Halo Betting Sites: Where To Bet On Halo

How Does Competitive Halo Work?

Competitive Halo, at its heart, is a variation of a traditional arena shooter game. Players spawn on an equal footing in terms of their relative strengths, weapons and items, and must navigate the arena in order to collect inventory, achieve power-ups and ultimately defeat the players on the opposing team. Each release of a new Halo title does alter gameplay and specific aspects of competitive play slightly, but there are a few key aspects which very rarely change.

Teams & Maps

Whilst there are a number of options within the different Halo games as far as the number of teams involved in any battle and the number of players on each team, competitive contests are generally held as two team battles, with each team featuring four players, one being designated the red team and the other the blue team.

As well as generally featuring just two teams of four players each, competitive Halo contests are also usually held across a selection of eight different maps. The exact maps used will obviously differ from one Halo title to another but a competitive match will usually utilise both symmetrical and asymmetrical alternatives.

Game Modes

As we’ve already stated, the eSports variant of Halo is focussed almost solely upon arena play but that doesn’t mean that each and every contest is exactly the same. That’s because there are actually three diverse game modes within Halo arena gameplay which are regularly and popularly utilised for competitive matches.

The Slayer game mode is essentially Halo’s version of what might be called a death match in other game franchises. Players spawn and respawn as in any arena battle, weapons and power-ups are available to collect around a map and the winning team is decided by either the first to a certain number of kills or the team with the most kills after a pre-determined amount of time.

Capture the Flag is a game mode common to many shooters and in Halo games is generally only played on symmetrical maps. Team’s must attack an enemy’s base, take their flag and return it to their own home base. In competitive play, Capture the Flag contests are usually held as best of five matches.

The final Halo game mode commonly used for competitive play has had slightly different names in different Halo games. In the most recently released title the mode is known as Strongholds but it’s has also been known as either Territories or Domination. In this form of the game, teams fight to capture and control three strategic points on a map, and score points based upon how long they hold at least two out of those three points. The first team to 100 points is usually declared the winner in this game mode.

What Are the Big Events?

As has been the case with many popular video games and gaming franchises, in more recent years a competitive eSports scene has grown up around Halo. This scene is still in its early stages of development but it has already seen the establishment of a couple of major events.

The Halo Championship Series

Sponsored by Microsoft and 343 Industries, the Halo Championship Series was established in 2014 and featured a number of different tournaments and events. Those events included both LANs and online competitions and teams’ performances across all of the events were used to determine their final ranking.

In its inaugural edition the Halo Championship Series was played for a total prize pool of $100,000 USD but by its second season in 2015 that pool had already risen to $250,000 USD. The 2016 edition of the Series, what’s more, upped the ante even further and was the first season to culminate in the Halo World Championship.

As you can see, by the money involved in the prize pools, the Halo Championship Series matters. It’s get a wide viewership and as a result is one of the most bet on Halo tournaments.

The Halo World Championship

Announced by Microsoft in 2015 and first held after the 2016 Halo Championship Season, the Halo World Championship now brings down the curtain on each competitive Halo season. Featuring a total of 16 teams, invited from all regions of the globe, the tournament begins with a group stage before an elimination style play-off bracket whittles the field down to produce one champion.

In 2016, the total prize pool for the Halo World Championship came in at a lofty $2.5 million, making it the most valuable tournament in console eSports history. The high level of competition and money available brings in only the best of the best here and the Halo World Champs are without a doubt the most popular when it comes to punters and viewers.

What Bet Types are Available?

In spite of the huge prize pools now offered by the biggest Halo eSports events and the global popularity of the Halo games themselves, not many bookmakers yet offer Halo betting opportunities. The few which do, what’s more, generally only provide a very limited selection of markets. If you choose the right Halo betting site, therefore, you may find the following handful of potential bet types.

Outright Tournaments Bets – Those online bookmakers that do cater for Halo betting will often let you bet on which team you believe will win a major tournament, such as the Halo World Championship or an event within the Halo Championship Series.

Match Winner Bets – When some of the biggest Halo events are ongoing, some bookmakers will also offer odds on which team will win each match with the tournament. The odds available for each team in such markets can differ greatly, and a good knowledge of competitive Halo is required to bet successfully.

Map Winner Bets – Whilst less commonly offered than our previous two bet types, it is also sometimes possible to bet on a Halo team to win a particular map within a wider match. This can be a lucrative betting market if you have an intimate knowledge of a specific team’s playing style and know when a particular map will suit them.