Bankroll Management for Bettors
A simple system for deciding how much to bet each time — the part of betting that has nothing to do with predicting matches.
What "bankroll" actually means
Your bankroll is the total amount you've set aside for betting — separate from money for rent, food, or anything else. It's not your bank balance; it's a specific, smaller amount you've already decided is okay to lose entirely.
Units, not fixed amounts
A common approach is betting a fixed percentage of your bankroll per bet — often 1-5% — called a "unit." If your bankroll is $100 and you use 2% units, that's $2 per bet. As your bankroll goes up or down, the unit adjusts with it automatically, instead of betting the same fixed dollar amount regardless of how the bankroll has changed.
Why this matters more than picking winners
Even a skilled prediction is still uncertain — no one wins every bet. A fixed unit size means a losing streak shrinks your stakes automatically (since 2% of a smaller bankroll is a smaller number), which is exactly what keeps one bad week from becoming a serious problem.