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Guide
Sports betting bankroll management, with the numbers
Managing a bankroll means deciding how much to stake on each bet. That decision weighs as much as picking the games: with the same win rate, a 2% stake and a 5% stake do not give the same chance of reaching a target.
Facts checked on · How we compare
In short
- The bankroll
- The money set aside for betting, which you can lose without consequence.
- The base stake
- 1% to 2% of the bankroll per bet.
- The rule
- The same stake after a win and after a loss.
- The Kelly criterion
- The stake that grows the bankroll fastest, if you know your edge.
- In a challenge
- The operator caps your stakes: 1% to 5% at Playvo, 2% to 5% at Prime Sports Funded, 1% at MySportsFunding.
What a bankroll is
The bankroll is the capital you set aside for betting. It is separate from the rest of your money, and you can lose it without it affecting your daily life.
Managing it means answering one question before every bet: what share of this capital am I risking? The answer is a percentage. A "unit" is that share: 1% of a $2,000 bankroll is $20.
Three ways to set a stake
Flat stakes
The same amount on every bet, worked out once from the starting bankroll. It is the simplest method, and the one that best protects you from a decision made in the heat of the moment.
A percentage of the bankroll
The stake follows the capital: 2% of what is left. It shrinks after a losing run and grows after a winning one. The bankroll cannot fall to zero, but it recovers more slowly.
The Kelly criterion
A formula gives the share of the bankroll that makes it grow fastest: (b × p − q) ÷ b. b is the decimal odds minus 1, p the probability of winning, q the probability of losing.
| Win rate | Odds | Kelly stake | Half Kelly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 55% | -110 (1.91) | 5.5% | 2.8% |
| 57% | -110 (1.91) | 9.7% | 4.9% |
| 40% | +180 (2.80) | 6.7% | 3.3% |
| 70% | -200 (1.50) | 10.0% | 5.0% |
The formula has one flaw: it assumes you know your true win rate. Overestimate it by two points and it has you staking almost twice as much. That is why, in practice, bettors stake half of it or less.
What stake size changes, at equal skill
Take a challenge target: win 35% before losing 20%. We simulated 200,000 runs for three bettors, with flat stakes at -110 and no time limit.
| Bettor | +35% before −20% 2% stake | +35% before −20% 5% stake | +20% before −15% 2% stake | +20% before −15% 5% stake |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No edge (52.4% win rate) | 37% | 37% | 44% | 43% |
| 5% return (55%) | 72% | 53% | 67% | 54% |
| 9% return (57%) | 88% | 64% | 81% | 61% |
Two readings. Without an edge, the stake changes nothing: the result comes down to luck, whatever the size of the bets. With an edge, betting small gives that edge time to work: the same bettor goes from a 53% chance to 72% by cutting the stake from 5% to 2%.
When a deadline comes into it
Most challenges have a time limit. Take the bettor with a 5% return again, with 90 bets at most: three a day for 30 days.
| Target | 2% stake | 5% stake | 10% stake |
|---|---|---|---|
| +20% before −15% | 41% | 53% | 51% |
| +35% before −20% | 11% | 49% | 44% |
With a deadline, the smallest stake is no longer the best one: at 2%, there is not enough time to reach the target. You have to move toward 5% and accept more luck. A challenge with no time limit makes that compromise unnecessary, which is why the deadline is one of the first things to check in the comparison.
The staking rules of prop firms
In a challenge, the choice is not entirely yours. Each operator sets a range and its loss limits.
| Operator | Stake per bet | Daily loss | Maximum loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fan Funded | 1% to 10% of the balance | 15% | 20% |
| MySportsFunding | 1% at most | Not published | 13% |
| Playvo | 1% to 5% | Not published | 10% |
| Prime Sports Funded | 2% to 5% of the bankroll | 10% | 20% |
These limits combine. At a 5% stake, two losses on the same day reach a 10% daily limit. At 2%, it takes five. A lower stake buys you longer days.
The mistakes that empty a bankroll
- Betting bigger to win it back. The stake grows exactly when the run is bad.
- Staking on confidence, with no rule. The "big one" weighs more than ten ordinary bets.
- Mixing the bankroll with everyday money. You no longer know what you have won or lost.
- Judging on one week. Over 100 bets won 55% of the time, a run of five straight losses happens nearly two times in three.
Frequently asked questions
How much should you stake per bet?
Between 1% and 2% of the bankroll for a bettor who does not know their exact edge. At 2%, a run of eight straight losses costs 16% of the bankroll. At 5%, the same run costs 40%.
What is the Kelly criterion?
A formula that gives the share of the bankroll to stake so that it grows fastest: (b × p − q) ÷ b, where b is the decimal odds minus 1, p the probability of winning and q the probability of losing. At a 55% win rate and -110 odds it gives 5.5%. It assumes you know your true win rate: in practice, bettors stake half of it or less.
Should you raise your stake after a loss?
No. Raising the stake to win it back makes losses grow exactly when the run is bad. A flat stake, or a fixed percentage of the bankroll, removes that decision.
What stake should you use in a prop firm challenge?
The one the rules allow, and the smallest that still lets you reach the target before the deadline. With no time limit, 2% gives better chances than 5%. With a 30-day deadline, you often have to move toward 5%.