IEM Katowice 2020 Betting Preview

One of the biggest events in the CS:GO calendar is returning from February 24^th to March 1^st. The Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Katowice event has became a true staple in the scene and typically marks the starting point of the competitive year.

This time around teams have been at Blast Premier Spring just weeks beforehand so the action could be at an even higher level. With 16 teams attending and $500,000 up for grabs, it should be an excellent event.

IEM Katowice 2020 betting sites

1. Betway (visit now)
2. bet365 (visit now)
3. GG.bet (visit now)
4. Unikrn (visit now)
5. Arcanebet (visit now)

IEM Katowice 2020 Format

Group Stage: February 24th – 27th, 2020

• Two double-elimination format (GSL) Groups
• Each group has eight teams
• Seeded using the ESL CS:GO World Rankings
• All matches are Bo3
• The top three teams from each group advance to the Playoffs:
• The group stage winners advance to the Semifinals
• Group stage runners-up advance to the Quarterfinals as the High Seeds
• Group stage 3rd place teams advance to the Quarterfinals as the Low Seeds

Playoffs: February 28th – March 1st, 2020

• Single-elimination bracket
• The Quarterfinals & Semifinals are Bo3
• The Grand Final is Bo5

Teams Attending

Many of the teams attending were seen in action at Blast Spring Premier so we have gained an idea of how they’re performing coming into Katowice. The best teams from around the world competing, every single series should be action packed with storylines being created along the way.

Below you will find a breakdown of the teams in each group and their odds to win the event, courtesy of Betway Esports.

Group A

• Astralis – 2.75 odds
• Cloud9 – 34.00 odds
• Ninjas in Pyjamas (NiP) – 26.00 odds
• Team Vitality – 9.00 odds
• Natus Vincere (NaVi) – 11.00 odds
• FaZe Clan – 7.00 odds
• Renegades – 26.00 odds
• Fnatic – 21.00 odds

Group B

• Mousesports (Mouz) – 7.00 odds
• Tyloo – 151.00 odds
• 100 Thieves – 17.00 odds
• G2 Esports – 19.00 odds
• Team Liquid – 9.00 odds
• Pro – 67.00 odds
• MAD Lions – 23.00 odds
• Evil Geniuses (EG) – 13.00 odds

Key betting tips

Anticipate Slow Starts – Doing full research before placing your bets is always recommended. In this case, we suggest keeping an eye out on teams that tend to get things off to a slow start. Some examples being NaVi and FaZe Clan. Whilst both teams have the potential to make deep runs at events, they very often slip up early and put themselves in a tough spot.

Map handicaps – If there’s a clear and obvious winner, map handicaps against them are the easiest way to boost odds. Likewise, if there’s a team that likely won’t win but has a chance of causing an upset, consider a map handicap in their favour.

Recent form is important – There are some teams in the Counter-Strike scene that are incredibly hit and miss, but in most cases, taking a team’s recent form into account can help weigh up which sort of bet you should place and how much you should risk wagering. However, in this case there has been a recent player break which could throw a spanner in the works here.

Teams to keep an eye on

Astralis – Event Favourites

Being the event favourites means everyone will be gunning to defeat them. However, it’s surprising bookmakers still favour them for the event following a hit and miss performance at Blast Spring Premier. It could be because over the past two years Astralis have cemented themselves as an elite roster filled with exploding talent

FaZe Clan – New roster, new potential

Following a run with a fairly long-standing roster, in the later stages of 2019 FaZe made some roster changes that received mixed reactions from the community. Based on their recent performances, this has been for the better and they are strong contenders to life the Katowice trophy.

G2 – The upset kings?

Every event always has a team eyed up as the underdog and G2 are the team we have selected this time around. Their great showing at the most recent event has propped them up the charts slightly, however, many still seem to overlook their potential.

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