Why Stake Pulse Beat II Is the CS2 Tournament to Watch This September

The name of the online casino and sports betting outlet Stake is one many people will recognize whether they're into sports betting and online gambling. For fans of Esports, it is synonymous with the game itself. Not only does this company offer some of the best Esports betting markets in the world, but they are also sponsors of many Esports teams and the main sponsor behind some of the sport's most prestigious tournaments out there.

This summer is passing in the sign of a Stake/Counter-Strike collaboration. September is the month of Counter-Strike, as we already have Stake Pulse Beat I behind us, followed by StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2026, with the pinnacle being the Stake Pulse Beat II tourney. CS2 is as popular as ever, and with the introduction of a massive sponsor such as Stake, the sport already has a firm promise that its future is bright. Before we move to tell you what you can expect from the upcoming Pulse Beat II tournament, let's do a short recap of what transpired during the No. 1 edition.

Stake Pulse Beat I Recap

One of the primary reasons why you need to put your focus on Pulse Beat II is everything that transpired during the No. 1 edition. Expect the unexpected! When everyone thought that Liquid is on the brink of ending their LAN trophy drought, they failed drastically. Instead, we got a different champion, and Betclick proved their value. They swept Liquid in the Grand Final of this Swedish LAN tournament. It was 11-13, 13-10, and 13-7 on Cache, Anubis, and Nuke, respectively.

This was a massive win for the Polis side as their VRS account received enough points to move up 34 spots and enter the top 50 CS2 list. This win makes them one of the teams to watch in the upcoming tournament and gives the team the much-needed confidence as they have the Esports World Cup Open Qualifier campaign waiting ahead. Liquid team, on the other hand, faced disappointment after a fresh start they've got by adding Georgi "⁠Jorko⁠" Mitev and Johnny "⁠JT⁠" Theodosiou to their roster. While the loss is not the end of the world, they will need to regroup for the challenges lying ahead. Considering they're not one of the teams that will go to Stake Pulse Beat II, Liquid will have to wait for a rematch with Betclick.

The future is not grim for team Liquid by any means, as they debuted their new roster with wins against some of the best teams in the world such as Vitality and G2. BLAST Bounty Season 2 Finals was one of their best performances, but their loss to Spirit was just an introduction to more painful losses during this summer. Interestingly enough, they've won against Betclick in their Group B winner match, and even cleaned the field against 9INE and fnatic. Their rise of more than 20 spots was stopped by Betclick. The side from Poland did the opposite, as they were amazing vs. Acend and Johnny Speeds, and wrapped up their participation in Stake Pulse Beat I with a win in the Grand Final.

Betclick is a team on the rise, and with the likes of Prism and Sebastian "⁠fr3nd⁠" Kuśmierz playing their top game, they're a team to follow in this CS2-dedicated month of September.

What awaits us at Stake Pulse Beat II?

Let's start with the prize. We're talking about a $60,000 prize pool. Stake, the online casino and sportsbook, is once again behind this tourney, and they have gathered fourteen teams through open invitation qualifications, with two additional spots being achieved through battling qualifications. For all of you who are not aware of this tournament's existence, it is a brand new VRS Tier-2 Counter-Strike 2 tournament. It is created as one tourney that consists of three separate entities, Beats. In addition to the $60,000 prize, teams will compete for VRS points and for global recognition too.

Thanks to the tourney being three separate events, the matters are more interesting than they usually are with tournaments such as these. Stake Pulse Beat II comes after Beat I, also meaning that there will be Beat III. The first two tourneys have a $60,000 prize pool, while the final instalment comes with an $80,000 prize pool. The first part was on schedule from July 31st to August 5th; the one we're talking about is starting on 21st September and ends on 26th of the same month. The third one is scheduled for an October release, and it will commence on 12th of October and it will end on 17th October.

As far as the format goes, it is known that 16 teams have secured participation. The teams in question are Astralis, HEROIC, 100 Thieves, fnatic, EYEBALLERS, Betclic, FOKUS, Sashi, Virtus.pro, Echo, Phantom, Johnny Speeds, EAC, INFINITE, ASTRAL, and Sangal. Teams are divided into four groups, and all matches are played in best-of-3 series. As far as playoffs go, they will be played in an 8-team bracket, single-elimination system, which will have its culmination in the Grand Final. As far as qualifiers go, they've been completed, with 14 slots being given to teams who have reported their desire to participate via the Stake Pulse website, where those who were fastest were picked, while two slots came via qualifiers.

Stake has put a lot of effort into organizing this event, which can be seen through everything they've done for teams participating. All teams have paid accommodation, paid catering, and access to the player lounge and training facilities. The entry fee per team is set at $3,000. As far as prize distribution goes, the winner will receive $20,000, while the loser of the GF will go home with $8,000. Teams that wrap up their participation as a 3-4 duo get $6,000 each, $4,000 is for 5-8 each, and $1,000 goes to 9-12. Now that we know which teams have reached the group stage of Stake Pulse Beat II, let's try and predict which teams have the best chance to go home with the top prize.

Astralis

Clear-cut favourites. Take a look at any CS2 betting market, and you will see that Astralis are the go-to team as far as betting on this tourney goes. This comes as no surprise, as they are one of the most decorated teams in the history of Esports. When they were in their prime, winning three consecutive Majors was a piece of cake. They have four in total, just to say. Astralis is the team that has won 4 elite events in a single circuit, which resulted in them attaining the Intel Grand Slam and a massive bonus of $1 million. They're also one of the top teams that have a deal with Stake, which means that their participation carries the weight of the brand name behind them, making the win imperative. Their lineup, consisting of HooXi, phzy, jabbi, Staehr & ryu, is one of the best in sports, and we are sure they will try to make a statement win at this tourney. As far as their world ranking goes, they sit at the spot No13, which is far from ideal, but they are closer to getting back to the old glory days than many people think. Before they head to Stake Pulse Beat II, they will participate in FISSURE Playground 3, where they'll sharpen their knives for what awaits in Stockholm.

HEROIC

When it's all said and done, HEROIC will be there at Stake Pulse Beat II. They're currently ranked as the No. 23 team in the world, and they're one of the teams that fluctuate a lot. Their search for greatness revolves around constant roster changes and attempts to make the best team possible, destroying team cohesion at times. Yet, they should have enough firepower to go far in Stockholm. Brollan, Nilo, Sus, MartinezSa & Chr1zN are a good enough core to pose an issue for every team that plans on going far at Stake Pulse Beat II.

Betclick

We need to single out Betclick for this purpose. After all, they are defending the title won at the Pulse Beat I. They will enter this tourney as reigning champs, and filled with the confidence necessary to win again. They are a team on the rise and have just cracked the top 50 teams for the first time ever. They don't have a single week as one of the top 30 teams, and you can bet that they're aiming to achieve this. Right now, they are the No. 40 team, and the goal is right ahead of them. Their roster is an all-Polish ensemble consisting of Demho, Prism, ex1st, ultimate & Qlocuu. If they manage to win both Beat I and Beat II, they will create history at this new tourney. It proved to be a great move to go for homegrown talent in ultimate, who came over from Liquid and then helped his new team to beat his old team in the Grand Final of Beat I. All eyes will be on him in Stockholm, and if he plays up to his potential, Betclick will be able to mess up the plans for both Astralis and HEROIC.

Other teams, and we're not going to single them out, that could have a good showing at this tournament include the likes of 100 Thieves, fnatic, and FOKUS. 100 Thieves and fnatic are even better ranked than Betclick at the time of writing this article, but we still give an advantage to the Polish side due to their form and the fact they've won the first editions of Pulse Beat.

How to Bet on Counter-Strike 2

As we said, Stake has invested in Esports, and not just as a team sponsor, but also as a betting provider. Their Esports betting markets are some of the best ones available, and they've made CS2 betting quite easy. In addition to providing some of the best available odds, they've also invested in different Esports betting guides for available Esports, including LoL, Counter -Strike, Dota 2, and many others. So, to be able to place your first bet, you need to follow the steps listed below:

• Check if Stake is available in your region, open an account with the company, and log in using your username and password. Make a deposit, and get ready to rumble.
• Toggle through the website's or app's menu, and search for the Esports section. There, click on CS2, and check out all available events, individual upcoming matches, and live matches. The search can also be conducted by team or player name.
• Select one of the upcoming matches, click on it, and check out the available betting markets.
• Once you have your selection, add it to the slip, and combine it with other selections you might have made.
• Lastly, see if everything is in order, check your odds, and determine the size of the bet you want to make. Click on 'place bet', and now you can focus on the result of the selected events.

The best part about CS2 is that Esports has numerous events, teams, and matches week in and week out. The number of bets is also wide, and you can make numerous combinations depending on the types of bets you love to make. Just some of the principal ones include Match Winner-Twoway (Moneyline), Map Winner-Threeways (1x2), Map Handicap, Match Round Handicap, Total Maps (Over/Under), Match Total Rounds, Correct Score, Duel of Player Kills Draw No Bet, Player Props (total kills, total headshots, pistol round winner, overtime, etc), Wins at Least One Map, Odd/Even Kills, Total Maps Odd/Even, Outright betting, Parlays and same game multibets.

Betting on CS2 was never easier. It is funny to see that Stake has made it easier, and that the company has aided in developing different Esports further by becoming the main sponsor of top teams and individual players, and by also putting its brand name and resources behind some of the CS2 tournaments that grow bigger by the day.