Bankroll Management

Bankroll management is the discipline of sizing your bets relative to your total betting capital to survive variance and maximize long-term growth.

Flat-Unit Sizing

The simplest approach: define a unit (e.g., 1% of bankroll) and bet 1u on every wager regardless of confidence. Easy to track, easy to execute, immune to confidence bias. Most recreational bettors should start here.

Kelly Criterion

The mathematically optimal stake based on edge and odds.

Kelly fraction = (b × p − q) / b

Where b = decimal odds − 1, p = your win probability, q = 1 − p. Full Kelly maximizes geometric growth but is very volatile. See our Kelly criterion page for details.

Fractional Kelly

Most pros use quarter or half Kelly — reducing variance while keeping most of the long-term edge. With realistic edges of 1–5%, full Kelly produces 30–80% drawdowns. Half Kelly cuts that roughly in half with only ~25% lower growth.

Frequently Asked Questions