As far as fighting games go, Tekken is right up there at the top with the Street Fighter franchise. In recent years, fighting esports games such as Tekken have gained in popularity – rightfully so since the newest games have been some of the best. As such, the Tekken betting side has also seen growth with many novice and experienced punters willing to take their chances with the game.
Best Esports Sites for Tekken Betting
How to Bet on Tekken Esports?
Tekken is a relatively straightforward game whose only variables are the characters themselves. Each character is unique, with specialized attacks and defensive moves, but the gameplay is virtually the same for all the characters.
The main goal is to defeat your opponent by using punches, kicks, and special combos that are achieved by pressing the buttons in the correct sequence. This makes Tekken very easy to understand for punters as they do not need to know all the intricacies for placing some simple bets.
But we’ll cover this more down the line. For now, you need to know that there aren’t quite a lot of Tekken esports tournaments to bet on due to the game being 7 years old. Still, certain esports organizations are committed to participating so there are possibilities for you to bet on.
Here’s the Tekken betting process:
- Settle down on your preferred betting operator – Although you don’t necessarily need to use just one bookie, it’s best if you have one that you’ll be using most of the time. Make sure to compare the odds and check their supported payment methods before creating your account!
- Create your account – If you’re satisfied with what your chosen bookie offers, go ahead and create an account using your real information. Using false personal information will disqualify you from receiving welcome and betting bonuses.
- Choose your preferred payment method – There are countless different payment methods that you can use with most bookies supporting PayPal, Bitcoin, and credit cards. However, you can expect most betting operators to provide a wide range of payment methods. No matter which payment method you use, it’s almost guaranteed you’ll find an operator that supports it.
- Learn as much as you can about the game – With this, you want to learn about the game itself as well as the esports environment. This includes learning about the teams, players, in-game characters, tournaments, and even the esports countries that have teams representing them in the Tekken esports world. The more you know, the better your bets will be.
- Place your bets and watch the action unfold – Once you’ve gathered all the necessary info, you’ll be ready to place your bets. After you’ve placed the bets, you may watch a live stream or two of the tournament you’re betting in. This is important as most bookies offer live betting, so you’ll need to react quickly to what’s happening in the match.
Tekken Esports Betting Guide
Tekken Betting Markets
Tekken, as is with other fighting games such as Street Fighter, features some pretty unique betting markets on most operator websites.
- Match Winner – Each Tekken match consists of multiple rounds (either Bo3 or Bo5). Here, you’re betting on a player to win the entire match.
- Round Winner – This is an even simpler bet than the Match Winner one; it’s also one of the faster-paced betting markets considering rounds last for a minute tops. Generally, the odds for this one are relatively low but there are a lot of them so it evens out.
- First Combo – A betting market unique to Tekken, this bet revolves around which player will initiate the first combo of the round or match, depending on how the bookie defines it.
- Longest Combo – Simply put, this bet is about which player will achieve the longest combo in a match.
- Round Length/Duration – One of the fastest betting markets in esports, the round duration bet type is perfect for those who want to constantly place some bets. Rounds in Tekken last for a fairly short time so you’ll be able to place new bets on a constant basis. Here, you’ll either bet that the round will last longer or shorter than the given prompt.
- Outrights – Outrights are some of the most popular betting markets and revolve around you placing bets on a player you think will win the entire tournament. The odds here are excellent, but they’re also some of the toughest bets to get right.
Tekken Betting Tips
Here are a couple of Tekken 7 betting tips that should give you a deeper understanding of the game as well as the betting process.
Play the Game
There’s no better way to get better at Tekken betting than to play the game yourself. Although you don’t need to be particularly skilled at the game, it’s still a good idea to give it a try and get to know more about the basics of Tekken.
The reason for this is that, once you start playing, you’ll slowly begin gathering knowledge and info about the game and its mechanics – very valuable when it comes to betting.
Learn the Characters
If you simply don’t want to play the game, this is the next best option. In order to make smart decisions in Tekken esports betting, you’ll need to know what each character does and whether they’re strong.
The meta generally changes after every large patch so some characters will become stronger while others will be weaker. In any case, Tekken esports pros usually have a preference for 1-3 characters that they main. Knowing which player plays which character will give you a betting advantage.
Watch Tekken 7 Esports Tournaments
Once you’ve got the game’s basics down, it’s time to watch a couple of Tekken 7 esports tournaments.
Be Mindful of the Meta
As said before, the meta can change at a moment's notice. Most popular esports games experience these changes, especially MOBA games, so it’s worth paying attention to which characters are the strongest at a given point in time.
Failure to do so might see you betting on players that have picked previously strong characters, just to see them fall prey to the new ones that took their place.
Keep an Eye out for Game Updates
Finally, let’s talk about game updates. Although game patches don’t change the fundamental elements of the game, they can still cause an impact on certain aspects. When it comes to Tekken, characters are the ones that experience the most changes.
This is usually what influences the meta and subsequent gameplay changes. Make sure to go through the patch notes every time a new patch comes out to see what has changed in the game.
Five Strongest Tekken 7 Characters
These five Tekken 7 characters are considered the strongest in the game. Although they aren’t ‘broken’ per se, as a player that is familiar with the character’s moves can easily beat another player without too much issue. Here’s an image of some of the most popular characters in Tekken.
Marshall Law
Marshall Law is familiar to all those who have a history of playing the Tekken franchise. His story in Tekken 7 isn’t quite the best but his playstyle and move list are exceptional.
Akuma
Akuma, while slow, features a tremendous amount of strength, arguably being the strongest character in the game (in terms of how hard his hits land).
Heihachi Mishima
Heihachi Mishima is many a player’s favorite Tekken character. Although his presence was somewhat sidelined in Tekken 5 and 6, Tekken 7 has once again made him the main character. Fans of the original Tekken series will remember his electrifying combos and special moves, which are also present in Tekken 7.
Heihachi generally isn’t a versatile character, and that limits your strategies to a certain degree. But he makes up for this through sheer empowered abilities. His fist combos are some of the strongest in the game and they usually aren’t too difficult to land.
Kazuya Mishima
Kazuya Mishima is Heihachi’s son in canon. He is the antagonist of Tekken 7 and has been a long-present member of the Tekken world. Kazuya is also one of the franchise’s oldest characters, so most veteran Tekken players will have no issues picking him up.
As TEKKEN has evolved and changed, so has Kazuya! Which has been your favorite look? pic.twitter.com/MgaAgrePTj
— TEKKEN (@TEKKEN) September 27, 2016
Kazuya is near-unstoppable when controlled by a skilled player. His move selection is more flexible and versatile than Heihachi’s, packing the same punch and coming with deadly combos.
Jin Kazama
Jin Kazama went through a metamorphosis of character development throughout the Tekken games. Originally the hero in Tekken 3, 4, and 5, he became a villain in Tekken 6 and returned as an anti-hero for Tekken 7.
Most Popular Tekken Tournaments
| Tournament Name | Prize Pool | Dates | Winner |
| Tekken World Tour Finals 2019 | $250,000 | 07.12.2019 – 08.12.2019 | Chikurin (player) |
| TRUGAMING Invitational Tekken 7 | $110,000 | 29.03.2019. | Qudans (player) |
| ELEAGUE Tekken Team Takedown | $100,000 | 02.03.2018 – 03.03.2018 | Team Cuddle_Core (team) |
| Tekken World Tour Finals | $50,000 | 12.11.2017. | Qudans (player) |
| WUFL Season 1 – Tekken 7 | $50,000 | 08.04.2021 – 11.04.2021 | Arslan Ash (player) |
| The King of the Iron Fist Tournament 2015 | $41,334 | 12.12.2015. | NOBI (player) |
| OSL Futures: Tekken 7 | $35,425 | 31.05.2019 – 28.06.2019 | Double (player) |
| Evo 2015 (Tekken 7) | $34,580 | 17.07.2015 – 18.07.2015 | NOBI (player) |
| TOKAIGI 2018 Tekken 7 Royal Championship | $31,500 | 11.02.2018. | NOBI (player) |
| Evo 2017 (Tekken 7) | $27,860 | 14.07.2017 – 16.07.2017 | JDCR (player) |
Best Tekken 7 Players in 2021
| Position | Nickname | Full Name | Earnings (2021) | Earnings (Total) | Team |
| 1st | Knee | Bae, Jae Min | $22,000 | $210,013 | DRX |
| 2nd | Arslan Ash | Arslan Siddique | $17,320 | $79,876 | Fate eSports |
| 3rd | Gen | Genki, Kumisaka | $15,617 | $30,080 | Donuts USG |
| 4th | Chanel | Kang, Seong Ho | $10,550 | $64,519 | DRX |
| 5th | Awais Honey | Awais Parvez | $10,000 | $18,922 | No Team |
| 6th | JDCR | Kim, Hyun Jin | $9,750 | $106,369 | No Team |
| 7th | Saint | Choi, Jin Woo | $6,000 | $57,333 | Genuine Gaming |
| 8th | Caiper | José María Maté Moreno | $3,500 | $11,209 | Giants Gaming |
| 9th | Fergus | Fergus McGee | $3,500 | $9,615 | No Team |
| 10th | Meo-Il | Unknown | $3,360 | $9,526 | No Team |
Best Tekken 7 Teams in 2021
| Position | Team Name | Total Earnings | Tournaments Entered |
| 1st | ROX Gaming | $250,160 | 62 |
| 2nd | UYU | $192,658 | 66 |
| 3rd | Echo Fox | $101,260 | 26 |
| 4th | Circa eSports | $79,305 | 34 |
| 5th | FATE Esports | $69,862 | 5 |
| 6th | Team Liquid | $28,580 | 8 |
| 7th | Genuine Gaming | $23,645 | 8 |
| 8th | Equinox Gaming | $20,886 | 25 |
| 9th | Talon Esports | $14,345 | 6 |
| 10th | Afreeca Freecs | $5,120 | 2 |
Tekken Esports Today
Although Tekken 7 is an older game that has slightly fallen out of favor in esports, there are still plenty of annual events where players can join and compete against others in the game of their choice.
These three have been the largest and most popular Tekken esports tournaments in recent years so if you want to watch both professional and amateur Tekken 7 players compete – they’re the ones to watch.
Tekken Esports Betting FAQs
How to unlock characters in Tekken 7?
The only way to unlock all characters in Tekken 7 is by playing the game extensively. A rough estimate of 2,000 battles in all modes (win or lose) is said to be enough to unlock everything within the game. Keep in mind that this will take a very long time to achieve but it isn’t impossible.
How to bet on Tekken?
Firstly, you would need to find a betting operator that appeals to you. This can be done by comparing betting odds and overall betting conditions and settling on the one you find best. Make sure to also take a look at the payment methods they support such as Paypal, credit cards, Bitcoin (some of the more popular ones), or even Skrill and Neteller.
Which players have earned the most playing Tekken in esports?
Bae, Jae Min (otherwise known as ‘Knee’), has earned the most by playing Tekken. Over his entire career, Knee has earned more than $210,000 which is an impressive amount considering Tekken isn’t quite one of the larger esports titles out there.
Which Tekken 7 esports tournaments are the best to watch?
The Tekken World Tour tournaments are generally the most prestigious of the bunch. However, Tekken 7 has fallen out of favour for other fighting games that do a better job advertising their existence in esports. Nonetheless, if you want to take a look at the best players competing against each other – this kind of tournament is best.
Which betting operator is the best for Tekken 7 betting?
There aren’t a lot of betting operators that support Tekken 7 betting but of those that do – GG.BET and Thunderpick are your best options. These are very reputable betting operators where you can be sure you’ll have an exceptional time betting.
