Esports Betting Guide – Call of Duty

VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert

15 minute read

The most popular video game in the world is Call of Duty. For seven of the last nine years, the best-selling game has been the latest installment of this epic series. However, the Esports scene was always missing something until this year when the Call of Duty League launched back in January. Now, this franchise has a burgeoning league to finally match its status as the preeminent game across the world.

WHAT IS THE CALL OF DUTY LEAGUE?

Most young adults have played Call of Duty at one point or another, but the Call of Duty League is set up a little differently than your average pub match. No killstreaks are allowed in the COD League, and numerous weapons and attachments are banned from pro play. Only the most basic equipment is allowed too because no one wants to watch professional players sit in a corner with a claymore guarding their back and a heartbeat sensor on their weapon.

Currently, there are only seven multiplayer maps available to be used in pro play. There are three separate game types that are played in a match, as teams face off in Hardpoint, Search & Destroy, and Domination. These are all objective based game types that require some strategy, so it is more complex than a team deathmatch. Each match is a best-of-five, so the first team to win three games gets the victory.

UNDERSTANDING CALL OF DUTY LEAGUE ODDS

TYPES OF COD BETS

• Moneyline
• Spread
• Totals

There is moneyline betting, spread betting, total betting, and more available for Call of Duty. For a moneyline bet, you are simply betting on which team will win the match. Easy. A spread bet is when you bet on whether a team will cover 1.5 games or 2.5 games, so if you bet on a team favored by 1.5 games, and they win their series 3-2 or lose, you lose your money. However, if that team wins the series 3-1 or 3-0, you win your wager.

In total betting, you are betting on how many games it will take for the series to have a winner. The first team to win three maps wins the series, so a 3-0 sweep doesn’t need a fourth or fifth map.

HOW TO BET THE CALL OF DUTY LEAGUE

There are other ways to bet on the Call of Duty League too. Perhaps the shrewdest way to wager on this Esport is to bet on individual map winners. Teams have strengths and weaknesses in terms of game types and maps, so you could find a ton of value in betting a team that is strong in Hardpoint but weak in Search and Destroy. Different skills go into these two different game types, and online sportsbooks that just post static numbers across the board will get punished.

WHERE DO I BET ON THE CALL OF DUTY LEAGUE?

Esports are so prevalent these days that you can bet on them at any online sportsbook. Some books will have their own Esports section that is a standalone site, while others will have it in the main sportsbook with the more usual offerings. You will find CS:GO, League of Legends, Call of Duty, Rocket League, and other Esports options there as well.

CALL OF DUTY LEAGUE BETTING AND SCHEDULE

The Call of Duty League launched in January 2020 with 12 teams. The original plan was for each team to host a weekend’s worth of action every few weeks, but the COVID-19 pandemic caused that plan to be amended. Games are now held online from team houses instead of on site at LANs, but the league has kept much of the schedule format.

Until the end of June 2020, there will be a mini-tournament between eight of the 12 teams every two weeks. Those eight teams will be split into two groups of four teams each, and the two teams to win two matches in each group will advance to the semifinals. Each team will play at least two matches during one of these three-day events, but two losses in the Group Stage means you don’t advance to the knockout rounds.

VegasInsider Staff

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