A legendary esports event, the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Katowice is a CS:GO tournament held in Poland. In this guide, we'll go over all the participating teams, details about the schedule, as well as everything you need to know about IEM CS:GO betting!

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How To Start Betting on IEM Katowice

Any IEM tournament is exciting and fun to watch and bet on, but IEM Katowice is arguably the best. Considering that there will be 24 teams from various esports organisations taking part, it’s safe to say that plenty of top action is in store.

Nonetheless, there can be only one winner, with certain teams set to have an easier time trying to reach the finals than others. In any case, while there are a couple of notable favourites to win the event, it’s up to you to devise a betting strategy.

As for the betting process itself, it doesn’t differ much from traditional sports or even other esports such as League of Legends or Rocket League. What you’ll have to do is find an appropriate esports betting operator or bookie for your needs and betting requirements.

Compare and contrast the odds across different sites and which payment methods they support, such as PayPal, Skrill, cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, and credit cards. Additionally, you might want to take a look at what sort of esports betting bonuses are up for grabs, as well as which betting markets they offer.

After you've chosen a bookmaker, create an account, deposit some money, and you’ll be ready to start betting – right after you finish researching the teams and players, of course! Be sure to study up on CS:GO as an esports game as well if you're still new to how everything works.

IEM Katowice Betting Odds

The 2023 IEM Katowice is set to take place from 31st January to the 12th February – the winner goes home with $400,000 and a direct spot on the upcoming IEM Cologne 2023 event. More information on the full prize pool distribution is available down below.

Below are the latest odds for the top 16 contenders, correct as of 5th January:

TEAMODDS*
FAZE CLAN+400
HEROIC+500
NAVI+600
G2 ESPORTS+700
CLOUD9+700
OUTSIDERS+800
FURIA+800
LIQUID+900
VITALITY+900
MOUZ+1600
TEAM SPIRIT+1700
OG+2000
FNATIC+2000
ENCE+2500
BIG+2500
NIP+2500

*All odds have been obtained from BetOnline and are subject to change until the start of the event.

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These days, most (if not all) online bookmakers offer all sorts of bonuses – typically, we’re looking at either welcome offers for new customers, free bets, and more.

All sites we have listed above at the beginning of this article offer an array of attractive promotions for both new and existing punters. However, with any bonus that you claim, always be sure to read any T&Cs attached thoroughly to avoid any unwanted surprises later on.

IEM Betting Markets

The IEM Katowice tournament is one of the most followed CS:GO esports events in the world for both fans and bettors alike. Below, we've listed the top betting markets you'll find available across most online bookmakers.

Correct Score

Odds on the favourites can be way too low, hence the need to turn towards a correct score bet. By doing your research, you can easily spot which teams have a chance of dropping a map or winning the match. Bear in mind that the correct score only applies to best-of-3 and best-of-5 formats.

Total Rounds Player (Over/Under)

Before we delve into this betting market any further, you should know that this bet is often used in a best-of-1 match when you know which map is going to be played. Basically, if you believe that a particular map is going to be tense, why not opt in for a Total Number of Rounds wager?

For example, if FaZe Clan is strong on an upcoming map, then it makes sense to choose Under the given number of rounds (for example, 25).

Pistol Round Winner

While some of you may already know that two pistol rounds are certain in every CS:GO competitive match, were you aware that certain sites such as Liquipedia or HLTV will offer you insight into teams and their pistol round win percentages?

You can easily find solid picks by using this betting market. To make things even better, this special bet is offered by most betting sites, with odds always around a 50/50 mark.

Race to Rounds

At times, certain teams will win rounds on momentum. This is where a Race to Rounds bet can come in handy. For instance, we know how aggressive ENCE Esports like to be and how good they are in pistol rounds. Let's say that odds on them to reach three rounds first are 2.10, which provides insane value; however, it also requires in-depth knowledge of the game.

Rounds Handicap

Alongside the Match Winner bet, the Round Handicap bet is also very popular with punters. Basically, the latter involves you either giving one team (the favourite) a disadvantage, or giving another team (usually the underdog) a booster before the match starts.

Keep in mind that numbers with a plus (+) sign attached are calculated on the lower whole number (example: +4.5 rounds = 4 rounds). On the other hand, numbers with a minus (-) symbol are counted on the next whole number (example: -4.5 rounds = 5 rounds).

What Is IEM Katowice?

IEM, short for Intel Extreme Masters, is a well-known series of international esports events held across the globe, oftentimes in some of the most mesmerising venues. Organised by Intel and ESL, these events have the highest production standards and some of the most lucrative prize pools on the esports market.

The first Intel Extreme Masters events date all the way back to 2006. Since then, the series have grown into a worldwide sensation and are growing towards becoming a household name across numerous esports countries.

IEM events feature a wide variety of video game titles, but as of 2022 they only host CS:GO and StarCraft II tournaments. Only top-tier teams qualify for these occasions, which is nothing surprising considering the fact that IEM events tend to have millions in prize money.

IEM CS:GO History

Intel Extreme Masters is the longest-standing esports event series out there. It holds events for several games apart from CS:GO, with StarCraft II being the second most popular.

Here’s some basic information on CS:GO IEM history regarding events held in the last two years. For an even more detailed look on the history of previous CS:GO IEM tournaments, refer to the main Intel Extreme Masters hub on Liquipedia.

EVENTDATEPRIZE POOLWINNING TEAMRUNNERS-UP
IEM RIO MAJOR 202231.10.2022 – 13.11.2022$1,000,000OutsidersHeroic
IEM COLOGNE 202205.07.2022 – 17.07.2022$1,000,000Faze ClanNatus Vincere
IEM DALLAS 202230.05.2022 – 05.06.2022$250,000Cloud9ENCE
IEM KATOWICE 202215.02.2022 – 27.02.2022$1,000,000FaZe ClanG2 Esports
IEM WINTER 202102.12.2021 – 12.12.2021$250,000Team VitalityNinjas in Pyjamas
IEM COLOGNE 202106.07.2021 – 18.07.2021$1,000,000Natus VincereG2 Esports
IEM SUMMER 202103.06.2021 – 13.06.2021$250,000Gambit EsportsOG

Tournament Format

The 2023 Intel Extreme Masters will pan out in three separate stages, following a format pretty much identical to previous IEM iterations. The 24 participants are divided into “directly qualified teams” and “play-in teams”.

Here’s what the tournament will look like:

Play-In Stage

The play-in stage starts on January 31st and runs through to February 1st. During this stage, the tournament goes through a double-elimination bracket featuring 16 teams.

Opening matches are set for Bo1s, while all others are set for bo3s. In the end, only the top half of the teams advance to the second stage of IEM Katowice.

Group Stage

The group stage kicks off on February 2nd and lasts through February 5th, featuring eight directly qualified teams alongside the eight best teams from the Play-In stage.  During these four days, we’ll see two double-elimination groups with eight teams in each. At this point in the tournament, all matches are Bo3. Only the top three teams from each group advance to the playoffs in the following fashion:

  • Group winners advance to the semi-finals.
  • Runners-up advance to the quarter-finals as high seeds.
  • Third-place teams advance to the quarter-finals as low seeds.

Playoffs

The playoffs will be held live at the Spodek Arena in Katowice, a venue known for hosting some of the world’s biggest esports events. This stage starts on February 10th and will feature two Bo3 quarterfinals, two Bo3 semifinals, and a Bo5 grand final that’s set for Sunday, February 12th.

Prize Pool

Here’s what the official prize pool distribution of the IEM Katowice 2023 looks like:

PlacementPrize Money
1st$400,000
2nd$180,000
3rd – 4th$80,000
5th – 6th$40,000
7th – 8th$24,000
9th – 12th$16,000
13th – 16th$10,000
17th – 20th$4,500
21st – 24th$2,500

2023 IEM Katowice Participants

As mentioned earlier, this tournament is set to have 24 participants in total:

Faze ClanHeroicNAVIG2
Cloud9OutsidersFURIALiquid
VitalityMouzSpiritOG
FnaticENCEBIGNiP
SproutpaiNComplexityEG
MIBRPermittaIHCGrayhound

IEM Katowice Betting Predictions and Favourites

In this section of our guide, we'll take you through our detailed IEM CS:GO betting predictions. At the moment, there are no officially announced matchups; however, futures have been around for a few days already at the time of writing. Take a closer look below to see which teams you should bet on!

FaZe Clan

According to most esports bookmakers, FaZe Clan are the favourites to win the 2023 IEM Katowice. Why is that so? Well, in short, they’re finally making their presence known.

They’ve been by far the best team throughout the entirety of 2022, despite not being able to close it out with style on the two BLAST Premier finals (second and third/fourth place). Still, everyone expects them to open 2023 campaign with style. In other words, this is FaZe Clan’s tournament to lose!

Heroic

When talking about IEM CS:GO betting odds and predictions, Heroic ought to be among the first name that comes to mind. They’re the most consistent team out there, and were nothing short of amazing for the majority of 2022's Q4. The ended up second in Rio, BLAST Premier Fall Finals title, and suffered a tight loss to NaVi in BLAST World Final.

All in all, Heroic have both the roster and the strategy to win big events. Yes, detractors will say they won’t have home soil advantage in Katowice. But they crave proper LAN matchups, and this one definitely fits the description.

Natus Vincere are always going to remain in title-contenting equations – for as long as they have S1mple, at least. The man is a beast even when he’s not in the best of form. He can do stuff no other player can, and he can start snowballing at any given moment.

But, if we start dissecting NaVi’s recent campaigns, we won’t find many good results. They did win BLAST Spring Finals last year, but that was a long time ago. If we narrow it down to just a few last months, their performances were pretty bleak. Npl doesn’t really seem like the best replacement; that said, though, we don’t think we’re going to see NaVi take this one… at least not with npl in the starting roster.

G2

Next up, G2! Yes, we have to emphasise G2 here, because they finished 2022 off with a banger – That’s right, NiKo and the G2 boys finally made a statement. For those of you who haven’t been following the pro CS:GO scene lately, NiKo led G2 to their first title in a long, long time.

The question now is, can G2 stand their ground and create a back-to-back title narrative in Poland? Well, if NiKo can give us another brilliant tournament like the one he had in Abu Dhabi, we wouldn’t be surprised if G2 goes all the way. But it’s not going to be a straightforward task. This is a massive event, sort of like a Major, so every single match and map will count in the end. Consistency will be of key importance, and if anything is going to throw G2 off, it’s going to be that.

Cloud9

We’re almost done with our CS:GO IEM Katowice betting predictions – we’d like to mention just two more teams before we call it a day, the first being Cloud9.

With the organisation’s acquisition of Gambit having been met with fiercely divided opinions, we are still not quite sure if that was a good deal. Cloud9 did win IEM XVII Dallas and finished in the semifinals of ESL Pro League Season 16. But, other than that, they’ve been pretty mediocre. One lethargic performance after another has made them nothing but a middle-of-the-pack team nowadays. Should you bet on a middle-of-the-pack bunch? Well, we ourselves can’t advise you to do so, unfortunately.

Outsiders

We can’t forget about Outsiders. After all, they’re one of the best teams in the world right now, especially as they are the current Major champions.

But, since that tournament, we can’t really say we’ve seen much from them. It’s still the same team. Jame is holding onto the ropes quite well. But their post-Major performance on BLAST Premier World Final left much to be desired.

Overall, we have to give credit where credit is due and Outsiders sure are a fine team. But, as far as their chances of winning IEM Katowice are concerned, we just can’t see it happening.

Where to Watch IEM Katowice?

Even though the official streaming details haven’t been announced yet, we’re certain the live action is going to be streamed on ESL CS:GO Twitch channel. That’s been the case for all previous IEM events, so it should work for this one as well. Nevertheless, it's worth keeping an eye on this page to remain updated with any possible changes in the future.

Summary

One thing is certain – IEM events are one of the biggest tournaments in the current CS:GO pro scene. They are right up there with the Majors, which speaks volumes about their significance and production quality. To get in on the betting action, choose a site from our list of recommendations above, sign up, and try things out for yourself!


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FAQ

IEM Katowice 2023 Betting FAQs

This year’s iteration of Intel Extreme Masters starts on January 31st and will last through February 12th. As expected, the playoffs will be held at the Spodek Arena, which means we’re in for yet another classic CSGO event in the making.

IEM CSGO betting odds can be found on a wide variety of online sportsbooks. These days, pretty much all major online sportsbooks have esports markets, and since this is the biggest esports event this month, you won’t have any trouble finding odds for it.

While they’re not exactly the biggest, they’re definitely right up there with CSGO Major Championship. The prize pools, the viewership, the sheer prestige – everything is on par with Majors, so IEM definitely belong in the same basket.

This year’s IEM Katowice has the typical prize pool of a CSGO Major Championship but without the flattering title. Yep, that’s $1 million in prize money, which is absolutely bonkers even for CSGO standards.

Since this is one of the biggest CSGO events out there, you can rest assured the bookies will be properly covering it. In other words, this means you’ll get access to futures, match-winners, props, and perhaps even live betting options.

Through our in-depth guides and reviews, we are focused on providing the best insights into esports betting.

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