Dota 2 The International Betting | Prize Pool, Teams, Format

The International is the absolute peak of the Dota 2 professional ecosystem to conclude the current season of the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC). The tournament takes place annually at the end of Summer. This year, the International 2023, or TI12, returns to its ancestral roots in Seattle as the 20 best Dota 2 teams flock to compete in the biggest Dota 2 event of the year, beginning on October 12. 

Alongside tons of blood-pumping pro-Dota 2 matches and nitty-gritty action, there are usually plenty of opportunities for Dota 2 betting. If you fancy sprinkling that Rivalry hot sauce on your TI viewing, then this Dota 2 TI betting guide is the perfect place to start, featuring the best esports odds on the block!

Dota 2 TI Details

Dota 2 TI often takes place in Seattle, USA, although its first-ever event was hosted in Germany in 2011. The last three events were also held outside the United States, in Vancouver, Shanghai, and Bucharest. 

The International 2023 features 20 teams; 12 are directly invited using the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) rankings, while the other eight have qualified by winning their respective regional qualifier.

The International is typically an action-packed and condensed S-Tier tournament. This year, the Dota 2 TI schedule begins on October 12 and lasts until October 29 for a total of 17 days. The Group Stage is all online, but the Main Event, the Playoffs, takes place before a live audience. 

The playoffs weekend will be held at the Seattle Convention Center’s Summit. In contrast, the Finals Weekend will be held at the Climate Pledge Arena. Speaking of the Finals, if you're an Ontario Rivalry user, you’re in luck! We’re whisking you and a +1 off to watch the TI Madness live FOR FREE - just read this article for more details. 

Historically, the most spectacular editions of The International have been the 3rd and 8th. In the Grand Final of the 3rd edition, Natus Vincere played against Alliance in an intense battle, and the Western European squad eventually won with a score of 3–2. The 8th edition was a classic Cinderella story in which OG, ranked 18th ahead of the competition, miraculously managed to win it. This was a match to remember, with fans on the edge of their seats. 

All the following teams have previously won the Aegis of Champions:

• TI1: Natus Vincere
• TI2: Invictus Gaming
• TI3: Alliance
• TI4: Newbee
• TI5: Evil Geniuses
• TI6: Wings Gaming
• TI7: Team Liquid
• TI8: OG
• TI9: OG
• TI10: Team Spirit
• TI11: Tundra Esports

As you can see, there have been unique winners in almost every iteration of The International, except for TI8 and TI9, both of which were won by OG. Will TI12 feature a new name on the Hall of Fame, or will a previous champion retake the crown? 

The International Prize Pool

In Dota 2, The International has by far the largest prize pool of all esports tournaments. The reason why The International has such a massive prize pool has to do with what is known as the TI Battle Pass. 

This is a Dota 2 DLC that offers a lot of great content at a reasonable price, which usually starts at $9.99. A quarter of the proceeds gathered by Valve from the Battle Pass goes to the Dota 2 TI prize pool. 

To get a better idea of how big this prize pool is today and how it’s grown over the years, take a look at this list:

• The International 2011: $1.6 million
• The International 2012: $1.6 million
• The International 2013: $2.8 million
• The International 2014: $10.9 million
• The International 2015: $18.4 million
• The International 2016: $20.7 million
• The International 2017: $24.7 million
• The International 2018: $25.5 million
• The International 2019: $34.4 million
• The International 2021: $40 million
• The International 2022: $18.9 million 

So, in just one decade, The Dota 2 TI prize pool grew by 2,500%. That’s an impressive statistic, although it fluctuates yearly due to Dota 2’s dwindling player base. Either way, it’s even better knowing that this prize money is distributed amongst all 20 participating teams.

So far, the prize pool for TI12 is unknown and will be announced closer to the tournament's start date. The base prize pool now stands at $2,941,975 at of October 11.

The Dota Pro Circuit Lowdown

The Dota 2 teams participating in The International each year come from the Dota Pro Circuit. This circuit includes six regions: Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, China, and Southeast Asia. In each of these regions, there is one league with two divisions, called the Lower Division and the Upper Division.

Like in League of Legends, there are two Splits per year, called Seasons. At the end of DPC Season 1, the best teams from each region qualify for a huge Dota 2 tournament called a Major, a big event that offers $500,000 - $1 million in prizes and DPC qualification points for The International. Regional leagues offer points as well, but usually fewer. 

After every Season, the bottom two teams from the Upper Division are relegated to the Lower Division. In comparison, the top two teams from the Lower Division get promoted to the Upper Division. This ensures everyone has a fair chance to compete in the highest division and qualify for DPC Majors.

There are usually three Majors a year; this year, we have had the Lima Major, Berlin Major, and Bali Major, although the locations change yearly. 

The whole purpose of the Dota Pro Circuit is to select the best teams in the world for The International and for the regional qualifiers of the event. But only for a short time. In September 2023, Valve confirmed they are scrapping DPC as the primary method of qualifying for The International and will have more information on how TI invitations will be handled going forward into 2024. 

Dota 2 TI: Format and Schedule

In Dota 2, The International is a tournament that uses a very extensive competitive format. This format gives teams a chance to compete many times before they get eliminated, thus creating a fair arena and a fantastic spectacle for the fans. 

This year, Valve has announced that the Group Stage and Playoffs are part of the “Road to The International,” leading to the Main Event, the Finals Weekend, scheduled for October 27 - 29. Below, you’ll find the format for The International 2023:

Group Stage (October 12 - 15)

Phase 1

• 20 teams are split into five groups, competing in a single round-robin format.
• All series’ are Bo2.
• The bottom team in each group gets eliminated. 

Phase 2

•  The remaining 16 teams play in eight Bo3 head-to-head matches to determine their playoff seeding.
• The top two teams in each group get matched with opponents from either the 3rd or 4th-placed teams in the opposite group.

Playoffs (October 20 - 29)

• 16 teams play in a double-elimination bracket.
• Eight teams begin in the Upper Bracket and eight start in the Lower Bracket.
• The Grand Final is Bo5, while all the other matches are Bo3.

One thing that differentiates The International from other major esports competitions is that the Lower Bracket Final and the Grand Final take place on the same day. This gives the Lower Bracket winner a slight disadvantage, as by the time they start playing in the Grand Final, their players may already be tired. When engaging in Dota 2 betting, this is an aspect worthy of consideration.

Dota 2 TI Teams

As mentioned, 20 of the best Dota 2 teams are flying to Seattle for The International 2023. There are 12 teams pre-invited through their DPC ranking, while the other eight teams duked it out in their respective regional qualifiers.

Below, you’ll find a list of each team competing. Stay tuned for our dedicated The International 2023 event overview, which will detail the TI12 schedule, player rosters, and current standings!

Invited Teams

• Team Liquid 
• Gaimin Gladiators
• Tundra Esports
• 9Pandas
• Evil Geniuses
• LGD Gaming
• Shopify Rebellion
• Talon Esports
• Beastcoast
• Team Spirit
• TSM
• BetBoom Team

Regional Qualified Teams 

• Nouns
• Keyd Stars
• Thunder Awaken
• Virtus.pro
• Entity
• Quest Esports
• Azure Ray
• Team SMG

Dota 2 TI Qualifiers

The Dota 2 TI Qualifiers usually take place a few months before The International itself and offer excellent esports betting opportunities, featuring the best teams in each region. 

The most challenging part about the Dota 2 TI Qualifiers is the limited number of spots offered per region. Only one team from each of the six regions qualifies for The International, so if a strong competitor is not among the top 12 teams at the end of the Dota Pro Circuit, they must win its regional qualifier to play in the tournament.

The strongest qualifiers for The International take place in China and Western Europe. These regions have the highest number of world-class contenders and some of them usually miss the top 12. 

Dota 2 TI: Favorite Teams To Win

Since 20 teams are competing in The International 2023, bettors have plenty of options and may be spoilt for choice on who to hedge their bets on. Take a peek at Rivalry's list of teams to watch during TI12.

Gaimin Gladiators

Gaimin Gladiators have won all three DPC Majors this year, emerging as the clear favorite to win The International. They kicked off the season by clutching the victory at the inaugural Lima Major 2023. They have seen a steady stream of success since, and are currently 2nd in the DPC rankings.

Team Liquid

Team Liquid currently holds the most points in the 2023 DPC season, standing at 2150 points; just ten points ahead of Gaimin Gladiators! They've proven themselves to be a strong contender and a favorite to take home the lion's share of the prize money.

Team Spirit

Team Spirit recently clutched the win at DreamLeague S21, besting Shopify Rebellion in an exciting Grand Final. Team Spirit also won the first Riyadh Masters this year, making it two trophies in a row. Will they make it a third by adding the Aegis of Champions to their collection?

Tundra Esports

Tundra Esports won last year's TI in 2022, and understandably, they'd want to keep hold of their title. Their performance in the 2023 DPC season has been a little lacking, but they could always be a potential underdog!

How to Watch Dota 2 TI Live

If you would want to watch The International live or even bet on Dota 2 while watching, you can follow the matches on Twitch. The channel associated with TI is called dota2ti. For the Group Stage, you will also find four dedicated channels for when some matches run in parallel. These channels are called: dota2ti_2, dota2ti_3, dota2ti_4, and dota2ti_5.

The International is a very compact tournament, meaning matches can run from morning until evening or even late into the night. If you’re serious about Dota betting, you should set aside ten days in advance and prepare for a marathon. There will be hundreds of hours of action to be enjoyed and analyzed!

Bet on Dota 2 The International 

Watching the Dota 2 The International live goes hand-in-hand with plenty of betting opportunties available! It's the perfect time for you to dip your toes in the waters of esports betting. The tournament is best enjoyed in tandem with live betting sessions. However, if you want to take advantage of every single match you’ll probably need two monitors. Following all four matches on a single monitor is nearly impossible!

Like any other esports betting activity, Dota 2 betting requires some knowledge about the game and its professional scene. It also requires an understanding of esports betting odds and the various Dota 2 betting markets. In particular, live betting also requires fast reflexes because the odds can change at any moment. And at different moments and outcomes during the game, these odds will get temporarily locked.

Dota 2 Betting Markets

Regarding Dota 2 TI betting and Dota 2 betting options, you can place bets with real money; not just on the result of a match, but also on its individual games.

Each of them will have its odds listed next to it. We display our competitive odds using decimal odds as an easy-to-understand method. For example, if you bet on Team A with 2.5 odds, you stand to win 2.5x your original bet. It's that easy!

The sheer range of betting options makes Dota 2 one of the best esports for gambling. Among the vast number of other esports betting sites covering The International, Rivalry offers one of the widest range of options.

Take a look at just some of the betting options you can choose from when betting on Dota 2 TI: 

• Match winner
• Map winner
• First Blood
• Handicap betting
• First to 10 kills
• First Tower
• First Barracks
• First Roshan
• Match duration (above/below x minutes)
• How many games will a match have (above/below 2.5)

Rivalry’s Same Game Combos

As a trailblazer in the betting game, Rivalry now offers Same Game Combos on our top esports titles, including Dota 2! This is groundbreaking in the esports betting world! With us, you can build up hefty combos on multiple bets, all in the same game.

Follow the steps below to get started with Rivalry's Same Game Combos:

1. Find a Dota 2 The International match with Same Game Combos (SGCs) active. (They have the brain icon next to them).
2. Open up the page for this match by clicking anywhere on the match line. Then, hit Same Game Combo to activate SGC Mode. Cue the lightning strikes and big-brain plays!
3. Build your own Dota 2 TI Same Game Combo bet by combining two or more bets in a single game. As you masterfully craft your betting slip, newly updated odds will crop up after each decision. Some outcomes may become locked. For example, as nice as it would be, you cannot bet on both teams to win the match!
4. Set your stake and ship your Same Game Parlay bet! Sit back and watch the magic happen in real time. Happy combo’ing! 

Bring that big brain energy to your Dota 2 TI bets games, and rake in the cash today - Big brain, big bets, big bucks!

Bet on Dota 2 TI with Rivalry

If you want to bet on TI, you will find the best odds for The International Dota 2, great bonuses, a wide array of betting options, and full coverage of major tournaments on Rivalry. Unlike other traditional sports betting sites that see esports betting as a lucrative cash-grab opportunity, we're dedicated to making TI betting fun, exciting, and, most importantly, safe.

We've combined the exciting atmosphere of esports - the fast action, outright bets, breaking news, and memes - with everything customers expect from a top-tier sportsbook: full licensing, regulations, and absolute financial transparency.

With Rivalry, you'll never have to compromise on quality or safety. We're dedicated to bringing you the best in esports betting - so why wait? Sign up today and see why we're the top choice for esports fans everywhere, featuring the best odds compared to any old international betting sites!

Below are just a few reasons why Rivalry should be your top-tier choice of esports betting site:

100% Legal and Safe

Rivalry is a fully licensed online sportsbook compliant with all relevant laws and regulations. We are overseen by the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission, so you can have complete peace of mind when betting with us.

Welcome Bonuses and TI promos

As a heartfelt thank you for choosing us as your TI betting site (you didn't have to!), we offer welcome bonuses for all new accounts with your first qualifying bet and even TI-specific promotions, so watch our promotions page for more details!

24/7 Customer Support

If you've got any account queries or betting-related questions, we're here to help! Just get in contact with our 24/7 responsive customer support line.

Rivalry Academy

If you fancy dipping your toes in the world of esports betting, check out our online learning resource, Rivalry Academy. It's got all the betting 101s you need to know in order to get started, from budgeting your bankroll to all the available bet types.

Same Game Combos and Chicken Out

One small step for man, one giant leap for Rivalry! We're all about making your betting gains more exciting. That's why we're proud to offer innovative and fun features, including Chicken Out (Cash Out) and Same Game Combos!

Plenty of betting options

Is Dota 2 TI not taking your fancy? Don't worry! We have many other lucrative betting options to keep you entertained, from League of Legends to Valorant. We even offer traditional sports betting markets on significant football and basketball tournaments. We even have our own 1990s-inspired Casino.exe! Your betting options are endless with Rivalry at the helm.

Dota 2 TI Betting Tips

Betting on esports like The International 2023 can be an exciting yet overwhelming experience, especially when real cash money is involved. Even experienced bettors still have much to learn and need to remember the basics. Here are some simple betting tips to help you get started on TI betting:

Get your head in the game

The best way to get the upper hand is to learn the game you're betting on, giving you an in-depth understanding of the current meta, winning strategies, and the overall gameplay mechanics. This knowledge, although essential, can help you make more informed bets overall.

Patience is a virtue

It's best to wait until the end of the drafting phase and then place your bet, knowing the hero compositions. With this information at your disposal, you will have a pretty good idea of what will happen if the two teams play at their usual skill level.

Do your homework

It would help if you considered studying the two teams and their results over the past few months. Doing this will give you a better idea of who the competitors are and how likely it is for one to beat the other. Take a look at their success rates, roster moves, match histories, and more!

Set a budget

Manage your bankroll effectively, set a budget for your betting session, and stick to it. Always gamble responsibly. Do not bet more than you can afford to lose, and don't try to cover any of your losses.

If you regularly engage in Dota 2 betting and want to bet on The International, you should develop your own esports betting system and a set of strategies you can utilize in every situation.

Our best advice would be to pick a reputable and trustworthy Dota 2 TI betting site with no dodgy features. -cough- But you're already in the right place at Rivalry.com. What are you waiting for? Create your account and start winning big now!

FAQs about Dota 2 The International betting

Is Dota 2 The International betting legal?

Betting on Dota 2 tournaments like The International is 100% legal. Rivalry is a fully authorized and licensed online sportsbook governed by the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission.

Do you offer any free bets or promotions for TI betting?

Yes! We have a welcome bonus of a free bet for any new accounts that have signed up with us. Just use code WELCOME100 to use it!

Are you offering any giveaways for The International?

Yes! Ontario Rivalry users are in luck, as we are giving away a free trip for you and a friend to go and watch the Finals Weekend in Seattle, live. Read this article to get involved and see how to enter.

Who is the favorite team to win The International?

We believe that the firm favorite to claim the Aegis of Champions at The International 2023 is Gaimin Gladiators, having won all three DPC Majors this year. Team Liquid is also a close contender, but only time will tell.

How do I make a deposit?

Rivalry offers a wide range of depositing options, some of which are instant. These include MasterCard, Visa, Bitcoin, Skrill, and Alipay, to name a few.

Can I place bets from my smartphone?

Rivalry is entirely mobile-friendly, so you can place your bets while on the go, either through using your phone or tablet. Ontario users can also download the official Rivalry app from the iOS App Store.