Before we talk about betting on CSGO Dreamhack Rio de Janeiro let’s address the elephant in the room. The biggest strength of the CS:GO circuit turned into one of its more problematic aspect: the wide variety of third-party events and the many different organizers vying for the best teams of the world are stepping more and more on each other’s toes, leading to a multitude of withdrawals very close to the event’s actual starting time.
This makes it even more difficult to make sense of the smaller tournaments around, though perhaps this is exactly what could make them a very viable betting proposition. This tournament will mark an interesting clash of four different regions and a chance for multiple promising teams to show that they’re the real deal.
CSGO DreamHack Open Rio Tournament Info
DreamHack’s Open circuit is probably the best opportunity for the second-tier teams to attend a high-profile LAN, and its 2019 season kicks off on April 19th with an event that will mostly feature North and South American talent with two up-and-coming European sides sprinkled in the mix vying for their share of a $100K prize pool over the course of a weekend in Rio de Janeiro – a first in the history of the circuit, at least as far as the locale.
Much like other events in the circuit in previous years, DreamHack Open Rio comprises of two four-team groups and uses the GSL format: the opening best-of-one matches are followed by a best-of-one winner’s match determining the first playoff qualifier, while the elimination match between the other two teams is a best-of-three, just like the eventual decider.
Two teams qualify from each group. The playoffs are seeded, with the first-place team of either group facing the runner-up from the other one – from this point onwards, all matches are best-of-three. The winners will take home $50 000, exactly half of the prize pool – and while this may be nothing more than pocket money to the best teams in the world, this doesn’t mean the event is without merit on the grand scale of things.
DreamHack Open events can be quite the springboards for up-and-coming sides: just ask ENCE (the winners of the Winter 2018 edition, now ranked the fourth-best team in the world) or Vitality (the team that won Atlanta 2018 in the same circuit and was one match away from the playoffs at the Katowice major, currently ranked tenth worldwide by HLTV).
Preparations for this particular tournament were complicated by two late withdrawals by Luminosity Gaming and AGO, respectively. The Brazilians withdrew to fulfill their obligations in the ESL Pro League on April 12th while AGO Esports opted against participation only two days before the tournament was scheduled to begin due to the health issues of one of their players, Dominik “GruBy” Swiderski –, apparently an ear infection. INTZ eSports and Redemption eSports POA (meaning Porto Alegre) are their last-minute replacements, increasing the number of all-Brazilian sides at DreamHack Masters Rio to five out of eight.
The event will feature the recently reintroduced Vertigo map instead of Cache.
CSGO Dreamhack Rio de Janeiro Betting Odds
Key storylines At CSGO DreamHack Open Rio
A clash of regions
With a major-participant from the CIS in the form of AVANGAR joining the field alongside Valiance, a promising European mix team with giant-killing potential, it’s going to be really interesting to see how the second tier of North and South American Counter-Strike compares between the different territories. Since these teams rarely get to play in LAN events and most online leagues are region-locked until the final, this promises a fascinating snapshot of the depth of the CS:GO scene over the world.
Can AVANGAR finally grow?
For so long, the CIS side was the eternal bridesmaid, at least where the major was concerned, missing out on the Legend spot and the automatic re-invite in Boston by the narrowest of margins on the ninth-placed tiebreaker, then fell at the final hurdle before the qualifier for London. They impressed at Katowice, but once again were one win away from the top eight. KrizzeN’s benching due to health issues now led to SANJI’s permanent signing in the middle of March, and it will be interesting to see whether AVANGAR can finally take a step forward. They are considered joint-third strongest by the bookies at +476.
The strength of CS:GO mixed teams – By the same token, one of the more interesting storylines of professional Counter-Strike was how rare it is to see a well-functioning side whose players aren’t from the same country, or don’t speak the same primary language, at least in comparison with other major esport titles. FaZe Clan was the one exception to the rule, but they also flamed out over the course of 2018. DreamHack Open Rio will feature three such teams, the aforementioned AVANGAR, Valiance and eUnited.
The latter, who made it to the event through the North American qualifier (beating fellow participants INTZ) already caused an upset at ESL Pro League by beating Renegades, currently rated seventh in the world, in convincing fashion. For what it’s worth, Valiance are considered the runaway favorites by the bookies with +196, which makes a bet on eUnited at +1168 and AVANGAR at +476 are pretty tempting.
Any soon-to-be-MiBR players around?
The premiere Brazilian organization opted to reunite the full ex-Luminosity/SK core after their misguided adventures with Stewie2K and Tarik, but the results are still lacking. (Don’t be fooled by a set of wins at an event with best-of-ones against teams that weren’t exactly firing on all cylinders: the team’s results at tournaments with more skill-testing formats were awful.) If the whispers about an impending shakeup are to be believed, the plethora of tier 2 Brazilian sides should be quaking in their boots – as for their players, this is a great opportunity.
Playing in front of a home crowd should already motivate them, and the sheer number of all-Brazilian sides in the event makes it fairly likely by itself that one of them will go on to lift the trophy – however, there’s another incentive for the players of these sides to put on a show. This makes FURIA (a team with fairly impressive performances at Katowice) a worthwhile punt at +404, which still makes them the second-most likely winner in the bookies’ eyes.
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About the Author
Alonzo Solano
Sports Analyst and Content Writer
Alonzo is a Sports Betting Analyst and casino games enthusiast who has covered Football extensively at SBS, but don’t be surprised if you read him on other sports. He's the host of the NFL Latino TV podcast.
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