When you hear your fellow bettors discussing units, they are describing the size of their wagers. Using the term is more accurate than you’re talking about betting as a whole because everyone has a different sized bankroll. It is a way to talk about your profits and losses in a general way.
Let’s say Kathy put $10 000 down Against the Spread when the NBA season kicked off last October and she was up to $18 000 this April when the final game ended in April this year. This isn’t nearly as impressive as Joe, who wagered only $10 Against the Spread but was up to $180 by the end of it!
Using units gives you a tool to keep track of your profit and loss without the currency value.
Basic Sports Betting Strategy says that you should be wagering between 1% and 5% of your bankroll on each bet. So, usually, a unit is 1% of the total you have available for betting. This rule is not written in stone, but it’s the easiest way to quantify a single unit.
Using the example of Kathy and Joe, someone with a bankroll of $10 000 would be wagering $100 per unit, and someone with $10 would be betting just 10 cents. So, it’s easy to see that Joe had a much better return than Kathy.
Sports Handicapper Lingo
Many sports forecasters release their plays with units and you’ll often see 1-5 units or 1-7 units coming up. The 1-, 2-, and 3-unit plays are more moderate risk and the 6- and 7-unit plays are the big ones. It’s how the handicapper indicates that they’ve discovered a lot of value.
If a tipster released a 5-unit play and you had a $1 000 bankroll available, you would be staking 5%, or 5 units, or $50 on it.
What Does +35 Units on the Year Mean?
This is a measurement of someone’s success on the season so far. The plus before the number indicates how much profit has been seen, so in the case of Kathy, +35 would mean her returns have been $3 500 on the $100 wagers she’s made. For Joe, +35 would mean she’s won $3,50.
What About a 25-32 Record With +15 Units?
It’s possible to have a sub 500 record but still see an increase in units if you’re wagering on Plus Money or Underdog selections. Choosing only https://bettingonline.nz/nba/ underdogs on the Money Line, for example, could see you ending up with a negative record but profits on the season anyhow.
Is it Even Possible to Be +2657 Units?
People will always find a way to inflate their numbers to make themselves sound a little better! A unit being equal to just 1% of a bankroll is just a general guideline, of course, and everyone has their own way of doing things. The bettor boasting about being +2657 may well be telling the truth but only because, to them, a unit is 0.001% of their bankroll!