What a bankroll is
A bankroll is money set aside purely for betting — money that, if it were all lost, would not touch your rent, bills or savings. Every other decision starts from this number. If you ever need to top it up from everyday spending money, your limit has already been broken.
Unit size: what percentage per bet
A unit is your standard stake, set as a percentage of the bankroll. With a RM1,000 bankroll and flat stakes:
| Unit | Stake | Losses in a row before half the bankroll is gone |
|---|---|---|
| 1% | RM10 | 50 |
| 2% | RM20 | 25 |
| 3% | RM30 | About 17 |
| 5% | RM50 | 10 |
Units of 1% to 2% leave enough room for a bad run. A 5% unit looks attractive because the wins feel big, but it can halve a bankroll in one unlucky week.
Losing streaks are more common than you think
Picture a player who wins exactly half their bets — a typical result at odds of around 1.90 to 2.00. The chance of at least one losing streak of a given length:
| Number of bets | 5 in a row | 7 in a row | 10 in a row |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 81% | 32% | 4.4% |
| 250 | 98.6% | 63% | 11% |
| 500 | Almost 100% | 86% | 22% |
Over a football season, a five-bet losing streak is almost certain, and a ten-bet streak hits roughly one in five players who place 500 bets. With 5% units, that streak wipes out half the bankroll. With 1% units, it is just a bad week.
Flat stakes or percentage stakes?
- Flat stakes — the same stake throughout, worked out from the starting bankroll. Simple, and the best fit for most players.
- Percentage stakes — every bet is recalculated as a percentage of the current bankroll. Stakes shrink after losses and grow after wins, so the bankroll is harder to wipe out completely.
A practical middle way: bet flat, and recalculate the unit once a month from the remaining bankroll.
The Kelly criterion: handle with care
The Kelly formula works out the "optimal" stake if you know the true chance: stake percentage = (b × p − q) ÷ b, where b is the profit per RM1, p the chance of winning and q the chance of losing. At decimal odds of 1.90 with a true chance of 55%, Kelly suggests 5% of the bankroll. But if the true chance is only 52%, the answer is negative — do not bet at all.
The trouble is that almost every player overrates their chances, and Kelly punishes that mistake with stakes that are too big. If you use it at all, use only a small fraction of the Kelly figure — and treat 1% to 2% as a ceiling.
Rules for stopping
- Set a daily or weekly loss limit, such as 10 units, and stop when you reach it.
- Never raise your stake to "win back" losses.
- Record every bet — our betting record template shows how — and review your results each month.
- Check confusing half results with the handicap result calculator.
- If betting starts to affect your sleep, work or family, use the limit tools and support available.
Questions players ask
What percentage of my bankroll should I stake each time?
Most players should use 1% to 2% per bet. That size can absorb ordinary losing streaks without wiping out half the bankroll.
Should I raise my stake after a loss?
No. Raising the stake after a loss does not change the odds of the next match, but it makes the damage bigger when a bad run continues.
What is a unit in sports betting?
A unit is your standard stake, usually a fixed percentage of the bankroll. Counting in units makes it easy to compare results even when the bankroll changes size.