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As part of our ongoing series of interviews here at SickOdds, this week features Rand1919 (@randd1919), a professional esports bettor and tipster. Get an insight into how he got started, what he looks for in an esports market and which team logo he’d get tatoo-ed on his body.
“A lot of people are asking me if this is my full time job. No, it’s not and it will never be.”
HOW DID YOU GET INTO ESPORTS BETTING?
Well, I’m part of the gaming world for quite some time now. Most of the people who are in casual esports gambling now are gamers. So I am too. Turned from playing casual games to following esports like 10 years ago and I’ve pretty much got taken by esports pretty fast. At that time, that was something new, something yet unseen and a thing that caught my eye. However, as a kid I never had the money or opportunity to bet or to follow that market. Once you grow up priorities and possibilities change, and even tho i’m not an esports player or something similar, i follow esports very closely and i’m a big fan of it and the scene overall.
Last 2-3 years since esports gambling exploded due to popularity of skins and different skin gambling websites, I started to bet occasionally, and I really liked it. It gives you another dimension when watching and following esports matches. Last 2 years i’m doing it on weekly basis and I do give my advices and suggestions to people on possible outcomes. A lot of people are asking me if this is my full time job. No, it’s not and it will never be. Even if you can earn some money from esports gambling, I don’t think you can rely on that if you want to make something out of your life. I bet on esports because it’s fun for me and I enjoy following esports matches that way. However, I’ve learned a lot on the way as the journey was pretty long and exhausting.
DO YOU PLAY MANY GAMES YOURSELF?
You wouldn’t believe, but I’ve started my gaming journey as a kid with Starcraft: Brood War. As I said, I’m a gamer, and when I have some free time I know to play some games, mostly singe player titles. I love Assassin’s Creed, Tomb Raider, Far Cry, Witcher and games like this. Games with exciting, epic story and game play experience. Rarely I play esport titles like Dota 2, CS:GO, LoL or others…
WHAT SPORTBOOKS DO YOU CURRENTLY USE?
I use BetOnBit.com. A lot of people ask me why I use that sportsbook, while there are many better sites out there. Well, at that time when I started to bet on regular basis, I accidentally stumbled upon that website. It turned out they were really new site, launched like 2 weeks ago, and they had like 5-10 users. I registered there, and everything else is history. I really loved the site, special gamification and character idea that they’ve created, that nobody had at that time.
Yes, they might not have the greatest odds in the world, but guys are trying to improve every year. As far as I know, they are few friends behind this site, and they’ve created this and are working on it without any investment or big companies behind them. I really love that, I love to back up a projects like those, and I stayed there, even tho on the monthly basis i’m receiving a lot of offers to try other pages. But in the end, money is not everything, right, if you are not enjoying the things you do.
WHAT TITLES DO YOU GENERALLY TEND TO BET ON AND WHY?
The titles I follow closely are: Dota 2, CS:GO and LoL. Mostly I bet on Dota 2 and CS:GO, while lately I don’t bet on LoL too much. I bet on titles that I like to watch and follow. I don’t like playing on Overwatch for example or Rainbow Six, since I don’t like those titles too much, and I’m not watching them, so placing a bet on those games is a big no for me. I follow most of titles and games / tournaments on a casual basis, but I bet only on the titles I’ve enjoy the most.
WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN AN ESPORTS MARKET?
In most cases I bet on certain tournaments, a tournaments that I follow closely and/or watch. Then I analyse all teams/players and groups/brackets and I’m placing a bet on it. If I follow some tournaments I will give my suggestions and advices to most of the matches that day. I look for the decent odds on my betting page, even tho i’m not some odds hunter and I analyse the risk of betting on that match and potential results. Mostly I do bet on money line, handicaps or over/under bets. I never bet on specific maps or round handicaps, first 10 kills and similar stuff. Always look for potential upsets and nice potential returns. And follow your guts.
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR MORE PROFITABLE TOURNAMENT?
My most profitable tournaments were: Dota 2 The International 2019 where I’ve earned around € 1029 (total profit at the end) and CS:GO IEM Season XIV World Championship where I earned around € 1428 at the end (total profit).
YOU HAVE TO GET A TATOO OF AN ESPORTS TEAM ON YOUR BODY. WHICH TEAM AND WHERE?
Hard question. I have few candidates. Old Meet Your Makers logo, old Dignitas logo or Quantic Gaming logo. If you are old school esports guy, you should probably know something about 1st and 3rd team I’ve mentioned. Why? No reason, I just think they are / were cool. I would most probably put on my arm / leg.