Esports Betting Guide: Fantasy Betting for Beginners

How to Play Fantasy Sports Betting

As mentioned, there are various ways to bet in fantasy sports. The type of wager you choose typically depends on the sport and whether you're participating in a season-long league or opting for daily fantasy sports.

Team creation rules can vary by sport. However, most often, you're given a budget or salary cap to select players, each with an associated price. Points and scoring systems also differ. For instance, how your team earns points in football will be distinct from how they earn them in basketball or rugby. In football, a wide receiver might accumulate points based on yards and touchdowns, while a rugby player could score points for tries, conversions, etc.

Fantasy Leagues for Kenyan Bettors

You already know that fantasy leagues generally involve playing against other fantasy teams. In football, a winner is crowned if their team manages the most points from their starting lineup. Therefore, the goal is to pick a formation that yields the best overall statistics, leading to more points and, ultimately, winning the prize pool.

Some leagues don't award the entire prize pool to the main winner. Instead, winners receive a percentage, with smaller sums allocated to runner-ups.

Fantasy sports bettors can also opt to play against a single opponent. The stakes placed would be equal, and the winner is determined by whose team scores the most points, walking away with their opponent’s stake.

Daily Fantasy Sports for Kenyans

Daily fantasy sports condense the often months-long season-long format of classic fantasy leagues into shorter, more action-packed periods. You can select your favourite players daily or weekly. There's no long-term commitment, so you won't be stuck with a poor choice of players for months if they don't perform or win you money.

In daily fantasy sports, issues like player injuries or bad drafts and trades aren't as problematic as in the season-long versions.

Sports enthusiasts and fantasy game fans in Kenya can look forward to continuous fun and entertainment while picking their ideal starting lineups or teams. There are also more winning opportunities because contests are consistently available with daily and weekly wagering.

The salary cap that imposes some constraints on your selections is still in place, but it doesn't necessarily limit your control. Remember, the most expensive players aren't always the best performers, especially in daily fantasy sports.

Here are the steps to get started with fantasy betting:

1. Find a Reputable Sportsbook. Select a trusted fantasy site or sportsbook (more on this in just a bit).

2. Register or Sign in. Create an account if you’re new, or simply log in.

3. Select a Fantasy Sport. Navigate to the daily fantasy sports section and select the sport you're most confident in backing. You should have a good understanding of the sport, as well as insights into players, teams, and gameplay.

4. Opt for a Game Type. Choose your betting or game type (we will cover this in the next section).

Choosing a Daily Fantasy Game Type and League Size

Free Roll Games

This is where we recommend you start your fantasy betting journey. The risk is non-existent because it’s free to play, so no deposit or wager is required and it allows you to win real money to boost your bankroll balance. You also still have the option to choose your preferred game type: Head-to-Head (H2H), Double Up (50/50), or a Guaranteed Prize Pool (GPP).

Head-to-Head and Double Up

These game types offer you around a 50% chance to either win a set amount of cash or to literally double your money. In H2H games, you play against a single opponent, while 50/50 games require you to beat half the field. The upside of these types is that you don’t have to build the best team to win — instead, look at creating a more well-rounded team with safe options.

Guaranteed Prize Pool

These games are slightly harder, but the upside is that entry fees are low and if your selected team does well, the prizes are usually big. In a GPP tournament, you go up against a lot of other bettors, so your knowledge and grasp of players, etc. must be exceptionally good.

How to Pick the Best Fantasy Betting Site

Fantasy sports betting is not classified as traditional gambling because it’s seen more as a game of skill than one of luck or chance. But, while proficiency in your chosen fantasy sport is definitely important, the outcome is never clear-cut because you’re essentially placing a bet on a real game that you have no control over. Unless you’re playing a free fantasy game, placing any sort of wager on the results of a game means there will always be a level of risk involved.

Before we jump into how to choose a fantasy site, we must emphasize the importance of practicing responsible gambling. Before you play fantasy for real money, set a realistic budget and never exceed it.

Criteria when Choosing an eSports Site or Sportsbook

The best online betting site will vary from person to person, depending on specific games or tournaments and contests they want to place bets on — for many, even the types of bets offered are a consideration. Here are the key features of good eSports sites:

A Trusted License

Ensure your chosen sportsbook is licensed by a reputable gambling authority. A legal license means the site is continuously monitored and it serves as a surety that the bookie operates fairly and safely.

Payment Methods

Navigate to the payment options and ensure that your chosen deposit and withdrawal methods are supported.

Free Play

This is particularly important for new bettors. Playing free fantasy sports is just as thrilling, but it is risk-free and a great way to get a proper grasp of the game before going in with a real money wager.

Promos and Bonuses

Many eSports betting sites offer new customers promotions and bonuses to get their bankroll started. A cash bonus means bettors only have to worry about making their first deposit at a later stage.

Customer Support

In case something goes wrong, it’s essential to have a call center, helpline, or social media presence that provides service to bettors 24/7.

User Experience

The sportsbook you choose for fantasy sports should have a fantastic user interface and it should use only the best software from leading providers in the industry.

Popular Fantasy Sports to Bet on

Football

American football (and the NFL in particular) dominates fantasy in the US. The renowned virtual league boasts a fan base of over 35 million people, which equates to roughly 78% of fantasy players in the country.

Soccer

Soccer is the leading fantasy sport in the UK with approximately 8 million active fantasy players. The fan base keeps rising thanks to the sport’s worldwide popularity. The Premier League — the largest soccer league in the world — owns its official fantasy game, the Fantasy Premier League (FPL).

Cricket

In India, fantasy cricket ranks tops with a staggering following of more than 100 million players. The IPL and Twenty20 Cricket Championship are the primary virtual focuses and experts believe the following will jump to about 400 million in the next decade or so.

Basketball

Basketball is top of the leaderboard in daily fantasy sports. Basketball fanatics can’t get enough of the action, so it makes sense that its eSports presence is huge too. The US currently has the most active users and clashes between the different teams in the NBA are the main fantasy focus.

Fantasy Betting Tips & Tricks for Success

Betting for real money? Give yourself an edge in the fantasy sports arena with these winning strategies:

Keep Track of Players

You should have a really good grasp of each player’s highs and lows, and the only way you’ll stay on top of these stats is by following live games. Understanding the typical performance of a player will help you predict their ability in future games.

Know the Sport

This goes hand-in-hand with knowing each player’s performance. To excel and make the most of fantasy opportunities, you must be a fan of the sport or possess a good understanding of the game.

Have a Strategy

Having a betting strategy is about having an understanding of the players’ performance and an excellent grasp of the sport at large. Having a poor strategy with no thought can ruin your fantasy season before it even gets underway. Drafting the best players doesn’t mean they all have to be ranked tops. It’s all about balance — and you should always consider saving some of your budget (the salary cap we spoke about earlier) for mid-season trades, etc.

Start with Less Pricey Leagues

We called out the most popular league sports to bet on in fantasy, but remember that those are also more expensive to play. If you’re new to fantasy sports betting, start with the cheaper leagues to save some cash (until you’re ready to up your stakes) and to become more familiar with how things work.

Always Have Fun

Sure, a bit of competitiveness is great, but at the end of the day, partaking (and even spectating) in any sport, real or virtual, is meant to be fun. Also, know your limits and practice responsible gambling.