The BLAST Pro Series circuit continues on August 13 and 14 when six of the world’s best Counter-Strike: Global Offensive teams compete for a $250,000 prize pool in California.
BLAST Pro Series: Los Angeles 2019 is the fourth BLAST event on the CS:GO calendar and features Pro Series regulars Cloud 9, MiBR, Team Liquid, and FaZe Clan. The foursome are joined by Renegades and NRG, both of which make their BLAST debuts through wild card invites.
BLAST Pro Series events are structured differently than most other CS:GO esports tournaments. In the opening round, all competing teams play each other once in best-of-one matches.
This weekend’s event in LA will see the top four teams move on to a playoff round, breaking from Pro Series events in the past that promoted the top two teams to a Grand Final.
The two-round playoff features best-of-three matches in a single-elimination bracket. Unique to BLAST Pro Series events is the BLAST Pro Standoff, which is a 1v1 aim duel showmatch. The winner of the Pro Standoff takes home an additional $20,000 in prize money on top of their tournament winnings.
Though the event features a small pool of teams and is relatively short, the winning team takes home a sizeable $125,000 in winnings. Second-place wins $50,000 and third place is awarded $25,000.
What is the BLAST Pro Series?
The BLAST Pro Series is the self-proclaimed “most explosive, engaging and entertaining esports tournament in the world.” Using an unorthodox and abbreviated format, BLAST Pro Series tournaments are definitely exciting but are not overly popular among CS:GO esports fans.
With a total of seven events planned for 2019 and hopes for 12 in 2020, the BLAST Pro Series often runs concurrent to other major Counter-Strike tournaments. As a result, teams that have signed with BLAST have turned down invites to compete in bigger tournaments to participate in Pro Series events because their contracts require it. Most notably Astralis, a team that is owned by the same organization that owns BLAST. Others are drawn by the allure of a sizeable prize pool.
In spite of a polarized community, BLAST events feature some of the best teams in the world and produce competitive action. At the end of the yearly cycle, the four teams with the most BLAST Pro Series points advance to a two-round Grand Final. Teams earn Pro Series points based on their performances at Pro Series events.
CSGO BLAST Pro Series LA Best Teams – The Field
Days removed from a major victory at ESL One Cologne, Team Liquid arrives in Los Angeles as the odds-on best CS:GO team in the world, making them natural favorites this weekend (-150 at Bovada). The North American outfit’s win in Cologne secured an Intel Grand Slam championship and $1,000,000 in winnings. Though they may not need the money, Liquid will be motivated to prove they’re no fluke with another title in LA.
NRG – A Strong Contender
Fellow North Americans NRG (+375) enter the tournament ranked fifth in the world and are set to make their second LAN appearances since adding stanislaw from compLexity in June. NRG finished 5th-6th at ESL One Cologne and took home $11,000.
Faze and MiBR – Possible Performance Issues
Europe’s Faze Clan and Brazil’s MiBR have been given +600 and +1000 odds, respectively, to win BLAST Pro Series: Los Angeles. Both could use deep runs this weekend to erase sub-par showings in Cologne a week ago, but don’t expect either to place first.
FaZe has strayed far from the level they played at in their BLAST Pro Series: Miami championship run earlier this year, and MiBR are in utter disarray following coldzera’s request to be benched.
Renegades and Cloud 9 – Big Underdogs to Watch
Renegades (+1600) and Cloud 9 (+3300) round out the field and are, in the eyes of Bovada’s bookmakers, both longshots to make impacts. As a team, Renegades are still working out the kinks since welcoming Gratisfaction back to the line-up.
The AWPer was recently plagued with Visa issues and missed time as a result. Cloud 9, on the other hand, having recently welcomed daps, mixwell, koosta and TenZ to the roster, are still feeling out their new look.
CSGO BLAST Pro Series LA Betting Odds
There are over a dozen matches to watch during the long weekend tournament. Below you can find the betting odds for the first day of the CSGO BLAST Pro Series LA:
Our Favorite CSGO Teams – Who Will You Bet On To Win?
BLAST Pro Series events are typically difficult to predict because of the abbreviated format, which, in the past, have not been kind to favorites.
Team Liquid – Easy Matches Make Them My Favorite
That said, Team Liquid is on another level right now and they’re faced with either:
- Opponents that are much weaker than them.
- Teams they’ve handled with ease in the past.
Barring a catastrophic disaster, Liquid will win Pro Series: Los Angeles and add to their ridiculous 2019 winnings.
NRG – Good Odds And Price
NRG has -125 odds to reach the final at Bovada and that’s a smart wager to make. Despite this being their Pro Series debut, NRG have something to prove and are set to make an impact.
They’ll want to erase the memory of a rough quarter-final defeat to Vitality in Cologne with a deep run in their maiden Pro Series tournament.
FaZe & Renegades – May Surprise Fans
FaZe and Renegades are both intriguing and should be of interest to punters. Specifically the latter, who are +550 to make the final. The best-of-one round robin could provide the Australians with the luck they need to leapfrog teams like NRG and MiBR and land in the final.
The opening round match-up between Renegades in FaZe, of which FaZe are currently a narrow -160 favorites to +115 Renegades, will have significant playoff ramifications.
Underdogs To Watch During Tournament
MiBR and Cloud 9 have too many issues to contend even in a tournament this small. At +1400 to reach the final Cloud 9 are major longshots, and surprisingly enough, MiBR boast +300 odds to mount a finals run.
Sleeper Pick
NRG has been given the best odds to topple Liquid in a potential final but considering they were most recently dismissed by the reigning ESL Cologne One champs, 2-0, last weekend, chances are slim they’d take down Liquid on Sunday. So, basically, stay away from making a sleeper pick to win the tournament outright; this is Liquid’s to win.
Renegades as a sleeper to reach the final: now that’s interesting. The talent is there and the LA field is hurting; Renegades at +550 to make the Grand Final deserves your attention.
Our Pick To Win CSGO BLAST Pro Series LA
Tournament Schedule
| Date | Stage | Time (EST) |
|---|---|---|
| July 13 | Round 1 Matches | 3:00 PM (All-Day) |
| July 14 | Semifinal 1 | 2:00 PM |
| July 14 | Semifinal 2 | 5:45 PM |
| July 14 | Pro Standoff | 8:30 PM |
| July 14 | Grand Final | 10:00 PM |
CSGO Betting At Bovada Sportsbook
For a more in-depth betting guide in all things CSGO betting, be sure to check out our dedicated hub where our experts have poured the best betting tips from the industry, so you can increase your chances of winning!
About the Author
Joseph Falchetti
Editor-in-Chief, Pro Sports Bettor and Casino Expert
Joe is the author of the majority of sports betting pages on SBS and he serves as a gambling consultant to our content team. He's been mentioned on Forbes.com as a gaming analyst, and his articles have been linked by larger publications, such as the New York Times.
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