Start with a bankroll you can lose
Your bankroll is money set aside only for betting — never rent, bills or borrowed cash. Treating it as a separate pot removes emotion from each bet and lets you measure results honestly.
The golden rule: never stake so much on one match that a loss hurts. Even the strongest pick can lose, so no single bet should threaten your ability to keep playing.
The flat-stake method (best for beginners)
The simplest safe approach is to stake a fixed small percentage of your bankroll on every bet — commonly 1% to 3%. With a 1,000 bankroll and a 2% stake, you bet 20 per pick. When your bankroll grows, 2% is a little more; when it shrinks, 2% is a little less. This automatically slows losses and compounds wins.
The Kelly Criterion (for the confident)
Once you can estimate probabilities reliably, the Kelly Criterion tells you the mathematically optimal stake. The formula is (bp − q) ÷ b, where b is the decimal odds minus 1, p is your estimated win probability, and q is 1 − p.
Full Kelly is aggressive and swings hard, so most disciplined bettors use 'half Kelly' — simply halve the recommended stake — to smooth the ride. Our on-site bankroll calculator does this maths for you so you can size any bet in seconds.