What is a betting unit?
A betting unit is a standard stake size, usually a small fixed share of the money you set aside for betting, such as 1% or 2%. With a 500 bankroll and 1% units, one unit is 5. Recording bets and results in units keeps stakes consistent and lets records be compared whatever the real amounts.
Why use units instead of money?
There are two reasons: discipline and comparison.
Discipline. Deciding the unit before you bet removes the temptation to stake more after a loss, or after a pick that “feels” stronger. Every bet starts from the same rule.
Comparison. “I made 40 on Saturday” means little unless you know whether the stake was 2 or 200. “+0.8 units from five bets” means the same thing for everyone. That is why tipsters quote results in units, and why the guide on ROI and yield works in units too.
How do you set the size of a unit?
- Choose a bankroll. This is money set aside only for betting, which you can afford to lose completely without affecting bills, savings or anything else.
- Pick a percentage. Many people use 1% to 2% of the bankroll per unit. Smaller is more cautious.
- Do the division. A 500 bankroll at 1% gives a 5 unit. At 2%, it gives a 10 unit.
The unit is then your normal stake. Some people stake 0.5 units on long-odds picks and never more than 1 or 2 units on anything, but the simplest approach is one unit on every bet.
What does a record in units look like?
Here is a hypothetical run of five bets on football (soccer in the US), each staked at 1 unit:
| Bet | Decimal odds | Result | Units won or lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1.80 | Won | +0.80 |
| 2 | 2.10 | Lost | -1.00 |
| 3 | 2.50 | Won | +1.50 |
| 4 | 1.50 | Won | +0.50 |
| 5 | 1.95 | Lost | -1.00 |
| Total | 3 won, 2 lost | +0.80 |
A winning bet makes (odds - 1) units: 1.80 - 1 = 0.80. A losing bet costs the 1 unit staked. Adding up: 0.80 - 1.00 + 1.50 + 0.50 - 1.00 = +0.80 units.
In money, that is 0.80 × 5 = 4 for someone with a 5 unit, or 0.80 × 20 = 16 for someone with a 20 unit. The record in units is the same for both. Five bets is far too few to say anything about skill; the guide on judging a tipster explains why.
Why does unit size matter in a losing run?
Losing runs are normal, even with picks that each look likely. Ten straight losses at 1 unit each cost 10 units. What that means depends on the size of the unit:
| Unit size | Ten 1-unit losses cost | Bankroll left from 500 |
|---|---|---|
| 1% (5) | 50 | 450 |
| 2% (10) | 100 | 400 |
| 5% (25) | 250 | 250 |
| 10% (50) | 500 | 0 |
At 1%, ten losses in a row leave 90% of the bankroll. At 10%, they wipe it out. Small units are what give a betting plan room to survive the variance that comes with every market.
Should a unit stay fixed or change with the bankroll?
There are two common approaches:
- Flat staking. The unit stays the same, for example 5, until you decide to review it. This is simple and easy to track.
- Percentage staking. The unit is recalculated as 1% of the current bankroll, so it shrinks after losses and grows after wins. Ten straight losses at 1% of the current bankroll leave 500 × 0.99¹⁰ = about 452.19, slightly more than the 450 left under flat staking.
Either way, avoid raising the unit to win back losses. Chasing is the fastest route to a large loss.
How do units apply to tickets?
A ticket with several legs is usually staked as one bet, so 1 unit on a three-leg ticket is still 1 unit at risk. Because a ticket’s chance of winning falls with every leg, as shown in the guide on combined probability, some people stake tickets at half a unit or less.
Where WIN Betting fits
WIN Betting, a football predictions app for iOS and Android made by MICOM TECH, shows each pick with a confidence score and publishes three daily tickets: safe, medium and risky. The app is not a bookmaker and does not handle stakes, so setting a unit and sticking to it is up to you. A fixed, small unit is a sensible companion to any prediction you choose to follow.
18+. Betting involves risk; no prediction is guaranteed. If gambling stops being fun, visit BeGambleAware or call 1-800-GAMBLER in the US.