Flat Betting For Wagering Success

This following post offers an overview of using flat betting for wagering success.

‘Flat betting’ is a well-known methodology in sports betting. Simply put, flat betting tells bettors to wager the same amount of money on each bet, regardless of how strongly you feel about a game.

Read: Pitfalls of Buying Sports Betting Picks

Related: How to Document Your Wagers For Betting Success

Flat betting is intended to promote a consistent and disciplined posture towards sports betting. So, is this methodology right for you?

Here’s what you need to know.

Overview

• Flat betting is a bankroll management strategy for minimizing risk and ensuring long-term profitability.

• By betting the same amount on each wager, bettors can avoid the temptation to chase losses or bet too much when on a winning streak.

• Flat betting enhances your ability to track and analyze your performance and make adjustments.

How it Works

Imagine you have a $1,000 bankroll for betting on baseball. First, you must decide on a standard wager amount to commit to. Conventional wisdom says 2% to 5% of your bankroll is an appropriate level of risk.

Let’s say you are conservative and settle on 2%. This means all wagers are $20.

The flat betting strategy says that the size of the bet cannot be changed based on how the bettor feels about a particular game. Regardless of the perceived value or odds of a particular bet, you must bet a consistent amount every time.

Example of Flat Betting

Suppose you have a $1,000 bankroll and you decide to use flat betting with a wager amount of 2% of your bankroll, this equates to $20 per bet.

For your first bet, you decide to wager on the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants game. The odds are -110 for the Cowboys to win and +110 for the Giants to win. You decide to bet on the Cowboys and place a $20 bet.

If the Cowboys win, you receive a payout of $38.18 ($18.18 in winnings plus the original bet of $20), and your bankroll increases to $1,018.18. If the Cowboys lose, you lose the $20 bet and your bankroll decreases to $980.

Win or lose, you would then bet $20 on the next game, maintaining the 2% wager amount.

Let’s say you make a total of 10 bets using flat betting. You win six of those bets and lose four. Your winnings would be:

• (6 x $18.18) – (4 x $20) = $55.28

Your final bankroll would be:

• $1,000 + $55.28 = $1,055.28

In this example, you maintained a consistent wager amount of $20 on each bet. While you did not win every bet, you were able to maintain a positive return on investment and increase your overall bankroll through disciplined and responsible betting.

In Conclusion

Betting the same amount on every game might not sound very exciting. However, if you want to win, it can be a useful framework for achieving profitability over the long-run.