#1 — Bovada
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Betting Answers
How Much Should I Bet Per Game?
Bet 1% to 2% of your bankroll on a typical play, and never more than 5%. On a $1,000 bankroll that is $10 to $20 per bet. Flat staking at that level survives the losing runs that occur naturally even in a profitable betting process.
Last reviewed: · Reviewed by our Editorial Team
How We Review Sportsbooks
Reviews are produced by the Reviewing Sportsbooks Editorial Desk at The Fantasy Prophecy LLC. We do not invent named reviewer personas. Scoring inputs are payout (40%), bonus (25%), markets (20%) and trust (15%). A book with n=1 can show a test result but cannot receive a published overall score or a scored #1.
Payout — 40%
Instrumented withdrawals only. Elapsed hours are computed from request time to arrival and published in the payout log. Operator-reported windows never count as a test.
Bonus — 25%
Usable value after rollover, contribution rules, minimum odds and maximum cashout — not the headline number. When terms cannot be priced, we say so.
Markets — 20%
Only market depth we have verified ourselves: leagues, props, live coverage and alternate lines.
Trust — 15%
Active public licensing, payout history, unresolved complaints and account-limiting behaviour.
Rankings are never sold. Commercial terms never change a score or a position, and any order shown before all four inputs are measured is editorial, not a scored ranking.
Unit sizing
A unit is your standard bet size, defined as a fixed percentage of bankroll. Expressing bets in units rather than dollars keeps your risk consistent as the bankroll changes.
Most disciplined bettors use a one-unit standard play and reserve two units for their strongest positions. Anything above three units is speculation, not staking.
Why variance forces small stakes
Even a bettor winning 55% of -110 bets will experience runs of six or seven consecutive losses. At 10% stakes those runs are ruinous; at 2% they are routine.
The purpose of small unit sizing is not caution for its own sake — it is staying solvent long enough for an edge to show up in the results.
Flat betting versus percentage staking
Flat betting uses a fixed dollar amount and is simplest to track. Percentage staking recalculates each bet from the current bankroll, which compounds gains and shrinks stakes automatically during a downswing.
Either works. Chasing losses with escalating stakes does not.
Keep reading
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a betting unit?
A unit is your standard stake, typically 1% of bankroll, used so bet sizes stay proportional as the bankroll moves.
Should I bet more on a strong pick?
Modestly — up to two units. Large confidence-based swings in stake size are the most common way profitable handicappers still lose money.
How big should my starting bankroll be?
Large enough that a one-unit bet is an amount you can comfortably lose. For most people that means at least 50 to 100 units.
More bettor questions answered
What Is Rollover in Sports Betting?How Long Do Sportsbook Withdrawals Take?Are Offshore Sportsbooks Legal?How Do You Bet on Sports With Bitcoin?
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