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Sports betting with the unit system » All you need to know

Understanding the unit system is essential if you want to make it as a successful bettor. Almost every betting site today uses units as part of their player evaluations and betting tips. It might seem a bit of drag, but trust us when we say it is in your interest to learn the system.

Betting Units Sports Betting

What is a unit?

Put simply, Units measure the size of your bet on a game.

Since all players that are betting on a game will have different sized accounts, a unit will differ from person to person, so it is important to take into account other bettor's scales if you are going to back their betting tip. The unit system can be designed using different levels, but the most common scale is 1 - 5 units, where 5 is the maximum bet which should only be applied if you find something of extremely good value in a game.

For example, a unit can correspond to 1% of your betting account, but as a serious player, you should never bet more than 5% of your account on one game.

The scale 1-5 is easy to use, but you can also use a scale of 1-10 units where, for example, 1 unit corresponds to 0.5% of your account and 10 units equals 5%. You should find a unit scale that suits you.

An example of a Unit System

You have an account of £500. You have decided that 1 unit should be 1% of your account.

1 unit = 1 % of £500

This means that 1 unit is £5

Your betting account decides your unit size

As your account grows, so does your buys per unit, as your units represent the percentage of your total betting account. If your betting account shrinks then so will your total buys per unit.

Example: size matters

Let's say your account grew from £1,000 to £1,400 in a year. So, a 40% increase.

This increase will increase the size of your unit by 40%.

If 1 unit used to be £10 then it is now £14.

Some examples of how to use the unit system

You have an account with £1,000 in it and have decided to use a 1-10 unit system.

1 unit = 0.5 % of your account = £5

2 units = 1 % of your account = £10

3 units = 1.5 % of your account = £15

4 units = 2 % of your account = £20

5 units = 2.5 % of your account = £25

6 units = 3 % of your account = £30

7 units = 3.5 % of your account = £35

8 units = 4 % of your account = £40

9 units = 4.5 % of your account = £45

10 units = 5 % of your account = £50

The more value you attach to a game, then higher the units will be. For example, if you find odds at 4.15 and you believe them to be around 63/20, it would be reasonable to play with 5 units. Should you instead find odds at 6/5, and you believe them to be worth 6/5, you should play with lower units because the value in the game is not as high.

Applying the unit system to your betting can be a good way to control your betting and secure a more stable management of your account.

Why should you use units?

As mentioned earlier, units can help you reflect on your own game by showing how much value you believe a bet contains. Instead of writing that you are betting £100 on a game, write 4 units instead, if 1 unit equals £25. This is because £100 can mean a different thing for each player. For one person, £100 can be a huge amount but for other big-money players, it can mean much less.

Applying the unit system to your betting can be a good way to control your betting and secure a more stable management of your account. You can read more about this under the heading “bankroll management”.

The Flat bet system

Using the flat bet system means that you play the same amount of money on every game, no matter how confident you are about it. This is a very common strategy and can be a very profitable way of beating the betting companies.

An example of flat betting

You have an account with £1,000 and have a flat bet of £10.

With flat betting even if your account was to grow to be £1,400 or shrink to £600 you should continue to flat bet at £10.

Flat betting can be a clever alternative for people who have difficulty accessing their bets, something which can be very difficult. The fat bet is also significantly easier to use than the unit system which requires you to work out a percentage of your account each time you play.

At the same time, you should be aware that there is a risk your account could rapidly shrink if you happen to lose many games in a row, unlike if you play with a normal unit system that uses a percentage of your account each time you play.

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