Dota 2 The International 2024: Your playbook for the new season

The International (TI) has been tied to the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) since its inception in 2017 but the 2024 edition marks a significant shift. A new system is created to introduce better flexibility and reduce workload for esports teams worldwide. The changes are drastic for participants and organisers but it has a small impact on the betting scene. 

Key takeaways

• Valve retires the Dota Pro Circuit and directly invites top-performing teams from the 2023 competitive season.
• All 16 teams qualifying for this year’s The International are already announced. 
• Betting on Dota 2 esports matches won’t be too different this time from last year except that there are now fewer fixtures. 

Tournament format

The tournament format for The International 2024 (TI13) will see a familiar format with some adjustments. It still features two stages namely the group stage and the main event. However, only 16 teams are participating this season instead of 20, reducing fixtures for Dota 2 The International betting. Other than that, the rest of the tournament continues as usual:

• Group stage: September 4th to 5th 
  • 16 teams are divided into four groups.
  • Round-robin: every team plays against each other once. 
  • Every fixture is a best-of-three (Bo3). 
• Seeding decider: September 6th to 7th
  • 16 teams compete in eight Bo3 head-to-head matches to determine their placement in the main bracket event.
• Main event: September 8th to 15th  
  • 16 teams are seeded based on group stage performance. 
    • 8 teams start in the upper bracket and 8 teams begin in the lower bracket.
  • Double elimination bracket from playoffs to the semi-finals.
    • Upper-bracket losers are relegated to the lower bracket.
    • Lower-bracket losers are eliminated from the tournament.
  • The Grand Final is a best-of-five (Bo5) single-elimination tournament between upper-bracket and lower-bracket winners. 

For seasoned punters in Dota 2 betting, this format will already feel familiar. However, the biggest change is that nobody gets eliminated from the group stage anymore. It’s also worth noting that TI12 had a Bo2 format for the group stage but it’s now Bo3 in TI13. This means there are fewer matches but potentially more rounds for Dota 2 TI betting than TI12. 

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How teams qualify for TI13

Teams can secure their spot in the TI13’s 16-team roster. The first is to get a direct invitation and the other is through regional league qualifications. Here’s a quick explanation of each of them:

Via direct invitation 

The direct invitation system returns for TI13, a method originally phased out when the DPC was introduced in 2017 where Valve selects six teams to join the 16-team TI13. 

How Valve chooses which teams to join is based on performances last season. They didn’t publicly announce any set of rules or metrics but it’s hinted to be reserved for fan favourites and major tournament winners. 

Here’s the list of teams who got a direct invite from Valve to play in the TI13:

• Team Spirit (Eastern Europe)
• Xtreme Gaming (China)
• Team Falcons (Middle East)
• Team Liquid (Western Europe)
• Gaimin Gladiators (Western Europe)
• BetBoom Team (Eastern Europe)

Valve made this announcement in May 2024, a few days before the regional qualifiers start. Every team that got an invitation were either winners or runner-ups in last year’s Tier 1 tournaments. Bettors can be assured that these teams will be the 2024 season’s favourites in Dota 2 betting odds. 

Winners have better chances to get an invitation but Azure Ray didn’t get one. They were the champions of ESL One Kuala Lumpur but they replaced their roster after the season. Thus, Valve chose Gaimin Gladiators, Team Liquid, and Betboom Team over them.

Via regional league qualification (Wins regional qualifiers)

The other way to qualify for Dota 2 The International 2024 is through regional qualifiers. Here’s a list of all 6 of them as well as their seeding slots reserved for the tournament as well as the teams that already qualified:

• Western Europe – 2 sots
  • Cloud 9
  • Tundra Esports
• China – 2 slots
  • TeamZero
  • G2 x iG
• Southeast Asia (SEA) – 2 slots
  • Talon Esports
  • Aurora
• South America – 2 slots  
  • Beastcoast
  • HEROIC
• Eastern Europe – 1 slot
  • 1Win Team
• North America – 1 slot
  • Nouns

Seeding distribution is based on the regional coefficients from the previous season. If a region’s teams perform better in 2024, they will earn more slots in 2025. Every Tier 1 tournament champion wins a spot at The International but the best-performing regions are the only ones with openings for the runner-ups.

Betting markets for TI13 matches

A betting market refers to the different types of predictions you can make at a given esports match. Most markets are for guessing the outcome of a game which you can find under in-play for live events or future for scheduled fixtures. In-play betting is often going to have fluctuating odds compared to future betting. Here’s your Dota 2 betting guide for different markets to expect per fixture:

• Winner bets: Bet on which team will win the match. This is determined after they scored the majority in a Bo3 or Bo5.
• Number of maps over/under: ‘Maps’ refers to the round and there are 2 to 3 of them in a Bo3 match. In a Bo3, you guess if there will be over or under 2.5 maps. Over bets win if both teams win a map, resulting in a 3rd game to break the tie. Otherwise, under 2.5 bets win. 
• Handicap: This involves betting on the winner but one side gets a +1.5 advantage. That means they automatically have 1.5 scored, making them hypothetically win the match after winning just once on either map 1 or 2. To win the bet on the other team, they need to win a 2-0 sweep, overcoming the -1.5 disadvantage. 
• Correct Score: Guess the point distribution at the end of the match. Your bets can be on any combinations of 2-0, 2-1, 1-2, or 0-2 in a Bo3 and more options are available in Bo5. 
• To win at least one map: This market is usually for underdogs in a difficult matchup. You guess if that team can at least manage winning one map at any point of the fixture.
• Map winner bets: This is similar to winner bets but you are guessing who will be victorious in each map. Thus, you have 2 to 3 or  3 to 5 opportunities to win this wager in Dota 2 TI betting. 

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TI13 betting tips and strategies for esports gamblers

No guarantee will win a match but some teams have better chances than others. Most of the time, this is a prediction that people with deep knowledge of esports can understand better than newbies. If you’re not knowledgeable in Dota 2 TI, it’s better to follow tips. Here are three popular ideas when trying to determine which bets are the safest the easy way:

Follow every game involving the teams who got direct invites

Remember that Valve directly invited teams with the best performances last year which didn’t change their list of active players. You can, therefore, safely assume that these will be among the top contenders for the TI13. That doesn’t mean that they are all sure winners in every matchup. That just means that they are your standard of skills in the competition. 

See if any other teams have what it takes to compete at their level. Watch video-on-demand (VOD) of their games in the regional tournament and take note of their decision-making. This way, you can tell who among the lesser-known teams has a strong chance to win their respective matchups. 

Pay attention to hero pick matchups when in-play betting

Understanding the advantages and disadvantages is the key to winning a Dota 2 winner bet. However, you’ll have to take the time to study hero and composition matchups for this one. Playing the game helps but you can also dedicate time to reading blogs and watching YouTube guides about every hero if you don’t have the time to play.

When betting on a specific fixture, check out online databases to see lists of the usual heroes both teams choose. Remember, experience is always an important factor so a player is more likely to win when using their favourites. 

From there, you can open databases on which opponent every hero statistically struggles against. When you’re familiar with this, you can tell which team is likely to win as early as the hero selection screen. This is a great advantage for in-play bettors who also watch the games live on streaming services. 

Bet on the underdog for a thrilling stake in Dota 2 esports

Not all bets should be on the safest side because the underdog can win upsets occasionally. When they do, it’s always fun because it’s both impressive and because the payout for their odds is big. For a thrilling betting experience, you should consider staking on the underdog, especially on crucial matchups. 

How to bet on the international Dota 2 on Gamdom

Betting markets for Dota 2 TI will be available a week or two before the start of The International. You can find them under ‘future’ when you want to wager on fixtures in advance. Outright betting is also available for when you wish to be on which team will take the Aegis. In-play betting is only available when a match is ongoing so be sure to log into Gamdom on match days to participate. 

Every bet you make on Gamdom adds to your progress in climbing the leaderboard at the King of the Hill. Make big bets or stake as many times as you wish to race to the top against other active bettors on the platform. You’ll win a cut of the $10,000 prize pool at the end of the day or a $1,000,000 prize pool at the end of the month. 

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