Who is this for?
This module is for bettors who understand how League of Legends works but want a structured way to read pre-match odds and choose the right market for a Bo1, Bo3, or Bo5 matchup.
Drafts, patches, regional form, and live betting are covered in later modules.
What you will learn
By the end of this module, you will understand:
- The five main series markets in League of Legends
- How decimal odds translate into implied probability
- How Bo1, Bo3, and Bo5 formats change the same matchup
- When handicaps and total-map markets can be more useful than match winner
- How first blood, first tower, first dragon, and first Baron markets work
Contents
Introduction: Series format changes the bet
League of Legends does not use one standard series length across every competition.
In 2026, Riot competitions use all three major formats:
- The World Star Challengers Invitational group stage uses best-of-one matches
- The LCS uses best-of-three regular-season series
- First Stand was played entirely as best-of-five series
The reason this is important for betting is simple. A favorite can lose a Bo1 after a weak draft, failed level-one play, or early objective mistake. In a Bo5, that same team can lose a map, adjust its bans or side approach, and still win the series.
Series length should therefore be reflected in the odds.
The five core League of Legends markets
Current Cloudbet LoL listings include match winner, map handicap, total maps, correct map score, and individual map-winner markets.
| Market | What you are betting on | Example |
| Match winner | Which team wins the full series | Team Liquid to beat Cloud9 |
| Map winner | Which team wins a specific map | Cloud9 to win Map 1 |
| Map handicap | A virtual map advantage or disadvantage | Team Liquid -1.5 maps |
| Total maps | How many maps the series lasts | Over 2.5 maps in a Bo3 |
| Correct map score | The exact final series score | Team Liquid to win 2-1 |
1. Match winner
The match-winner market asks which team wins the series.
In a Bo1, match winner and map winner are effectively the same bet. In a Bo3, the team must win two maps. In a Bo5, it must win three.
Suppose Gen.G are 1.55 against G2 in a Bo5. A $20 bet returns $31 if Gen.G win 3-0, 3-1, or 3-2. The route does not matter.
Match winner therefore works best when you have a strong view on the better team but do not want to predict the margin.
2. Map winner
A map-winner bet isolates one game from the series.
Map 1 can be useful when your analysis applies to the opening draft rather than the full series. Later map markets can incorporate information from earlier games, including champion priorities, lane matchups, and adaptation.
A team can lose the series and still cash a map-winner bet. If an underdog takes Map 1 before losing a Bo5 1-3, the Map 1 bet wins.
3. Map handicap
A map handicap gives one team a virtual head start or deficit.
In a Bo3:
| Bet | Wins if |
| Favorite -1.5 maps | Favorite wins 2-0 |
| Underdog +1.5 maps | Underdog wins or loses 1-2 |
If you expect a favorite to dominate, -1.5 offers a higher potential return but requires a sweep. If you think the underdog is competitive without being confident it wins the series, +1.5 can still cash in a 1-2 defeat.
In a Bo5, -1.5 wins on a 3-0 or 3-1 result, while 3-2 is not enough.
4. Total maps
Total maps asks how long the series will last.
For a Bo3, Over 2.5 maps means the series reaches Map 3. Under 2.5 wins if either team sweeps 2-0.
For a Bo5, Over 4.5 requires all five maps. Under 4.5 wins on 3-0 or 3-1.
This market is useful when you have a stronger view on how closely matched the teams are than on the winner. Two evenly matched teams can make Over 2.5 appealing in a Bo3 even when picking the eventual winner is difficult.
5. Correct map score
Correct-score betting requires both the winner and exact series result.
A Bo3 has four possible final scores: 2-0, 2-1, 0-2, or 1-2. A Bo5 expands the range from 3-0 through 3-2 for either team.
Because you are predicting a more specific outcome, the odds are normally longer than match winner. It suits analysis that supports both who wins and how competitive the series will be.
How Bo1, Bo3, and Bo5 change the same matchup
Longer series generally reduce single-map variance.
Imagine Team A has a 60% chance of winning any individual map against Team B. This simplified model assumes each map has the same independent probability, but it shows the format effect clearly.
| Format | Team A series win probability | Fair decimal odds before margin |
| Bo1 | 60.0% | 1.67 |
| Bo3 | 64.8% | 1.54 |
| Bo5 | 68.3% | 1.46 |
The underlying team strength has not changed. The longer format gives the 60% team more opportunities for its advantage to show.
That is why underdogs can have a better chance of an upset in Bo1s, while strong favorites often become shorter-priced in longer series. Format should also be considered before comparing historical head-to-head results.
Longer series add another LoL-specific factor: adaptation. Teams can change bans, protect a struggling lane, or contest champions that caused problems earlier. We cover more on this in module 2.
LoL-specific objective markets
Series markets tell you who wins and by how much. Objective markets focus on how an individual map develops.
| Objective market | What you are predicting | Useful factors |
| First blood | Team to secure the first champion kill | Early aggression, jungle paths, lane matchups |
| First tower | Team to destroy the first turret | Lane pressure, early rotations |
| First dragon | Team to secure the first dragon | Bot-side priority, jungle tempo |
| First Baron | Team to secure the first Baron Nashor | Mid-game control, vision, lead conversion |
Cloudbet lists first blood and first-tower props among its LoL markets, with objective markets such as first dragon and first Baron also common across League of Legends betting. Cloudbet’s esports rules settle first blood according to the team announced in-game as securing it, while first tower is settled according to which team’s structure falls first.
These markets can fit a team whose strengths are more specific than simply winning. A side might regularly secure early objectives but struggle to convert leads later. In that case, an objective market may better match the evidence.
Myth: The same matchup should have roughly the same odds in every format
Series length can materially change the stronger team’s chance of winning.
A team with a modest per-map advantage gets only one opportunity to show it in a Bo1. In a Bo3 or Bo5, one upset map is less decisive, and better teams have more time to adapt.
When comparing League of Legends odds, ask both:
How strong is each team, and how many maps will decide the result?
Ignoring the second can make the same matchup look more similar across competitions than it really is.
Key takeaways
- Match winner, map winner, map handicap, total maps, and correct map score are the core LoL series markets.
- Bo1s carry more single-game variance; longer series give stronger teams more chances to recover and adapt.
- Decimal odds can be converted into implied probability using 1 ÷ odds.
- Map handicaps suit views on winning margin, while total maps suit views on series competitiveness.
- First blood, first tower, first dragon, and first Baron let you bet on specific parts of a map.
Next modules
