What is the Unit Betting System? - Managing Bankroll with Units
In gambling, your bankroll is the funds that you currently have available for betting. It’s important to manage it carefully to stay in control and avoid spending all your money in one go. The unit betting system is the most effective way to do this and something that many sports bettors swear by. In this guide, we’ll show you how to use the unit betting system at Stake.com.
What is the Unit Betting System?
The unit betting system works by standardising betting performance and making it easier to control how much you spend. The basic principle is to divide your bankroll up into individual “units”. Each unit in sports betting has the same value, so it’s easy to keep track of your online gambling profits and losses.
How Does Unit Betting Work in Sports Betting?
As an example, let’s say you have a $100 bankroll. You divide your bankroll up into 100 units of equal value, meaning each unit is worth $1. When placing bets, you then decide how many units to stake based on factors such as risk and potential returns.
As you place bets, you can record how many units you’ve staked and your total returns. Tracking your progress and calculating your net profit is important if you want to know how successful your betting strategy is. If you’re spending too many units in betting, you can reduce bet size or rethink how you choose your bets.
How to Place Sports Bets using Units & Adjust Unit Size
Your unit size should depend on a lot of different factors, including your total bankroll and risk tolerance. Many professional bettors opt to make units a set percentage of their total bankroll. 1% is a common option, but it’s possible to set a unit as 0.10% or 10% of your bankroll, depending on how much risk you’re comfortable with.
One unit in betting should be your standard wager size for most betting opportunities. However, you can increase or decrease the betting units you use depending on how you feel about the value of the odds when betting on sports. Better value should mean you increase the number of units you place.
However, you might also want to increase or decrease your unit per bet based on previous outcomes. For example, if you’ve won a number of bets in a row, you might feel like capitalising on your hot streak by staking more units in sports betting.
Which Sports are Compatible with the Unit Betting System?
The unit betting system is suitable for all forms of online betting. It works no matter what kind of sport you’re betting on and is suitable for all betting markets too.
Aside from sports, it’s also possible to use unit betting when playing casino games at Stake Casino. Using units to decide on bet size will normally always work with table games with a low house edge, such as blackjack, roulette and baccarat. For higher-risk bets and games such as slots, you’ll need to ensure each unit bet is a smaller percentage of your total bankroll.
Advantages & Disadvantages of the Unit Betting System
Pros
Helps improve bankroll management.
Makes it easier to decide the size of bets you place.
Can be used for sports bets or casino games.
Allows you to cope with volatility and cold streaks better.
Cons
It won’t improve your chance of success.
Makes choosing your bet sizes less interesting.
You still need to be able to choose how many units to bet
Variations of Unit Betting Strategies
Unit betting is quite a simple system, and it’s one that can be applied to a number of different betting strategies and systems. Additionally, there’s a range of variations when it comes to choosing units and unit size. If you want to be a successful sports bettor, you need to know how to use each one. Here are some of the most widely-used:
Fixed Unit Model
The fixed unit model is the simplest to follow and the most popular betting strategy. Rather than changing the number of sports betting units or your unit size depending on various factors, you place a single unit each time you make a bet. This makes it very easy to keep track of your bets, although it means you’re less likely to benefit from improved value betting odds or winning streaks.
Variable Unit Model
The variable unit model is where you change the number of units you place based on your expectations of the result. When sports betting, your research might suggest a high confidence in one bet but a slightly lower confidence in another. The variable unit model means you can place more units on the high-confidence bet and fewer on the outcome that is less likely.
Percentage Model
You probably used a percentage of your bankroll to determine your initial unit size. However, the percentage model is used by experienced bettors to consistently alter the size of each unit based on current bankroll. For example, if you use 1% of your bankroll per unit and your bankroll increases after a number of wins, your unit size will also increase. This ensures you make the most of winning streaks and also reduces risk when experiencing losing streaks.
Unit Betting System Tips & Strategies
Track your bets – The main advantage of using a unit in gambling is that it makes it so much easier to track your bets. Don’t overlook this side of sports betting, as it’s key to honing your gambling strategy and achieving the best results.
Bet responsibly – While unit betting can be helpful, it’s not a way to cover up for bad betting. Ensure you’re staying within your betting limits and avoid getting carried away. Follow our Stake Smart guidelines for more advice on responsible gambling and how to spend less while still having fun.
Try other betting systems – Unit betting is often best when applied to gambling systems such as the Paroli, Fibonacci, Kelly criterion and 1-3-2-6 systems. Negative progressive systems like the Martingale system are designed to help you cancel out losing streaks, while positive progressive systems help you capitalise on winning streaks.
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