Dota 2 PuckChamp - Balu: Pre-Match Preview and Betting Markets

What a Dota 2 map actually is

Dota 2 is a five-versus-five MOBA published by Valve. It launched in 2013 and grew out of the Defense of the Ancients map made for WarCraft III. One side is called Radiant, the other Dire, and the win condition never changes: destroy the opposing Ancient, the central structure inside the enemy base.

The map holds three lanes — safe, middle and off — with jungle space between them. Towers guard every lane, and they have to fall before a team can walk into the base. That single rule explains most of what you will see in PuckChamp - Balu: teams do not push blindly, they trade objectives.

Upcoming fixtures for Dota 2. European Pro League and the rest of the schedule sit in the esports betting section, which is the easiest place to start if the discipline is new to you. 🎮

Reading the PuckChamp - Balu draft before a single creep spawns

Both teams take turns banning and picking heroes from a shared pool before the game starts. The draft is public, it happens before the clock runs, and it usually reveals the plan.

A lineup stacked with early damage wants fights immediately. A lineup built around a hero that scales wants to survive the opening and win later. When those two intentions meet in the same series, the interesting question is not who is stronger overall but whether the game will be short or long — and that question drives several markets.

Valve patches rebalance heroes and items on a regular cycle. After a major update the metagame shifts and team form can move within weeks, so recent results carry less weight than usual. The pre-match fixtures and prices tend to reflect that reset earlier than public opinion does.

Roles, gold and the moment a game flips

Five positions split the work. The carry (position 1) starts weak and ends as the main damage source. The mid (2) plays alone in the centre lane and sets the tempo. The offlaner (3) exists to slow down the enemy carry. The two supports (4 and 5) buy vision, heal and provide control.

Gold and experience come from last-hitting creeps, from kills and from destroyed buildings. Net gold difference is the clearest single number for who is ahead at any moment.

Then there is Roshan, the neutral boss. Killing him hands over the Aegis of the Immortal — one free resurrection. A fight around the pit regularly rewrites a game that looked settled. Add buybacks and backdoor protection, and comebacks in Dota 2 are more common than in most disciplines. That is exactly why a twenty-minute lead is never the certainty it appears to be, and why prices keep moving.

Pre-match markets offered on PuckChamp - Balu

Everything below is settled on outcomes rather than on live situations, which is what makes these markets available before the first pick.

Format decides how those lines behave. Group stages are usually Bo1, playoffs Bo3, finals Bo5, and one map equals one game — maps never add up into a points total. A map handicap is therefore settled in games won, never in kills. Confirm the announced format for Dota 2. European Pro League before touching correct score. ⚡

Pre-match versus in-play

Pre-match runs on what is knowable in advance: series format, drafting habits, schedule density, a recent patch. Those markets close at the scheduled start, shown as 20/09/2026 16:00.

In-play works the other way round. The draft is finished, the gold graph is visible, objectives are on the board, and prices react in real time — sharply after a Roshan or a won teamfight. If you would rather judge a game once it exists, the in-play betting hub is where that happens.

Plenty of bettors combine both: an opinion on the series before the start, then map-by-map decisions once the games are running.

Getting set up in Algeria

The practical part is short. Register an account with a few details, then log in to your profile to reach the esports lines. Balances are kept in Algerian dinar (DZD), so there is no mental conversion at the moment you place a stake.

For topping up, the usual options in Algeria include BaridiMob, bank cards, e-wallets and USDT. Pick whichever you already use — familiarity beats novelty here.

On a phone, nothing changes structurally: schedule, prices and bet slip all live inside the mobile app for betting, which matters when PuckChamp - Balu starts late in the evening. Find the fixture, open the market, enter the stake, confirm. 📱