What is a Unit in Betting? – Betting Units Explained

A unit refers to your stake for a bet. Some types of wager consist of more than one bet, so the unit is multiplied by the number of bets. We’re going to fully explain the concept of what is a unit in betting, so that you totally understand how it works.

How Do Units Work in Betting?

A unit represents the amount of your stake for a bet. It is used primarily for wagers that are comprised of multiple number of bets. With such wagers, a betting unit is multiplied by the number of bets, to give a total stake.

Let’s give you a simple example. A win and place bet on a horse race features two separate bets. You are placing one bet on your chosen horse to win and one separate bet on the horse to place.

So if you were to place a $10 win and place bet on a horse, it would cost you $20. Your unit stake of $10 would be multiplied by the number of bets (two), giving you your total stake. Here’s that calculation broken down into an easy formula:

The other use of unit stakes is when bettors utilize it as part of a staking plan. In that scenario, a unit represents certain set dollar amounts, or a set percentage of a total bankroll.

How Much Should a Unit be in Betting?

Let’s take a deeper look into how a unit in gambling can be used as part of a bankroll management strategy.

Some bettors set a unit as a certain amount, such as $20 for example. You can choose to stick with the figure, or lower the unit amount if you’re on an unlucky streak and your bankroll is decreasing, or increase it if your bets have been winning and your bankroll is getting larger.

An alternative strategy used by many successful gamblers is for the unit to represent a certain percentage of their total bankroll.

So say that your total bankroll is $1000 and your unit per bet is 1% of that amount. A single unit bet would be $10, as the following formula demonstrates:

This method has some advantages, as your stakes will naturally adapt to how successful or unsuccessful you are in betting.

If your bankroll increases, so will the size of bets that you make. Say your bankroll reached a sum of $2000. The formula below shows how your stake would have also grown to a larger unit size.

The opposite is true. If your bankroll size dropped to $500, so too would the level of risk for each bet, as the unit stakes decrease.

This might seem like too rigid an approach. What if you’ve got a $2000 bankroll and you find a bet that you are sure will be a winner and want to bet more than $20? Perhaps you’re just certain it will win and consider it worth the extra risk, or it’s a big favorite at short odds and the potential return from a $20 bet is not appealing?

In such a circumstance, you may consider placing a wager that is higher than a one-unit bet. We’ll explain this concept further in the next section.

What is 1 Unit Betting?

When you definite how much a single unit is, you then have a concept of what is 1 unit in betting.

So in our previous example, we spoke of a unit being 1% of your total bankroll. With a $1000 bankroll we established that a unit was $10.

That means that a one-unit play will cost you $10. If you have reason to want to bet a higher amount, you can do so, using one unit as a starting point to work out how much you want to bet.

Imagine that you considered a bet attractive enough to want to double your normal stake. Rather than one, you would make a two-unit bet, which would represent 2% of your bankroll.

Using such a system is helpful when it comes to keeping your discipline. You decide what one unit is worth and that then becomes the basis for your staking plan. There can be flexibility, but it is ultimately tied to the idea of protecting your bankroll.

Most successful sports bettors will create a limit on the percentage that they are willing to risk of their betting bankroll. Staking 1 unit in betting may well be their ideal bet size, but in the right circumstances they will be flexible. For a high-risk bet, they may only wish to bet half a unit, while for a wager that necessitated more risk, they might typically limit that to being 2% to 5% of their total bankroll.

Which Wagers Need Multiple Units in Sports Betting?

As we stated earlier, the concept of units in betting is often used to calculate the total cost of a system wager that features multiple bets. Your chosen stake for the unit is multiplied by the total number of bets in the wager.

Let’s take a look at some of these types of bets and how they relate to unit betting.

What is a Unit in Betting? – Pros & Cons

No exploration of what is a unit in betting would be complete without considering the advantages and disadvantages. Here are the pros and cons as we see them.

Effective Unit Sports Betting Strategy

Now that you know what is a unit in betting you may be eager to employ this system yourself. Here are some strategies that will increase your potential returns at online sportsbook sites.

Bankrolls Should be Built to Last

If you start with a bankroll of $1000, it doesn’t make sense to place a $1000 bet. You will be risking your entire bankroll on just one wager and if doesn’t deliver, you will be out of money.

There is a reason that standard units in betting strategies tend to be small. A system where a unit represents 1% of your bankroll means that you can place multiple unsuccessful bets in a row and still have a healthy amount of cash in your sports bets account.

Create System For Unit Size in Betting

Being stuck with a certain size of unit for every single wager, doesn’t make sense. There are reasons why bet sizes vary. A high-confidence wager might make you want to make a two-unit play, while a parlay with lots of selections and high betting odds, might necessitate a smaller stake.

Create a system that gives you a framework to be flexible. Based on a combination of your confidence in the bet and the risk/reward, you can then evaluate if you want to just bet a percentage of a unit, such as a half, or a multiple of a unit.

Odds Should Influence Units Used

Betting odds represent the perceived likelihood of an even happening. Oddsmakers set these prices and you may have reason to disagree with them, but you should still respect them. If a horse is priced at 20/1 it is because the offshore sportsbook doesn’t think that it will win. You might think that it is a great value bet, because it should be closer to 16/1, but that still represents a relative long-shot.

Your choice of unit in such an instance should be cautious. The odds are big anyway, so you don’t have to risk too much to land a nice reward. Keep the odds that the bookie sets and what you think are the real odds, when you decide upon how many units to bet.

FAQs

What is a unit in sports betting?

Units meaning in betting refers to the stake of a wager. Some types of wager contain multiple bets, so a unit is multiplied by the number of bets in the wager. So a $10 trixie for example, would cost you $40, as a trixie contains four separate bets. 

How much is a unit in betting?

The amount of a unit is up to you. Some bettors just set a single figure such as $10 or $20 per bet. A common bet size is 1% of your total bankroll. With this system if you had a $1000 bankroll, each bet unit would be worth $10. 

What does 1u mean in betting?

This refers to one unit in a staking plan. A unit is your normal stake, so a 1u bet means that you are betting your regular amount. You may increase or decrease the size of bet, depending on the situation. So if playing cautiously, bet half a unit, or if you are more confident, for for two or three times the unit. 

How do you successfully adjust unit sizes?

You have to weigh up how many units that you want to bet against the possible return on investment and how confident you are in the bet winning. So for a parlay bet with high odds that represents a big risk, you might decrease your size of bet. A sure-thing at short odds, might see you double your unit outlay. 

What is a betting unit calculator?

Some multiple bets contain a huge number of individual bets. A Goliath for example, has 247. For these types of bets it can make sense to use a bet calculator, where you can easily work out the potential outlay and returns. 

How do I calculate my own betting units?

You ideally want your bankroll to last. Setting a unit worth of 1% of your bankroll is often cited as a good idea, though it doesn’t work too well if your bankroll is small to start with. For larger bankrolls it should be somewhere in the region of 1% to 5%, while for smaller ones, you might increase the units to between 5% to 10%.