Pay strict attention to units when betting on sports – WinniBet

Using units in sports betting

There's a generally widespread acceptance in sports betting that one should focus on units instead of dollars, or won / lost percentage.  To be fair, not every sports bettor subscribes to this theory or rationale, but most do.

Utilizing units as a barometer of success is kind of like a golf handicap.  Allowing participants of different levels to be measured against one another.  In sports betting, the amount of the bet would be the difference.  A single unit may be equal to $5 for one player and perhaps $1,000 for another, depending on their total bankroll.  In the end, however, using a unit based criteria will show each of them with the same  ROI%, assuming they make the same wagers.

Determining the value of a unit

How does one decide what denomination a unit will be or should be?  The answer is a little subjective, but generally it would be 1-2% of your bankroll.  I'll probably do another article on bankroll in the near future, but for now, a rule of thumb in coming up with your bankroll would be the total $ amount you have allocated specifically for betting at a given time.  If this happens to be $1,000 in a betting account, then one unit would equal $10.

Importance of using a unit system

Why is it important to focus on units?  Because it is the most objective way to judge your handicapping performance.

A $1,000 per unit player may have a winning night and feel great about winning say, three thousand dollars, as well he should, but what he really should be focusing on is that he won 3 units not necessarily the dollar amount.  By doing so, he will be objectively measuring his performance.  He'll be less likely to make an unreasonable bet in search of another big dollar payout and euphoric feeling, and instead, he'll likely focus on having a positive unit performance that next day.

On the other hand, the $5 per unit player needs to know he did well by winning those 3 units, even though he "only" won $15.  By sticking to the unit discipline, he'll soon be able to increase his per unit bet on a $ basis and therefore reap greater earnings as he wins more units with his handicapping discipline.

Determining how many units to bet

This leads us to the question of how does one determine how many units to bet on a particular wager?  Again, the answer will be a somewhat subjective one, but I'll give my opinion.

I like a 1-3 unit scale.  I have used a 1-5 scale in the past, but found it to be too wide of a range relative to my handicapping style.  For example, if I have handicapped a match up and feel it warrants one unit bet, or say $100, does my system have the ability to identify a play that has five time more value, or a 5 unit $500 bet?  In my case the answer is no.  This may not sound too exciting to many of you, but I feel it is conservative enough to reasonably preserve my bankroll while still allowing greater risk, and potentially greater reward, when I find a handicapping edge.

Keeping an accurate record of +/- units

Accuracy is record keeping is crucial.  Whether you are simply keeping track of your own performance, or if you are tracking another handicapper, nothing less than 100% accuracy and transparency should be accepted.  This includes factoring in any and all "juice" or "vig" on a given bet.

For example:  If you bet exactly one unit with -110 juice, then if you win that bet you would be up +0.91 units.  If you lose the bet, you would be down -1.00 units.  If you want to win a full unit, then you would have to bet 1.10 units at -110 to do so.  This calculation is especially important when tracking another handicappers performance as you will find that, unfortunately, many are not all that honest and transparent when calculating their performance.

Importance of accuracy

Why is accuracy so important?  Even though the answer may seem obvious, I'll explain briefly.

You can only get better if you know exactly how you are doing.  Good and bad alike.  Sometimes, a player will have a big day and feel great, but in this euphoria he forgets about his losses.  Even though he may be down overall, the big day overshadows his true performance and he may continue betting as if he is flush with money, when in reality, he is hemorrhaging funds.  Not an ideal scenario and one I want to help you avoid.  If you are seeing long-term negative results, you may need to re-think your strategy.  There's no shame in that, in fact it is the smart prudent thing to do.

Conversely, If you are seeing sustained positive results, you will want to maintain what you are doing and your accurate record keeping will back up your successful system.

If you are analyzing another handicapper, if you don't find 100% accuracy and transparency that can be verified, then stay clear.  What are they hiding?  Don't you think that if they had a very successful system that they would be eager to show accurate and verifiable records?  Of course they would.  There are good, honest and honorable handicappers out there, but you may have to wade through several dishonest ones before finding a good one.

Stay disciplined

Everything that I have written above won't be much help if you don't follow a unit based system in a disciplined manner.  You'll have to fight the urge to out bet your unit limit in order to hit a big bet or to chase losses.  If you are able to do so, I am sure you will find betting to be a pleasurable and profitable pastime, or livelihood, if that's what you desire.  Either way, the more disciplined and accurate you are using a unit based betting system, the more successful you will be.

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