# 322 > 322 is a 2013 Dota 2 catchphrase from pro player Alexey "Solo" Berezin's $322 match-fixing bet, becoming esports shorthand for throwing. "322" is a number meme and Twitch chat catchphrase that originated from a June 2013 Dota 2 match-fixing scandal. Pro player Alexey "Solo" Berezin bet $100 against his own team at 3.22 odds, standing to win exactly $322 if they lost[3]. The number became the Dota 2 community's universal shorthand for throwing a game, and later spread across esports as a whole. ## Origin On June 14, 2013, RoX.KIS faced zRAGE in the final group stage match of StarLadder StarSeries Season 6[3]. Neither team had anything to play for. RoX.KIS sat outside playoff contention, and zRAGE came in with a 3-11 record, already playing with two stand-ins[2]. The match should have been a forgettable footnote. Instead, it became esports' most infamous scandal. At the ten-minute mark, the kill score sat at roughly 8-8[4]. Then RoX.KIS started falling apart. Players teleported into lost teamfights just to die again. Buybacks turned into instant deaths. By the end of the 28-minute game, RoX.KIS had given up 50 kills in a 50-22 blowout loss[3]. StarLadder investigated almost immediately[2]. They discovered that Solo, the team's captain, had placed a bet on zRAGE to win using his girlfriend's account on a gambling site[6]. The wager was $100 at odds of 3.22, which would return exactly $322[5]. Solo had used his in-game leadership position to call plays designed to lose, picking poor heroes and directing his team into bad engagements, all without telling his teammates about the bet[1]. - **Platform:** StarLadder (esports tournament), Twitch (viral spread) - **Creator:** Unknown (community-created from Alexey "Solo" Berezin's match-fixing scandal) - **Date:** 2013 ## Overview 322 is a three-digit number that works as an accusation, a joke, and a warning all in one[3]. Type it in Twitch chat during any competitive game and everyone knows exactly what you mean: somebody just threw. The meme applies to any baffling misplay, whether the player is genuinely match-fixing, choking under pressure, or simply having a catastrophically bad game[4]. Over time, the Dota 2 community developed its own math around the concept. A "644" (322 × 2) signals a double throw, where one team squanders a lead and then the other team immediately does the same[4]. A "966" (322 × 3) marks the rare triple throw, a game so chaotic it swings multiple times before anyone actually closes it out[4]. ## How It Spread The fallout came fast. On June 16, 2013, StarLadder banned Solo for life and suspended the rest of the RoX.KIS roster for three years[6]. The organization itself got a one-year ban[6]. Vanskor, who hadn't played in the match, was the only team member to escape punishment[2]. Solo confessed to the scheme on June 21 and was immediately removed from RoX.KIS[1]. His team manager, Dennis "PODOX" Pestretzoff, issued a statement confirming that Solo had kept the bet secret from his teammates and manipulated the game through hero picks and shot-calling[1]. Many in the community questioned whether the rest of the team was truly innocent given the 50-death scoreline, though Solo maintained he'd acted alone[2]. By June 23, StarLadder reduced Solo's ban to just one year and freed the other players from their suspensions[2]. Other tournament organizers piled on: joinDOTA announced plans to extend Solo's ban to The Defense, Bigpoint Battle, and other events[1]. Within weeks, "322" was everywhere in Dota 2 circles. Twitch chat started spamming the number whenever a team made a suspicious or terrible play[4]. Casters picked it up by 2014, using it as casual shorthand for throwing on broadcast[2]. The fact that Solo risked his entire career for just $322 made the meme stick. The number was small enough to be absurd, yet specific enough to be instantly recognizable[5]. The meme jumped beyond Dota 2 quickly. In late 2014, Malaysia's Arrow Gaming was caught match-fixing in a Dota 2 tournament, and a tournament organizer publicly referenced "322" when describing the incident[3]. That same year, the iBUYPOWER CS:GO scandal saw players betting against their own team in a near-identical scheme, and media outlets explicitly invoked "322" in their coverage[3]. In League of Legends, the term began appearing after Korean player Cheon "Promise" Min-Ki revealed his coach had coerced players into fixing matches[3]. Solo himself returned to competitive Dota after serving his ban[5]. He rebuilt his career through stints on Team Empire and Vega Squadron before becoming captain of Virtus.pro in 2016, leading one of Dota 2's most dominant rosters[4]. He won multiple Major titles, earned a Mercedes-Benz E-Class Sedan as the first-ever Dota 2 Mercedes MVP at ESL One Hamburg 2017, and accumulated over $1.9 million in career tournament winnings[4]. In a Russian interview, he reflected: "Nobody knew that esports would be such a big deal. So I succumbed to this little temptation and regretted it very much. It was a necessary measure at the time to continue pursuing esports because there was nothing to eat, no money, and no money for rent"[4] (translated from Russian). ## How to Use The standard use is straightforward. Whenever a player or team makes a terrible play in a competitive game: 1. Type "322" in Twitch chat or a game lobby 2. If the other team then throws the lead right back, type "644" 3. For the extremely rare scenario where the throw ping-pongs a third time, type "966" ## Cultural Impact The 322 scandal did more than create a Twitch chat staple. It forced esports to confront match-fixing as a systemic problem[3]. Valve, the developer of Dota 2 and CS:GO, issued lifetime bans to match-fixers for the first time in March 2015[3]. Over the following years, more than 50 Dota 2 players received lifetime or indefinite bans for match-fixing or related corruption[3]. Riot Games followed with multi-year and lifetime bans for League of Legends match-fixers[3]. In 2016, the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) was formed as a third-party watchdog to combat cheating, doping, and betting fraud across competitive gaming[3]. The inconsistent punishments that followed Solo's one-year ban made clear that the industry needed standardized enforcement[3]. High-profile cases kept the 322 reference alive for over a decade. In 2016, StarCraft II world champion Lee "Life" Seung Hyun was arrested in South Korea for fixing matches[3]. In 2020, former TI-winning Newbee players, including TI champion Zeng "Faith" Hongda, were caught fixing and received lifetime Valve bans[4]. In early 2023, Valve banned 46 Chinese players in a single sweep, with 21 receiving lifetime bans[4]. In 2024, former OG player Tommy "Taiga" Le faced match-fixing allegations backed by leaked audio recordings and payment receipts[4]. By early 2021, the FBI's sports betting unit had begun assisting in U.S. esports match-fixing investigations[3]. By 2018, lifetime bans for match-fixers were standard practice across major tournament organizers including Valve, ESL, and DreamHack[3]. Perhaps the most ironic dimension of 322 culture: fixers learned to weaponize the meme itself. Because Twitch chat spams "322" constantly as a joke, genuine accusations of match-fixing get lost in the noise[4]. ## Fun Facts - Solo never actually received the $322. The fix was discovered before he could cash out[5]. - The International 2013 (held weeks after the scandal) had a prize pool of $2,874,380. By the following year, TI's prize pool topped $10 million, making Solo's $322 gamble look even more absurd in hindsight[5]. - Solo became the oldest player to compete at The International in 2023 at age 33, and the oldest player at the Esports World Cup in July 2025 with Team Yandex[4]. - At ESL One Hamburg 2017, Solo won a Mercedes-Benz E-Class Sedan as the first-ever Dota 2 Mercedes MVP award winner, a far cry from his $322 payday years earlier[4]. - The FBI's sports betting unit began assisting in U.S. esports match-fixing investigations in early 2021[3]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is 322? 322 is a number meme used in Dota 2 and broader esports culture to accuse a player or team of throwing a match, whether seriously or as a joke[7]. It originated from a 2013 match-fixing scandal. ### Where did 322 come from? It comes from a June 2013 incident where Dota 2 pro Alexey "Solo" Berezin bet $100 against his own team at 3.22 odds, with a potential payout of $322[3]. ### What does 322 mean? When someone types "322" in Twitch chat or game chat, they're saying a player is throwing the game, either deliberately or through comically bad play[4]. ### How do you use 322? Type "322" in Twitch chat whenever a team or player makes a play so bad it looks intentional. Use "644" for a double throw and "966" for a triple[4]. ### Is 322 still popular? Yes. As of 2025, 322 is still one of the most recognizable numbers in esports and gets spammed regularly during Dota 2 broadcasts and other competitive games[4]. ### Who is Solo in the 322 meme? Alexey "Solo" Berezin is a Russian Dota 2 pro who placed the original bet. Despite the scandal, he returned after a one-year ban and went on to captain Virtus.pro, earning over $1.9 million in career prize money[4]. ### Did Solo actually receive the $322? No. The fix was discovered before he could collect his winnings from the gambling site[5]. ### What happened to Solo after the scandal? Solo served a one-year ban, returned to competitive play in 2014, and rebuilt his career through Team Empire, Vega Squadron, and Virtus.pro, where he captained one of Dota 2's most successful rosters[2]. ### What is 644 in Dota 2? 644 equals 322 × 2 and refers to a "double throw," where one team squanders a lead and then the opposing team immediately does the same[4]. ### Has 322 been used outside of Dota 2? Yes. The term spread to CS:GO after the iBUYPOWER scandal, to League of Legends after Korean match-fixing cases, and is now part of general esports vocabulary[3]. ### Did the 322 scandal change esports rules? Significantly. Valve began issuing lifetime bans in 2015, and the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) was founded in 2016 partly in response to the wave of match-fixing concerns that followed the original incident[3]. ### What team was Solo on when the 322 incident happened? Solo was the captain of RoX.KIS, a CIS Dota 2 team that originally started as a StarCraft: Brood War clan[2]. ## References 1. [RoX.KIS boots Solo off team | GosuGamers]() 2. [322 meme history ⋆ How 'Solo' went from banned to earning millions.]() 3. [322 - The Story Behind Dota 2's Most Notorious Meme - Hotspawn]() 4. [322]() 5. [322 - Urban Dictionary]() 6. [How “322” Became Shorthand for Esports Corruption]() 7. [Tales from the Fountain: 322 - Dota's darkest story and greatest meme | rdy.gg]() 8. [Historic Esports Chronicles - 322 Meme Unearthed: From Betting Scandal To Dota 2's Emblematic Meme | Esports Legal News]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/322 Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library