Capcom released Street Fighter 5 (SFV) in February 2016 and has sold almost two million copies since. Punching its way into the world of eSports betting, SFV is now one of the most entertaining games to watch thanks to its fast-paced, action-packed fights. Read on to learn the basics of Street Fighter betting.
What is Street Fighter?
Street Fighter has kept the same premise throughout all of its series – pick a character and hit your opponent until one of you is knocked out. It’s a simple concept but it is executed so beautifully. The most played version of Street Fighter is Street Fighter 5 (SFV), which is also the one available to bet on at Pinnacle.
There are currently 34 characters to pick from, with each one having a vast array of attacks ranging from punches and kicks to throws and combos. Mastering the key combinations of these moves and knowing when to use them is what separates the good players from the great ones.
The game also features the EX gauge which was introduced in Street Fighter III. As players land attacks it builds up and can be used to either power up special moves or perform super combos (known as Critical Arts). Also new to the series is V-Gauge - this builds up when the player receives attacks and adds three new techniques: V-Skills, V-Reversals and V-Triggers.
While the perceived level of ability of each player should be a part of your consideration, their recent win-loss record and form with different heroes should be examined.
V-Skills are special attacks unique to each fighter, V-Reversals allow players to use a section of the V-Gauge to perform a counter move whilst being attacked and V-Triggers use the entire V-Gauge to allow the player to perform a unique ability.
The Stun Meter, which has been present since Street Fighter III, is visible under the health bars during a game. This increases when a player receives consecutive attacks and causes the player to become stunned when it fills up. As such, players will play more aggressive the higher their opponent’s meter is filled in hope of stunning them, resulting in an easier KO.
SFV: A brief history
The first Street Fighter, designed by Takashi Nishiyama was released on arcades in 1987. In the original game, players could play as Ryu in a martial arts tournament. A second person could join at any time and would play as his rival, Ken.
The player had to face off against 10 opponents from five different countries and could perform one of three special moves: Hadouken, Shoryuken and Tatsumaki Senpukyaku.
Four years later, the sequel named Street Fighter II: The World Warrior was released. It was one of the first fighting games to let the player chose from a variety of characters with different moves, fighting styles and special attacks.
There was a total of eight characters to choose from in Street Fighter II which created more diversity in the gameplay. It wasn’t short of controversy, as character M Bison has to change names due to his uncanny resemblance to boxer Mike Tyson.
Mastering the key combinations of these moves and knowing when to use them is what separates the good players from the great ones.
The sequel was much more popular than its predecessor, turning the game into a multimedia franchise. By 1993, the sales had exceeded $1.5 billion in revenue.
After another two versions, Street Fighter V was released on 16 February 2016 exclusively to PC and PS4 (it also enabled cross-platform gaming). Upon release, the game received positive reviews for its updated graphics and refined gameplay. It was not without some negative comments though, with critics stating the lack of content and characters was disappointing.
Some technical issues at launch (broken servers and software bugs) meant the game did not sell as well as Capcom had hoped. However, the issues have now been resolved and the game’s popularity is thriving.
How do you bet on Street Fighter?
Street Fighter betting is actually no different in reality to that of Dota 2 betting or Smite. The most popular type of bet is on who will win a match – also known as the Money Line. The odds on offer reflect the probability of each outcome and the amount you risk (stake) is then simply multiplied by the odds to give you the potential profit (returns) for a winning bet.
While the perceived level of ability of each player should be a part of your consideration, their recent win-loss record (particularly against who they are playing) and form with different heroes should be examined if you’re trying to get an edge in Street Fighter betting.
Street Fighter has kept the same premise throughout all of its series – pick a character and hit your opponent until one of you is knocked out.
With a vast number of heroes to play, most professional players decide to focus on a couple and master them. Some heroes will counter others and watching streams can be beneficial if you want to learn who is good against who. There are different stages the matches can be played on, but this does not really change anything other than personal preference.
In the major competitions, the most popular format used is best of three (BO3) and best of five (BO5) matches. Due to players needing to win two or three matches to be victorious, (depending on the format) the chance for an upset is diminished. You will almost never come across a BO1 format in Street Fighter betting due to the randomness of the game making it far too unpredictable.
SFV betting: Who are the best players?
The rising superstar in the SFV ranks is for sure Victor ‘Punk’ Woodley. Surprising a lot of people in 2017, he is one to look out for in the future to make his mark on the SFV scene. Despite suffering a devastating loss against Tokido at the Evolution Championship 2017 (EVO), he continued his impressive form, taking four more first-place finishes before the end of the year. He will be very disappointed with his result at the Capcom Cup, however, where he lost 3-2 against moke.
The aforementioned Tokido is widely considered to be one of the greatest fighting games players of all time. Despite moving to the Street Fighter franchise far later than most of his competitors, he managed to take first place at the EVO 2017, before ending the year with a runner-up finish at the Capcom Cup. Tokido is also a three-time EVO champion in three different fighting games (Capcom vs SNK2 in 2002, Super Street Fighter II Turbo in 2007 and Street Fighter V in 2017).
As players land attacks EX gauge builds up and can be used to either power up special moves or perform super combos.
The ever consistent Du ‘NuckleDu’ Dang is another player that deserves a mention. Known for his infamous taunting of opponents and highly aggressive play, the American player took a decent 5th / 6th place finish at EVO 2017, where he suffered a close loss to Tokido, before going on to win DreamHack Montreal. He also managed to win the Capcom Cup in 2016 and is an exciting player to look out for.
Use the information in this Street Fighter betting guide and take advantage of the best Street Fighter odds online. Alternatively, go back to the eSports hub to learn more and inform your eSport betting.
