When it comes to successful esports titles, Smite is one that definitely flies under the radar. Overshadowed by its incredibly popular rivals League of Legends and Dota 2, Smite has never really been in the esports spotlight, but it has still etched out a nice chunk of the esports landscape for itself and is going strong.
Let’s take a look at the basics of Smite gameplay, as well as exactly how you can bet on the niche esports title.
Smite Gameplay Basics
If you’re familiar with League of Legends or Dota 2, then you’ll have no problem getting the hang of Smite. The game is from the same Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) genre and features a ton of similarities to both games.
For those new to the genre, we’ll break it down. Two teams of five players face off on a map with an end goal of destroying their opponent’s capital building. Each player picks a unique character to play, which they then level up and upgrade by killing enemy units and completing certain objectives.
The competitive map is split into four main segments – three lanes and the jungle. At the start, all five players split into the lanes and the jungle, then battle against the other team in those areas for experience and currency to upgrade their characters. They are supported by AI units that follow a predictable path and give players experience and currency when slain. Each lane also features powerful turrets and other buildings that yield rewards when destroyed.
The goal for each team is to gain a lead in character levels and currency, then use it to kill their opponents and destroy their buildings, eventually leading to destroying their capital building and winning the game.
There is a lot that happens in a game from start to finish, however, and you’ll see action all over the map, with teams eventually grouping up and engaging in large-scale battles. There’s quite a lot to it, but once you start following the game, it’s quite easy to wrap your head around everything.
If you’re a veteran MOBA fan, then you can basically just think of the game like a slightly different League of Legends, with the core difference being that Smite is played in the third person, rather than a top-down view.
Sportsbook
Understanding Smite Betting Odds
Smite bets are usually shown in American odds, which are made up of a number and symbol in relation to -100. These numbers change depending on the likelihood of victory for each team, with the favorites receiving a minus (-) sign, while the underdogs are represented by a plus (+) sign.
Some Smite odds may look like this:
Ghost Gaming -115
Vs
Renegades +155
In the example, Ghost is the favorite as the only team with a minus next to its name. Meanwhile, the number displays how much you would need to bet on Ghost to win an extra $100, which in this case is $115.
This means that Renegades are the underdogs, as shown by the plus symbol. The number then shows how much you would win if you bet $100 on Renegades, which in this case is an extra $155.
Types of Smite Bets
With Smite being a MOBA, you can expect to see much of the same bets as you can find in Dota and League of Legends. This means there is a wide range of wagers available for Smite, from moneylines to props, futures and more.
Moneyline
Moneyline bets are very straightforward wagers, simply picking who you think will win the game or match. The kill score or anything that happens in between doesn’t matter; all you are counting on is the final result.
In Smite, most matches are played in a best-of-three format, which means that the first team to win two maps wins the match. So, if you backed a team to win a series, even if they lost one map before winning two, you’d still win the bet.
Spreads
Spreads are wagers that essentially change the requirements for a win. They are also referred to as handicaps and allow you to pick an advantage or disadvantage for a team at different odds to a moneyline.
For example, if Renegades are facing Radiance and come in at -500, there’s very little money to be made from backing Renegades. However, it’s possible to instead bet on a -1.5 map spread for Renegades at much better odds like -150. This means that for your bet, Renegades enter the series with a score of -1.5, and would need to win the series 2-0 for the bet to win. If they lose even one map, then your bet would lose.
This bet is obviously a lot riskier as it leaves no room for mistakes from Renegades but can provide much higher value.
Totals
Totals are bets where you can wager on the total amount of things happening. For example, as Smite matches are played in a best-of-three format, you could bet on whether there would be two or three maps played.
This comes in the form of UNDER/OVER bets, and in Smite’s case you’d most often see UNDER 2.5 maps or OVER 2.5 maps as options. You can then pick one of these, signifying how many maps you think will be played in the series.
Futures
Futures are a straightforward bet, somewhat similar to a moneyline. Again, you’re picking a team to win, but with futures it’s picking the overall Sportsbook of an entire event. In Smite, a futures bet might look something like this:
Pittsburgh Knights -110
Ghost Gaming +100
Renegades +250
Radiance +475
Generally in futures, every team will have rather large odds, as there’s no guarantee even the biggest favorite would win an overall event. Futures tend to be quite risky, as just one bad day could cause the favorites to lose. However, there’s also quite a lot of value due to the high odds.
Sportsbook
Smite Prop Bets
Last but not least we look at prop bets, or proposition bets. These are wagers based on specific events in the game, which may not even affect the outcome of the match. They can get quite specific, so you should make sure to know your stuff before looking at props.
However, props are different from the usual bet and can give you alternative options if you’re looking to spice things up. Here are a few examples of Smite props:
- Kill spreads
- First blood
- Team to slay first phoenix
- Team to slay first titan
- Race to 10 kills
- Correct game score
Ready to Make Your First Smite Bet
Now that you understand the basics of Smite and some of the many bets you can place, you are prepared to make your first wager. The next step is to make sure you are going to the right sportsbook to place your Smite bet, which we have sorted out for you.
Once you find the best book for you, turn on some Smite, relax and watch the money flow in.
