One of the most exciting subjects in the sports betting world is the question of the right staking method. You may be super talented bettor and have excellent discipline and sense to spot the value, but if you don’t have good staking method then you profit will not be as productive as it should be.

Flat Staking vs. Unit Staking

There are several staking systems that have been explored by the bettors around the world, and the general option is that Kelly system is maybe the best system, but this system is pretty complicated, and sometimes it takes time to calculate the stake you will need to put, and it is hard to calculate a positive expectancy of the outcome, so today we will talk about simple, but yet effective systems.

Two most popular systems in the sports betting nowadays are flat staking system (fixed staking), and unit stakes system (variable staking).

Flat Staking System

The Flat Staking system is rather simple, but yet effective system. You will put the same amount of money on a selection at any price, and your profit will vary accordingly. Profit is easy to calculate:

(Odds x stake) – stake = profit

This system is good because you don’t have to worry about anything. You place the same amount of the money on every single selection, and if you manage to predict games correctly, your profit will grow. Flat staking is the easiest method of staking, but nevertheless, it is very effective as it saves your bank from being crippled during the bad run.

Also, even though Flat staking method is the easiest to use, it doesn’t mean that this staking method is less profitable than other methods, and used only by novice sports bettors. Many professional sports bettors prefer to use flat staking system because they get reliable results with this staking system.

The main advantage of this staking system is the fact that this system is a low-risk system, and if you decide to use this system, you will be secured not to lose the entire budget easily. Most of the bettors agree that the perfect stake in the flat staking system is in the region from 1% to 2.5% per bet. That way you will have a lot of opportunities to bounce back if the bad streak occurs.

In simple words, to lose your entire betting bank using the flat staking system, you need to have one of the worst losing streaks in the history of sports betting ever.

Of course, this betting system isn’t perfect and also has some disadvantages. One of the main drawbacks of this system is the slow rise of the bank. Using the flat staking system you will not see the huge wins in a short period of time, and sometimes you will think that you are staying in the same place for a long time. Another problem with this system is the fact that you need to be very disciplined. Many bettors can’t handle that, and they change to unit staking eventually.

Units Staking System

The opposite of flat betting is unit betting. When unit betting, your focus is on the value of the specific bet. With unit betting, you calculate the value of the wager on each bet. In other words, you bet with a certain number of units depending on the value of the bet.

Units Staking System

Units staking plan is used by many professional sports bettors, as they feel that with this system they can make the best profit from their betting. Most of the bettors use the 1 to 10 scale, where the 1 unit bet is the smallest one, and 10 units bet represent the maximum amount particular bettor will stake on one game.

The important thing about stakes betting is to understand that often size of the units staked isn’t the same as the confidence in the specific bet.

This staking system is good because your bankroll will grow faster if you manage to get into a series of good results, but if you start missing your high unit bets, you will be in serious problem.

Which System is Better?

There is no right answer to this question. Staking system is one of the most important factors in sports betting, and your staking system will have a big impact on your overall returns.

Both staking systems have advantages and disadvantages, and whatever plan you decide to use you can’t go wrong. Of course, other staking systems can be used, some of them effective, some of them less effective, but overall you should use the staking system that fit your betting style.