roots draw all the way back to 2006. It was an ESL-organized, Intel-sponsored European tournament that turned out quite successful. What started off as a European tournament quickly transformed into a worldwide sensation. While talking about the tournament, here’s a quick look at all the bookies who are going out of their way to provide their users with the ultimate CS:GO IEM betting experience:
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At this point, IEM is at the brink of being a household name thanks to a huge number of events covering the entire spectrum of esports titles. IEM’s betting game is strong too with where to bet on CS:GO Intel Extreme Masters tournaments being one of the most frequently asked questions.
Betting on CS:GO Intel Extreme Masters Tournaments
Those above-listed bookies should be your primary options for betting on CS:GO IEM tournaments. That said, if you are just starting out your CS:GO betting career, you can’t go wrong with creating an account on any of those bookies. Moreover, if you’re already a well-established bettor but you’d like to get the most bang for your buck, consider switching to one of them just to feel the difference.
If you’re still not sold, here’s what’s so good about these bookies that we just had to list them up there. There are several reasons, so buckle up, and enjoy the ride:
Ease of Use
All our picks are super easy to use, and the registration/login process is simple. All you have to do is fill in your information, confirm your email, and you’ll be good to go as far as CS:GO betting goes. The page-to-page navigation isn’t difficult at all – the GUI is intuitive, and even the newest beginners (noobs) shouldn’t have too many issues with any of our picks.
Trustworthiness
We can’t stress this enough – there are several fishy websites out there.
Considering esports betting is a fairly new niche, it’s not that surprising.
That’s why, if you want to stay on the safe side and not risk handing out your
personal (and credit card) info to scammers, we warmly suggest you choose one of
the above-listed bookies. They’re well-known and highly reputable with top
online reviews coming from real bettors such as yourself.
Esports Betting Aspect
Obviously, each of these esports betting websites has a huge number of esports bets available. Most importantly, they feature a plethora of CS:GO tournaments with special coverage during the most important events in CS:GO’s competitive season. IEM is one of them, so you can expect lots of special bets and betting options during IEM matchups.
Low Profit Margins
Last, but not least – low profit margins! While we can’t say with 100% accuracy which of our picks has the lowest profit margin, what we can say is that they’re all up there with the very best. Our picks all have high betting odds, which is one of the main reasons behind their popularity. Well, that and impeccable customer service ensuring that the satisfaction of their user is at an admirable level.
- According to IEM’s official website, they’ve held 66 events thus far with an astonishing $8,934,900 in total prize pool money.
- The first CS:GO IEM was held back in 2015 at Gamescom when Team EnVyUs (now Team Envy) took first place after defeating Team SoloMid.
- The biggest joint prize pool (all games combined) on a single IEM tournament happened at IEM Katowice 2017 with $688,750 in total.
- IEM events feature arguably the best trophy in the entirety of the esports industry. Teams that win it have their name etched into it.
A Brief History of CS:GO Intel Extreme Masters Tournaments
Like it was mentioned in the introductory paragraph, IEM dates all the way back to 2006 when Intel and ESL organized a small European tournament. That tournament’s success sparked an idea of a series of international events bringing forth the top gamers to battle it out against each other.
That’s basically how the IEM I World Championship was brought to life in 2007. There was a ton of games featured on IEM events during the course of its existence, ranging from Counter-Strike 1.6, Warcraft 3, StarCraft II, WoW in its early days, League of Legends, and CS:GO, which are the most recent specimen.
However, since our topic of the day is CS:GO IEM tournaments, we’ll just focus on that side of the story. With that said, the story of CS:GO IEM tournaments started off in August of 2015 at the IEM Season X. To be precise, it was the IEM X Gamescom event which saw six teams competing for a total of $80,500 in prize pool money. Mind you, back in 2015 that amount of money was considered pretty dope for a CS:GO tournament; especially a brand new one like IEM.
Thus far, there were more than 12 CS:GO IEM tournaments held across the globe. Some of the biggest names in the CS:GO industry have passed through these spectacular events to the joy of their worldwide fans. Let’s not forget about bettors though – especially considering the majority of you came here with the question of how to bet on CS:GO Intel Extreme Masters tournaments. We can say with certainty that these events are becoming a worldwide phenomenon for everyone involved, including the teams, players, fans, bettors, and esports bookies. The entire ecosystem behind IEM events is a well-oiled machine that can only continue growing with each passing iteration.
With all that in mind, let’s take a closer look at all CS:GO IEM events held thus far as well as their respective winners and prize pools!
Previous Winners
Once again, we are focusing on CS:GO IEM tournaments here, meaning we’ll start off with IEM X and build our way toward the some of the more recent events:
| Event | Dates | Prize Pool | Winner | Runner-Up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IEM X Gamescom | 2015-08-05 to 2015-08-08 | $80,500 | Team EnVyUs | Team SoloMid |
| IEM X San Jose | 2015-11-21 to 2015-11-22 | $125,000 | Natus Vincere | Team SoloMid |
| IEM X Taipei | 2016-01-29 to 2016-02-02 | $50,000 | The MongolZ | Renegades |
| IEM X WC | 2016-03-02 to 2016-03-05 | $250,000 | Fnatic | Luminosity |
| IEM XI Oakland | 2016-11-19 to 2016-11-20 | $300,000 | Ninjas in Pyjamas | SK Gaming |
| IEM XI WC | 2017-03-01 to 2017-03-05 | $250,000 | Astralis | FaZe Clan |
| IEM XII Sydney | 2017-05-03 to 2017-05-07 | $200,000 | SK Gaming | FaZe Clan |
| IEM XII Oakland | 2017-11-16 to 2017-11-19 | $300,000 | Ninjas in Pyjamas | FaZe Clan |
| IEM XII WC | 2018-02-27 to 2018-03-04 | $500,000 | Fnatic | FaZe Clan |
| IEM XIII Sydney | 2018-05-01 to 2018-05-06 | $250,000 | FaZe Clan | Astralis |
| IEM XIII Shanghai | 2018-08-01 to 2018-08-06 | $250,000 | NRG Esports | TYLOO |
| IEM XIII Chicago | 2018-11-06 to 2018-11-11 | $250,000 | Astralis | Team Liquid |
| IEM XIII WC | 2019-02-14 to 2025-03-03 | $1,000,000 | Astralis | ENCE |
Tournament Format
Needless to say, there were lots of tournament changes over the course of CS:GO IEM’s existence. Obviously, for those of you wanting to know where to bet on CS:GO Intel Extreme Masters tournaments, knowing the tournament format can be of crucial importance for a satisfying betting outcome.
However, due to always-changing IEM formats, it’s difficult to predict and explain their systems. With that in mind, here are the basics you should know before placing your first IEM bets:
As is the case with the majority of other CS:GO tournaments, all IEM tournaments consist of two phases – group stage and playoffs. Since the specifics (best of series, number of participating teams, and so on) tend to change with each installment, it would be silly of us to go through them one by one. Just take the last three IEM World Championships as the perfect examples – 12, 16, and 24 competing teams with drastic differences in terms of tournament formats are the perfect examples of why we can’t go into more depth here.
CS:GO Intel Extreme Masters Tournaments | FAQ
What’s so Special About the IEM Trophy?
Not only are we talking about one of the most astonishing trophies in CS:GO (and esports in general), but there’s also a special twist to its tale. You see, all winning teams get to have their name etched into the trophy, cementing their story of success for years to come.
Where to Watch CS:GO IEM Matches?
In contrast to some CS:GO tournaments, IEM events aren’t exclusive to certain livestream platforms. With that said, these events can be streamed directly from the most popular livestreaming services for gaming such as Twitch, Mixer, and YouTube. The quality is state-of-the-art with highly skilled commentators and hosting talent ready to drive on the hype from the earliest stages.
When Was the First CS:GO IEM Tournament Held?
As stated earlier, Intel Extreme Masters tournaments originate from 2006, back when the esports industry was making its first baby steps and no one thought it would get to where it is today. However, CS:GO didn’t exist back then which meant other games took the spotlight. That said, passionate FPS fans had to wait a bit longer for the first CS:GO IEM tournament. They had to wait till August 2015 when IEM X Gamescom decided to feature a still relatively new video game called Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
What Are the Most Successful IEM Teams in Terms of CS:GO?
The story of the most successful IEM teams is a pretty weird one. You’d expect Astralis to be at the top of this list, miles ahead of all other teams; but we’re afraid that’s not the case here. In terms of overall wins, three teams are tied for the title with two wins each – Ninjas in Pyjamas, Astralis, and Fnatic.
However, if we’re going to count overall finishing positions, then FaZe Clan takes the throne thanks to four consecutive runner-up spots crowned with a win on the following year. Yup, that means FaZe Clan played in 5 IEM finals in 2017 and 2018, but only managed to win it once. Talk about being unlucky, eh?
Who Can Participate in These Events?
CS:GO Intel Extreme Masters events have regional qualifiers in all parts of the world. To be exact, they usually have North American, European, South American, and Asian qualifiers, allowing all interested teams to test their luck. The teams that perform the best during these qualifiers (first open, then closed) will get the chance to compete at one of the IEM’s events.
Are CS:GO IEM Events a Part of the Intel Grand Slam?
Yes, they are! Alongside DreamHack Masters, Intel Grand Slam consists of all other ESL-organized tournaments. This includes the likes of ESL Pro League and ESL One as well as IEM events, all three of which are organized by ESL.
Conclusion
There you have it, guys. We believe that’s about it as far as the answers to where to bet on CS:GO Intel Extreme Masters tournaments are concerned. Without a doubt, IEM events are one of the most prestigious CS:GO spectacles on the planet, not just for CS:GO, but for other top-tier esports titles as well. The betting aspect of these tournaments is a force to be reckoned with thanks to esports betting websites doing their best to cater toward even the most demanding clients.
Overall, with roughly $9,000,000 already given out through tournament prize pools, IEM has already cemented its spot in the history (and the future) of esports as we know it. Fingers crossed these tournaments keep on providing some of the best CS:GO action out there for the joy of passionate fans and bettors alike.
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