Level stakes or a percentage: what each does in a losing run

Level stakes, or flat betting, means the same amount on every bet. Percentage staking means the same share of the current bankroll, so the stake shrinks after a loss and grows after a win. Neither changes whether a bet is a good one. What they change is how a run of results lands on the bankroll.

Ten straight losses

Start with 100 units and bet at −110. Level stakes of 2 units lose 20 units over ten straight losses, leaving 80.00. Betting 2% of the current bankroll loses less, because each stake is 2% of a smaller number: 81.71 left, 18.3% down.

The way back

Recovery runs the other way. At level stakes, 11 straight wins at −110 bring the bankroll back to exactly 100. At 2% of the bankroll the stakes stay smaller on the way up, and it takes 12.

Longer runs

• Twenty straight losses: 60.00 left at level stakes, 66.76 at 2%.
• Level stakes of 2 units are gone after 50 net losses. A percentage stake never reaches zero: after 50 straight losses at 2%, 36.42 remains.
• Ten straight wins: 118.18 at level stakes, 119.74 at 2%.
• Fifty wins and fifty losses, alternating, at −110: 90.91 at level stakes and 89.65 at 2%. An even record at −110 loses either way, however the stake is sized.

Which one fits

Neither is right in general. A percentage stake cushions a losing run and compounds a winning one; level stakes are simpler to track and need fewer wins to recover a given loss. Which fits a bankroll is your call. The bankroll calculator sets the two side by side on your own numbers.

Bankroll Guardian is a bet-tracking and analytics tool — not a sportsbook, and none of this is betting advice. Betting carries risk; please bet responsibly.