The world of sports betting is quite diverse in its nature. It offers a vast range of disciplines to wager on, plenty of markets, and, of course, there is a long list of possible tactics that you can use. One of them is flat betting: it is simple in nature yet effective for many reasons.
In this article, we will take a look at how the flat betting strategy works.
However, it is obvious that flat betting is just only one of many wagering strategies.To find the best betting strategy for your needs, we recommend checking out our dedicated article that explains how to use existing ones.
What Is Flat Betting?
Flat betting is a wagering strategy that involves placing a certain percentage of your bankroll on each bet. Essentially, you will be putting the same stake amount on every game. Using this fixed wager requires a certain level of discipline, but the consistency it brings makes the process overall worth it.
How Big Should Be Your Fixed Percentage?
It usually depends on many factors. If you want to play it safely, many recommend getting it between one and two percent. Three and five seem to be popular choices as well. There is no arbitrary number, but still, the consensus is that the bigger the wagers, the better. However, the percentage should not get too big.
Kinds of Flat Betting
Flat betting, despite its simple nature, comes with a variety of its subtypes. While many of them are similar, the diversity is still good enough. Below, we will take a look at existing subtypes of flat betting and explain how each of them works.
Static Flat Betting
As we have mentioned before, one of the safest ways to approach the strategy is to keep the bankroll percentage at one percent. And this is precisely what’s called “static flat betting.” The stake amount stays the same for a very long time.
Academic Flat
This one is a bit riskier but still not quite aggressive or unsafe. This type of flat wagering involves placing a stake that’s between 1% and 3% of the overall bankroll. The player can also change the amount as long as it’s within those percentages.
Aggressive Flat Betting
While the percentages are similar to those of the academic flat, this strategy is even riskier. A punter places the stakes at 2-3% (some experts recommend the range of 3-5%) of the bankroll, but they shouldn’t lower their stake ever, even if there’s a long losing streak.
Chaotic Flat Betting
As you can guess from its name, this is the riskiest type of flat betting. You must place a few stakes within the range of 10-15% of the bankroll. You’re allowed to vary the amount within the range. It’s highly recommended that you place the wagers on the high-odd events, so you should be careful when selecting the games to bet on. Many will argue that this strategy is way too risky, but if you have a small bankroll or want to spend money, it might be a good option. We don’t recommend it as a long-term strategy.
Five Main Rules of Flat Betting
Of course, as any other strategy does, flat betting involves certain rules if you want to be successful at using this tactic. In the next five sections, we will take a look at each of them.
Stake Amount Staying the Same
You always place the same sum for every event while using this strategy. This might be a temporary solution or a constant thing. All in all, it is usually a certain percentage of your entire bankroll. For example, if you have 1,500,000 TZS to spend and place 75,000 TZS on each event, this means that you are spending 5% of your bankroll every time. However, many recommend a safer approach without stakes not exceeding 1% of your bankroll. This is the main rule of this strategy and something that differentiates it from others.
Stake Recalculation
After a certain amount of time, you may increase or decrease your bankroll, depending on many factors, such as the level of activity, financial situation, or success at betting. The percentage you will spend will stay the same, but the stake amount will change.
Similar Odds
Another but less important part of the strategy is placing bets on the events with equally likely outcomes. Usually, the recommended way is to find a minimum odds you like and stick to them. For example, 1.6 or 1.9, and place wagers on similar ones or at least a bit higher. The number depends on many factors, and you’re the only one who can find a comfortable level for yourself.
The Choice of Bookmaker
While sticking with a certain bookmaker is great, and many experienced punters have their favorite platforms, we still recommend shopping for better odds. For example, one bookie can offer 1.6 odds on the same game, while another might have 1.8. In this case, the choice is obvious.
Number of Stakes
There’s a strong opinion that the number of bets is quite important for your success. We recommend placing a significant number of them to get your results, but you don’t have to do it all at once. This means diversifying your risks while keeping the bankroll the same.
How Does Flat Betting Help in Football Wagering?
Obviously, you can use this strategy to wager on football. After all, this is the most common sport for betting. And there are always plenty of events to place wagers on. Ideally, you have to find quite a few events with similar odds; the more, the better. Place the same stake on all of them and wait for the results.
Pros and Cons of Flat Betting
Flat betting is an effective strategy with quite a few benefits, but it has certain disadvantages as well. And it’s quite important to be aware of them. To help you with that, we will provide information about the strategy’s pros and cons in the table below. Check it out.
Pluses
- Simplicity. The strategy is incredibly straightforward, easy to understand, and does not require complex calculations
- Great for risk management
- Consistent. It requires a certain level of discipline and helps punters stay clear-headed
- Stability and predictability
- Long-term sustainable
Minuses
- Limited profit growth due to the stable nature
- Lack of flexibility. While a certain level of stability is often an advantage, the inability to adjust your bets depending on a situation is a downside
- It may be psychologically challenging for some users. Not everyone will find it easy to stick to certain betting amounts.
F.A.Q.
Flat betting is one of those strategies that provide a great level of consistency while allowing to keep the risks low. Even if one wants to take a less safe approach, the strategy has variations that can help with that.
While no one can predict your possible success rate, the flat betting strategy usually works, if you did your own research.