Knowing how much to bet per game is one of the most important — and most neglected — skills in sports betting. Bet too little and you underutilize your edge. Bet too much and a losing streak wipes you out. Here's the framework.
The Unit System
The simplest approach: define a unit as 1-2% of your starting bankroll. Bet 1-3 units per game based on confidence.
Starting bankroll: $1,000 Unit size: $10-20 (1-2%) Standard bet: 1 unit ($10-20) High-confidence bet: 2-3 units ($20-60) Maximum: 3 units per game
This system keeps any single bet from destroying your bankroll and scales naturally as your bankroll grows.
The Kelly Criterion Calculation
For bettors who want to optimize mathematically:
Kelly % = (bp - q) / b
- b = net profit per $1 bet (American +110 → b = 1.10)
- p = your estimated win probability
- q = 1 - p
Example: You estimate 55% win probability on a -110 bet (b = 10/11 ≈ 0.909): Kelly % = (0.909 × 0.55 - 0.45) / 0.909 = 0.05 / 0.909 = 5.5%
This means bet 5.5% of your bankroll. Most professionals use half or quarter Kelly (2.75% or 1.375%) to reduce variance.
The Practical Bankroll Calculator
| Bankroll | Conservative (1%) | Standard (2%) | Aggressive (3%) | |—————|—————————-|———————-|————————-| | $500 | $5 | $10 | $15 | | $1,000 | $10 | $20 | $30 | | $2,500 | $25 | $50 | $75 | | $5,000 | $50 | $100 | $150 | | $10,000 | $100 | $200 | $300 |
The Most Common Mistake
Over-betting after wins. A strong week makes you feel like the bankroll is larger than it is. Maintain consistent unit sizing regardless of recent results — it's the only way to know if your strategy is actually working.
[Track your bankroll automatically in Oddible — see units won/lost in real time →]
