What Is a Unit in Sports Betting?

Are you new to betting and looking for ways to manage your bankroll effectively? Consider unit betting. With this tactic, you can maintain discipline and avoid risking too much on a single bet by sticking to your budget.

But how do you do it? Easy. Let our guide explain everything there is to know about unit betting and how to do it correctly.

Let's dig in.

How Does Unit Betting Work?

A unit in betting shows the measure of your bet size on a sportsbook. It represents the percentage of your bankroll you're willing to stake on each wager. This way, you can track the success or failure of your bets without showing the amount in dollars.

Let's say you have a yearly betting budget of $5,000 and decide to use 1% of this amount on each bet. That gives you $50 per bet to wager. As a result, you can wager up to 100 times before you exhaust your budget. If your betting unit is 2%, your wager will be $100 on each bet, and you can bet up to 50 times.

Having a betting unit helps you to stay disciplined and manage your bankroll effectively, since you always wager a particular amount per bet.

How Much Is a Unit in Betting?

Now that you understand how a unit in sports betting works, you'll likely want to know how much one unit costs.

The purpose of using a unit is to measure your success over time, especially in comparison with another bettor who wagers more or less than you. For instance, a professional bettor might wager $1,000 on each bet, but a casual bettor might only wager $10 or $20 per bet.

Using units helps to accurately compare who's more successful in handicapping abilities since using the amount won or lost will not give an accurate measure. It's a universal measuring system that gives everyone a level playing field to see their performance over time.

There's no standard unit size in betting, but most experts recommend setting your unit size between 1% and 5% of your budget. For convenience, you might use a sports betting units calculator to help find your ideal bet size. Because everyone's bankroll is different, unit sizes can vary from bettor to bettor. With that said, there are three different methods to choose from.

Fixed Unit

For a fixed unit, you'd wager the same amount on each bet all season, regardless of the odds. This allows you to track your bets easily. Let's say you've set 2% of a $1,000 bankroll as your unit size for the NBA season. You'll bet $20 for each unit per game as a result and stick to this amount for the entire season, whether the odds are favorable or less favorable, or whether your bankroll increases or decreases.

Percentage Unit

The percentage unit is similar to the fixed unit, with the difference being that the unit size can change according to your bankroll, usually when your bankroll increases or decreases.

So, if you have a budget of $1,000 for the entire NFL season and you've chosen to wager 1% of your bankroll, a $10 wager on the first bet on odds of +300 will give a potential return of $30. If it comes back as a win, you'd have $1030 in your bankroll. From this, your next bet will be 1% of $1030, which is $10.3. You can then repeat this process and grow your bankroll this way until you have $1500 in your bankroll. Eventually, you'd be able to wager $15 per unit.

Variable Unit

Using variable unit sizes may be more rewarding, but it's riskier and can lead to bankroll mismanagement. For this one, your unit size is set based on how confident you are about the game in question. If you believe the game will have a certain outcome, you can play double or triple your unit size. The obvious downside of this option is that your bankroll will take a hit if you lose a wager where you've tripled the unit size.

How Many Units Should You Bet?

As with unit sizes, there's no standard rule for how many units you should bet. It depends on your level of confidence. However, wagering one unit per bet is a good place to start. This is perfect if you're a beginner bettor, as it lets you track your wagers effectively.

To give you an idea, let's say you have a unit size of $20. You could bet one unit on the Charlotte Hornets to beat the Los Angeles Lakers at odds of +100 to win $20.

However, you could place multi-unit bets if you feel more confident about that particular game. So, instead of betting one unit, you could bet three units. This way, you'd risk more ($60) to get a greater return ($60).

You might sometimes also reduce your unit size, especially when betting on the underdog. For instance, your unit size is $50 per wager, but you are wagering on the underdog with high odds and lower possibilities of returns. You could bet 0.5 units or 0.25 units instead to reduce your risk, making the bet $25 or $12.5, respectively. This also works for parlay bets since they have high odds and are riskier. The main takeaway here is to wager a smaller unit when you're less confident about a wager.

Is Unit Betting Worth It?

One of the most important traits to learn in betting is risk management, and there are few better ways to do this than applying unit betting. Unit betting helps prevent you from going beyond your budget, and you can rest assured that a run of losing streak won't wipe all your capital since you are betting in units.

Another advantage is that unit betting offers consistency. It lets you have a steady betting strategy, preventing erratic or impulsive betting that eventually leads to losses. You'll have more emotional control and won't feel the need to chase your losses. Avoiding heavy losses also means you can enjoy betting for an extended period.

Unit betting is also worth it because it helps you keep accurate records. When you bet with units, it's much easier to track your bets and identify areas of strength, weakness, and improvement. Unit betting also offers flexibility over time. As your bankroll improves, you can increase your unit size and adopt the same strategy to stay consistent.

Are there any downsides? As with any approach to betting, there are. Sticking to unit betting limits your potential to have significant wins, so you may have to settle for smaller wins.

In our opinion, it' all comes down to risk tolerance. Ultimately, if you're a beginner bettor, adopting unit betting could definitely be worth your while. However, more experienced bettors may choose to bet outside of their unit size. Nevertheless, beginner and experienced bettors alike benefit from being able to manage their bankroll effectively and sensibly.

Unit Betting Strategy

Now that you understand the concept of unit betting, it's time to embark on your journey. And this section has been created to help you on your way. Take a look at how some of the most popular unit betting strategies work below.

Have a disciplined approach

While it's desirable to win big in betting, having a long-term plan is best. The ultimate goal is to stay in the game as long as possible. Since sports are here to stay, there are always chances to place a bet. A disciplined approach will make sure you have more betting opportunities.

The first thing is to have a bankroll and stick within your budget. Set your unit size and keep to it as much as possible. You must also choose when to decrease or increase your unit size. For instance, decreasing the unit size when placing parlays or futures may be a good option.

Be consistent with unit size

The aim of unit betting is to stick to your unit size, and this is crucial if you're just starting out. Only increase your unit size if you've improved your bankroll over a period of time and feel comfortable doing so.

Avoid chasing losses

One of the easiest ways to lose money quickly in betting is to chase your losses. Many bettors make this mistake, trying to recoup lost bets by placing more of them. Some go as far as placing multiple units and depleting their bankroll entirely. Avoid chasing your losses and remain patient, while sticking to your unit size.

Find value bets

Another mistake some bettors make is always wagering on their favorite teams or players. Doing this might stop you from getting the best out of your bets. The best strategy is to look for value bets where the odds are in your favor.

For instance, an LA Galaxy forward has been given an odds of +100 in the anytime goalscorer market to score during a game against Inter Miami CF. These are odds that could give you twice your wager. If the forward has been in good form lately, or he has a good track record of scoring against Inter Miami, this could be a value bet to jump on.

Evaluate your performance

One of the advantages of unit betting is that it makes it easy to keep records of your bets. Using units enables you to accurately measure your successes and failures over time. You might even choose to track bets using sports betting unit trackers or even just a humble Excel sheet. This way, you can evaluate your performances and identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas to improve.