Bankroll management and staking size are crucial parts of a long-term betting strategy. You need them even if you are a winning player in order to maximize your profits and protect yourself from bad luck and variation.

One of the main questions is what’s better – to put the same amount of money on each of your bets or to use different stakes? There is no straight answer as it depends highly on your general betting strategy. In this article, we will try to highlight the differences between the two approaches and give some examples where one is better than the other.

Flat Stakes

Many people argue that choosing flat stakes is the best way to go as it makes bankroll management easier and it reduces variation. This is partially true and applies to betting strategies when your picks are expected to have the same long-term value and similar odds.

This is typically true for people using a statistical way to select their picks. Let’s say you found a formula for over/under 2.5 goals based on previous results that supplies you with some good betting options. Most of them are with odds around 2.00 and have similar value according to your calculations. This is the typical situation where flat stakes are the better way to go.

Variables Stakes

Placing a different amount of cash is recommended if there is a higher diversity in your betting strategy. Various stakes have two main advantages: to get more value of your stronger picks and reduce the variation when you are placing a wager on an event with low probability.

Here is an example of the latter. You believe that the underdog in a certain game has a decent chance of winning and the odds for that are about 6.00. Even if you are right and there is value in this pick, the probability of it happening is rather low. This means you are expected to lose this bet fairly often. If you are not careful enough, this will take a reflection of your bankroll. Thus, it is better to go for a smaller stake here.

Another case occurs when you believe a certain game has lots and lots of potential. This means that there is a bigger positive expected value than your usual bets in the long run and you want to maximize your profit. Now is a good time to place a higher stake.

With our own Value Football Tips we use the variable strategy as we bet at varying odds with different strategies and techniques.

Conclusion

As you can see, both approaches have their advantages. Consider carefully which one would be better for your betting strategy. Of course, you could try both and see what works better as well. Flat stakes give you stability, but variety could lead to more profit if applied correctly.