Level Stakes or %age of bank

[bigmazey]

When should I use a level stake or a %age of betting bank system. Is it to do with strike rate and how many selections or is it just down to personal preference.

Any help appreciated.

[tophatter]

High strike rate system (over 60%) I would say maybe 5% of bank. Medium (30% - 60%) 2 or 3% and anything with a strike rate under that I would say 1% at most.

[podtog]

Personaly after much thought on this and dropped clangers I would go for the conservative 1% and less on the lower strike rate systems and look at the longer term view, as Th will tell you the bigger your bank becomes the lower you reduce your risk, if your not in a rush then relieve the risk as much as possible, the first few years will be slow but once you start picking up momentum the rewards will be great. The Maths will tell you 1% off a 60% strike rate system are probably not that effecient but if youve got the time then it will be a lot safer. Another Idea I toyed with is if I have Grand per system then take 80% of that bank and use 1% and with the other 20% use the supposed optimum % for the strike rate, more for personal comfort to see how they get on with real money.

[podtog]

The other one is just use level stakes of 1% of initial bank, if you know roughly what your system makes on average each year you know reasonably well how much percentage wise your bank will grow, even on a bad year for a (singular) W2W system you know your not going to completely blow your bank.

[Win2Win]

Anything under 20%, I'd stick to levels. You really need to get below 1% whatever the SR though ASAP.

[podtog]

One thing we all need to remember is the ammunition is there to make money, it is only from our own greed and high expectation that we might fail, We all have the same systems before us and Im talking about backing systems here where the margins are higher, the trouble is that most people for some reason think a system is only good if it makes them serious cash very quickly and untill they change their mindset then they will be doomed to fail in the longterm. We are operating in a market that is virtually immune to crashes and high interest rates, All we need to do is find the systems that perform reasonably well, easier said than done but if you have done your resaearch for ay lenght of time then you get a good feel for the genuine against the fly-bys. Once we identify these good systems we need to spread our betting bank around and then and use conservative staking, forget about telling your boss to stick it where the sun dont shine just yet because if you do you will fail, it takes years to build your bank up safely ( this sound bad but it isnt really when you consider you could be working for another 40 years against 10 or 15 if you do it right in the first place ). So Identify the best portfolio of systems you can, combine that with sensible staking, take an extra couple of years buiding your bank rather than trying to force it and once you get a few good years under your belt you wont feel half as bad going in to work anyway knowing your buiding and investing in your future better than most. Accept that you need to work and the rest will come much easier. Incedentally MatHare has optimum staking plans I believe upstairs for the systems, For own personal comfort levels I would just go lower and you know your pretty safe.

[podtog]

Should have also pointed out that 15 years doing systems correctly with a very nice egg against 40 years work with sweet FA apart from a bad back and grumpieitess to show.

[Tappets]

I am in complete agreement with Podtog - research the system and stake conservatively.

Paper trade any system before you risk cash and abandon or modify it if it doesn't work.

Don't rely on one system - treat your gambling bank as an investment and spread your risk.

Always look for new opportunities - I find systems work for a time but markets can change and make them obsolete or in need of amendment.

Once you have a system that works apply it rigidly - it is a temptation to follow a hunch but don't.

If in doubt be safe - for example, two selections may be equally appealing and you will want to plump for one. Leave both alone if you are unsure - the one you plump for will probably be the one that loses for you.

Go with what you are comfortable with - as a rule of thumb 1% for a backing system and 5% for a laying system but you might feel safer with less. Any more and the risk might be too high, in my opinion.

I started using systems just over a year ago and friends laughed at my minimum stake bets on Betfair. My bank has built up nicely, my stakes are much higher and I am now planning my second city break holiday with the profits.

Who is laughing now?

[bigmazey]

Thanks for all the advice on this thread. I am running 3 systems at present one level stakes, one 3% and one 5%.

I would be interested in tables for optimun staking plans in relation to strike rate if anyone can help.

I have tried to explain staking plans and banks to a few old friends in the bookies but they just look at you with blank expressions and chants of "Ok, big man".

By being more disciplined I made a profit of £160 last month (about half a weeks wages).This was my 2nd profit month in the last 6. I am still not fully disciplined as i have to many fun bets. Staked £190 in fun bets for a loss of £56. So my profit would have potentially been £216 or I could have wiped out all my profit had some of my fun bets not won(all that hard work on 3 systems down the drain).

I am now recording every bet even if its 25p e/w for example.

[lup100]

I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiments set out in this thread.

I am currently operating a greyhounds system and from a small bank (left over from on of my internet accounts ) I have managed to increase this quite well over a period of about 4 weeks. Ok this is small stakes at the moment but I'm in no hurry as I have learned the hard way that rushing and "fun bets" are only the recipe for disaster.
Yes one day I'd like to be in a position to retire early but if it takes another 5? years of the boring job I have now then all the time (particularly), and effort will have been worthwhile.

Gambling for the masses is not a "get-rich" scheme, you have to take time to amass that "fortune" that will "change your life forever" (gosh I hate that phrase so much, but I'm sure you will understand my meaning).

A 3% increase in your betting bank each day compounds into doubling that initial bank over just 25 days.

In just one month you could turn £100 into £200, £200 into £400 etc

With a little restraint your £100 could become £6000 in 6 months time, if you have a proven system and patience !!
Its the small beginning that puts some of us off, yet it is the time which eventually accelerates the potential winnings.

Counting the days etc, Mike