Lesson 2 of 12 · 5 min
Unit size
A unit (one stake, usually 1% of the bank) is a ruler. The picture shows a simple equation: 1 unit = 1%. A bank of 10,000 means 1 unit = 100. A bank of 3,000 means 1 unit = 30. A bet slip that says "I staked 500 because the match was important" cannot be compared with last week's slip. A slip that says "1 unit on the home win at 1.91" can. For beginners, the school keeps 1 unit = 1%, not 5% "because I am confident".
Unit size in plain words
Unit size exists so that wins and losses speak the same language. +320 on a bank of 4,000 and +320 on a bank of 40,000 are different stories; +3.2 units can be read at a glance. A unit does not make a bet smarter, but it does make your diary honest. If you post in a chat "up 2k tonight" and your bank is 8,000, that is +25% in one evening: either heroics, or you are no longer staking 1%.
How it works
Take your current bank, multiply it by 0.01 and round to the bookmaker's convenient stake increment. That is 1 unit. Every single in this course is 1 unit until the flat staking lesson says otherwise. Recalculate once a month or after the bank moves by 20%, not after every losing slip. Recalculating after a loss "to win it back faster" is tilt dressed up as maths.
- Write down your bank as a number.
- Work out 1% and round it to the bookmaker's increment.
- Note in your diary: 1 unit = …
- Do not change this number until the planned recalculation.
Example with numbers
Bank 10,000, so 1 unit = 100. Ten singles of 1 unit each give a turnover of 1,000, whatever the odds. Five wins at 1.91 bring roughly +4.55 units, five losses cost −5 units, and the total is about −0.45 units, or −45 in money. Someone who does not use units will say "almost break-even, I could have staked 500 each time". But 500 is already 5 units, which makes the same run five times harsher. The unit keeps your hand steady.
| Bank | 1 unit (1%) | 5 units: no longer beginner level |
|---|---|---|
| 3,000 | 30 | 150 |
| 10,000 | 100 | 500 |
| 25,000 | 250 | 1,250 |
Common mistakes
- Staking a "round number" that does not equal your unit.
- Changing 1 unit after every bet.
- Recording units without writing down what they are worth in money.
- Mixing two currencies in the same "u" column.
What to write in your diary
A spreadsheet header: bank, 1 unit, date of recalculation. Without that header, the "u" column is just decoration.
unit, bankroll, flat staking. Next: flat 1%.
18+ only. This is a lesson, not a tip or a call to bet. Bonulist is an editorial guide to licensed bookmakers; we do not take bets.