Guides to funded sports betting

The schedule

One guide per topic

• How prop firms work A sports prop firm sells a challenge on a simulated bankroll. How the stages work, which rules to check, and what a funded account really costs.
• Professional betting Betting for a living takes a measured edge, volume and a bankroll. Break-even rates, losing streaks, income targets and what a prop firm changes.
• Bankroll management Bankroll management sets the stake before the bet. Flat stakes, percentage staking, Kelly and prop firm challenges: the numbers to check without promising profit.
• Arbitrage betting Arbitrage betting covers every outcome at the best prices. The formula, a worked example, execution risks and what sports prop firms publish.
• Expected value betting A value bet pays more than its true probability warrants. The expected value formula, a step-by-step example, and what a challenge changes.
• Kelly criterion The Kelly criterion gives the share of your bankroll to stake on a bet: (b × p − q) ÷ b. The formula, a worked example, half Kelly, and what a challenge changes.
• Betting odds explained Betting odds show what a winning bet returns, the probability implied by that price, and the sportsbook's vig. American, decimal and fractional formats.
• Live betting Live betting means betting while the game is on, at odds that keep moving. A worked example, the cost of cash out and challenge rules.
• Parlay betting A parlay links several picks into one bet. The odds multiply, the chance drops with every leg, and multi-step challenges work the same way.
• Spread and moneyline A moneyline bet picks the winner. A point spread adds a head start. Examples, -110 pricing, sportsbook margin, and what changes in a challenge.
• Over/under betting An over/under is a bet on the combined score. What the total means, why lines use .5, how the sportsbook's margin works and what to read in a challenge.
• Ladder challenges A ladder challenge rolls every payout into the next bet. The math behind winning streaks, what one loss costs, and a flat-stake funded bankroll alternative.
• Profitable bettors Public studies record different shares of winners. The figures, their countries and time windows, and why none gives a universal sports betting profit rate.
• Risk of ruin calculator Your chance of reaching a profit target before a loss limit, from your win rate, odds and stake. Add a time limit or a fee to see what a funded account really costs.
• Kelly calculator Enter your win probability and the odds: the Kelly calculator gives your edge and the share of bankroll to stake, at full, half or quarter Kelly.
• Hedge calculator Enter your open bet and the odds on the other side: the hedge calculator gives the stake for the same profit either way, or for breaking even if your pick loses.
• Parlay calculator Enter two to four legs in American or decimal odds and a stake: the parlay calculator gives the combined odds, the payout and the probability the price implies.
• Odds calculator Convert American, decimal and fractional odds and read the implied probability. Enter both sides of a market to see the vig and the no-vig odds.

The comparison puts the operators side by side, and our method explains the criteria.