Betting on CS:GO – ESL Pro League Tournaments
ESL Pro League tournaments hold great significance in the CS:GO competitive scene. Not only are they a part of the Intel Grand Slam, but they also feature big prize pools – the biggest ones not counting Valve’s majors. These marvelous events consist of two parts – the regional qualifiers, which decide the best teams from Europe, North America, Asia, Oceania, and South America; and the prestigious Finals tournament which brings forth all the best teams to compete against each other for outstanding prizes.
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We are talking about the longest running CS:GO league that’s already close to double-digit seasons. With more than $6,000,000 already given out to the best performing teams, there’s no denying the significance of this tournament in the CS:GO betting scene.
Furthermore, the betting side of things is a pretty important aspect of ESL Pro League tournaments. Bookies are competing amongst themselves to get the biggest share of the betting cake with remarkable depth to their esports betting markets during the Finals. With that said, we believe most of you are here looking for ESL Pro League betting sites, so lets examine what makes these sites the most notable options, after which we’ll further discuss their biggest virtues!
Betting on ESL Pro League Tournaments
After inspecting our list of the best esports bookies for betting on ESL Pro League tournaments, here are all the great things you can expect from our picks.
Fast Payouts
Payment speed and a wide variety of payment methods are of crucial importance for every bookie that wants to make a good name for itself in the industry. Despite the fact that payment speeds greatly vary from payment method to payment method, the initial processing time still depends on the bookies, which is why our picks are at the top of the food chain at the moment.
Great Betting Odds
Low-profit margins means higher betting odds. Higher betting odds, obviously, means more potential profit for you guys! As far as our picks are concerned, they are among (if not) the best players in the industry. Don’t believe us? Go ahead, check them out, and you’ll see!
Variety of Special Bets
Match-winner bets are the most common options when it comes to esports betting these days. However, seasoned esports bettors swear by specials which are always present during the biggest esports events. Needless to say, ESL Pro League tournaments belong up there with the biggest ones, so it’s only logical to see all top tier bookies featuring an abundance of specials to cater to their most demanding users.
League tournaments belong up there with the biggest ones, so it’s only logical
to see all top tier bookies featuring an abundance of specials to cater to their
most demanding users.Deposit/Withdrawal Options
Fast payouts are important, but deposit/withdrawal options shouldn’t be taken for granted. Bookies don’t want their users to have limited choices, especially when it comes to depositing funds into their online wallets. Plus, not everyone is comfortable with handing out their cards’ information to online bookmakers. That’s why our picks don’t just feature direct card deposits, but several popular online payment methods as well.
Remarkable Customer Service
Wondering where to bet on ESL Pro League tournaments? Well, picking out any of the ones listed above will get you an overall great betting experience. Not just in terms of high betting odds, bet variety, payout speed, and all that good stuff, but in terms of customer service as well. All of our picks feature highly-trained customer support teams that can be contacted through a number of different ways. Chat, email, phone; you name it, and chances are they’ll have it available!
- ESL Pro League Tournaments are held twice per year with regional qualifiers scheduled right before each of the Finals.
- ESL Pro League Tournaments, alongside DreamHack Masters and other ESL-sponsored events, is a part of the Intel Grand Slam.
- ESL Pro League was brought to life on April 28th, 2015 when ESL announced a joint venture with ESEA to form the biggest and most influential CS:GO league to this date.
- Astralis and Fnatic are the best performing ESL Pro League teams with Team Liquid being the most frequent runner-up.
A Brief History of ESL Pro League Tournaments
The story behind ESL Pro League tournaments started all the way back on April 28th, 2015 after ESL and ESEA announced their plans to create the biggest competitive CS:GO league on the planet. With tournament-like competitions swarming the competitive scene, ESL Pro League took the league-style approach and scored a jackpot.
Esports Championship Series took a similar approach, but they concentrated on the nerve-wracking rivalry between just NA and EU regions; whereas ESL Pro League opted to include South America, Asia, and Oceania regions in their last couple of iterations.
The first two installments were called ESL ESEA Pro League Finals, and they took place in Burbank, USA, and Cologne, Germany with just eight teams (four from EU and four from NA) competing in the Finals. The prize pools were set at $250,000, which was quite significant back in 2015. The third season marked the first notable changes, ESL ESEA Pro League was transformed into ESL Pro League, and the prize pool went to $512,000 with London and Leicester being the go-to places for the Finals.
The number of competing teams changed the following season (4th season) with the introduction of two additional slots for both NA and EU. Keep in mind that just these two regions had their teams in the ESL Pro League. Other regions (Asia, Oceania, and South America) were introduced later.
If we are to be more precise here, the process of integrating additional regions started in Season 7 and continued till the 8th season. At the moment, ESL Pro League covers all major CS:GO regions with a total of 16 teams competing for the prizes. The total prize pool amounts weren’t altered since Season 5, sitting at a hefty $750,000 for the Finals plus a ton more for the regional qualifiers.
Previous Winners
Here’s a quick look at some of the previous ESL Pro League winners:
| Season | Prize Pool | Dates | Winner | Runner-Up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | $750,000 | 2018-12-04 – 2018-12-09 | Astralis | Team Liquid |
| 7 | $750,000 | 2018-05-15 – 2018-05-20 | Astralis | Team Liquid |
| 6 | $750,000 | 2017-12-05 – 2017-12-10 | SK Gaming | FaZe Clan |
| 5 | $750,000 | 2017-05-30 – 2017-06-04 | G2 Esports | North |
| 4 | $600,000 | 2016-10-26 – 2016-10-30 | Cloud9 | SK Gaming |
| 3 | $512,000 | 2016-05-11 – 2016-05-15 | Luminosity | G2 Esports |
| 2 | $250,000 | 2015-12-10 – 2015-12-13 | Fnatic | Natus Vincere |
| 1 | $250,000 | 2015-07-02 – 2015-07-05 | Fnatic | Cloud9 |
Tournament Format
As we mentioned in the Brief History section, the format of ESL Pro League tournaments has changed several times throughout the course of its existence. But, generally speaking, this is the kind of format you can expect for future tournaments. Keep in mind that the number of competing teams, best of series, qualifying process and similar aspects could change, but not in a way that would render the below-stated info useless.
Qualifiers
.Europe
- 16 teams competing
- Top 7 advance to the Finals
- 8th to 13th place advance to following season’s Qualifiers
- 14th to 16th place advance to Relegation
North America
- 12 teams competing
- Top 6 advance to the Finals
- 7th to 9th place advance to following season’s Qualifiers
- 10th to 11th place advance to Relegation
- The 12th team is relegated to ESEA Premier Season
Oceania
- 8 teams competing
- Winner advances to the Finals
Asia
- 4 teams competing
- Winner advances to the Finals
South America
- 2 teams competing
- Winner advances to the Finals
Group Stage
A total of 16 teams are competing at the business end of this competition. For everyone looking for ESL Pro League betting sites, this is the part you should be betting on! Well, this and the playoffs!
The group stage consists of two double-elimination groups with eight teams in each. Group stage seeds are decided by the official Qualifiers placements. All initial matches are set for Bo1 while all other rounds are set for a Bo3 series. At the end of this stage, the top three teams from each group advance to the semifinals. Group winners advance straight to the semifinals. 2nd and 3rd place teams, on the other hand, have to battle it out against each other for a place in the semifinals.
Playoffs
Starting off with the quarterfinals, 2nd place group A will play against 3rd place group B for their spot in the semifinals. We’re looking at a single-elimination bracket here, meaning there’s no more room for losses. Quarterfinals and semifinals matchups are Bo3 with the Grand Finals match being Bo5. It’s pretty straightforward, isn’t it!?
Intel Grand Slam Season 1 Winner – Astralis
The inaugural season of Intel Grand Slam competition came to a close with Astralis going home with a whopping $1,000,000 in prize pool money. They’ve done so by defeating Team Liquid in ESL Pro League Season 8 Grand Finals match where they won an additional $250,000.
In addition to ESL Pro League S8 Finals, Astralis also conquered IEM XIII Chicago, ESL Pro League S7 Finals, and DreamHack Masters Marseille 2018. Those four tournaments brought them the trophy, ensuring their name goes down in the history books as the most dominant team in CS:GO history.
ESL Pro League Tournaments | FAQ
Where Can I Watch ESL Pro League Finals Matches?
Watching ESL Pro League Finals matches isn’t a tough task if you know where to look for them. However, they are not your typical CS:GO tournaments that can be watched on any livestream service out there. Instead, ESL Pro League tournaments have exclusive partnerships with streaming services. Most of the time, these tournaments can be watched on either Facebook or YouTube, depending on the exclusive partnership deals for that particular iteration. For example, S8 and S7 were available exclusively on Facebook while S6 was available on YouTube.
What Is Intel Grand Slam?
Intel Grand Slam is a special type of competition announced by Intel all the way back on the 4th of July, 2017. The premise is quite simple. The team who manages to win 4 ESL-sponsored or DreamHack Masters tournament out of 10 attempts will be crowned as the winner. Of course, there’s also an impressive $1,000,000 on the line, as well as a $100,000 spoil bonus for teams which deny the fourth victory of another team.
How Many People Watch ESL Pro League Finals?
ESL Pro League tournaments enjoy pretty high viewership numbers for CS:GO standard. Take Season 8 Finals as the perfect example. The Grand Finals match between Astralis and Team Liquid was watched by more than 160,000 people. Average concurrent viewership of the entire tournament was around 60,000, which isn’t half bad considering the tournament went on for almost a week.
What’s the Biggest Prize Pool in ESL Pro League Tournaments?
The biggest prize pool of ESL tournaments was established back in Season 5 and hasn’t changed ever since. We’re talking about a pretty hefty sum of money-$750,000. $250,000 of which goes straight to the winners’ pockets. However, due to the fact these tournaments are a part of the Intel Grand Slam, chances are there will be more than $1,000,000 on the line like was the case with the ESL Pro League Season 8 Grand Finals match which was dubbed as the biggest, most lucrative, and most important match in the history of CS:GO.
What Are the Best Specials for This Particular Tournament?
In all honesty, there are a plethora of special bets available during ESL Pro League Finals. Considering their charm and worldwide popularity, it’s not surprising to see bookies going out of their way to ensure the satisfaction of their clients. With that said, here is a short list of our favorite special bets, which are quite a common occurrence during ESL Pro League Finals:
General Special Bets
- Outright Winner
- Region of the Winner
- Tournament MVP
Match-Specific Special Bets
- Both Pistol Rounds Winner
- Maps Over/Under
- Rounds Handicap
Conclusion
At the end of it all, there are just a few more things to be noted. First of all, ESL Pro League has big plans for the future. There were talks regarding expansions to the qualifiers, bringing in more teams, and perhaps even spicing up the Finals with more competing teams. Who knows, considering the sheer popularity of these tournaments, anything can happen at this point.
Of course, all of this will further increase the prize pool as well as ESL Pro League’s significance in the CS:GO competitive scene. So, for those of you who want to know where to bet on ESL Pro League tournaments in the future, rest assured the number of online betting websites that feature this competition will continue to grow.
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