If you are a football fan, you might be familiar with many different betting systems. The most popular betting systems are matched betting, value netting and arbitrage bet. Another famous system is flat betting.
We'll look at the benefits of flat betting and how it can affect your bets. In addition, we'll talk about its fundamentals along with the pros and cons of this system.
What is Flat Betting?
Flat betting is a strategy that lets you control the amount of money you have for betting (bankroll). The basics of flat betting are to bet a fixed amount. The idea is to bet the same amount on every bet for a while (one month to a year). The amount of money you bet is calculated according to the percentage of your bankroll. Flat betting is also known as "a fixed betting strategy" because a fixed proportion of your bankroll can range from 1 – 5 percent.
For example, let's imagine that you have a bankroll of $1,000 and you decide to have a fixed bet amount of 1% of your bankroll, which is $10. The time period where the stake remains the same is a month.
With this time frame, let's say you've made 50 stakes risking 1% of your bankroll per bet, and you've earned a $100 profit. This means your total bankroll now is $1100. You can stake the new amount of $11 (1% of $1100).
How Much Should Your Fixed Percentage of the Stake Be?
Even though it's possible to have your fixed percentage up to 5%, you should start no more than 1% for a newcomer in flat betting. As you've gained more experience and have a positive dynamic in the match, you can start increasing your stake.
Flat Betting Types
Here are the four common divisions of the flat betting system.
Static Flat Betting
This is the safest form of flat betting. The stake is usually around 1% of the bankroll and doesn't change for an extended period.
Academic/Expert Flat Betting
This flat betting type is the most popular. The stake is anywhere between 1 to 3% of the bankroll, depending on the bettor's confidence, sports knowledge, and success rate.
Aggressive Flat Betting
Compared to the last two flat betting types, the aggressive form is a risky type. It consists of 2-3% of the bankroll and doesn't lower the percentage even during a prolonged losing streak, making this a dangerous strategy.
Chaotic Flat Betting
As you may have guessed by the name, the chaotic flat betting strategy consists of staking 10% or more of your bankroll and letting you adjust the bet any way you like.
On online forums, you may find that people think this strategy is for those with a small bankroll and a long-distance, like when you're on an extended winning streak. This statement is highly controversial.
On the other hand, some suggest that this flat betting type is used for some tournaments when you want to risk "here and now". This is at least understandable. Many bettors have gone through similar experiments like this.
The 5 Basic Rules of Flat Betting
We've listed the 6 fundamental rules of flat betting that will help you succeed with this betting system.
1. Consistent Staked Amount
The amount you stake should stay the same for a certain period. The staked amount varies from 1 to 5% of the bankroll. You should bet no more than 3%.
2. Recalculate the Stake
You should have an increased bankroll after using the flat betting technique for a specified period. This means you can recalculate the stake with the same percentage amount. These periods, called control points, may vary from a month to a year.
3. Equally Likely Events
The betting odds from equally likely events may start from 1.9. This works for football, tennis and other sports. There are plenty of options in the line. People usually recommend lower odds, but we don't think this is the best way to do it, as the success rate of 1.6 odds is 62.5% which is considered extremely high.
4. Your Chosen Bookie
Bettors usually ignore that there are better odds for two equally likely events. However, bettors are initially placed at a disadvantage compared to bookies due to the margin, which usually varies from 3% (1.97 odds) to 15% (1.80 odds). Every decile is crucial when exceeding the breakeven point, so it's vital to pick a bookie with minimum commission. Remember to avoid shady sportsbooks that use low commission as 'bait' to attract customers.
5. The Number of Stakes
This is also a crucial factor in flat betting. As the number of stakes grows, the win rate percentage required gets lower.
For example, a bettor made ten $100 stakes and the betting odds were 1.9 and won six of them. Therefore, his total profit is 6*1.9*100-10*100= $140 with a win rate of 60%.
Another bettor made 100 stakes with the same odds and won 55 of them. This means he has a profit of 55*1.9*100-100*100=$450, and the win rate is 55%, which is lower than the first bettor.
As seen from the example, the profit for the second player is far bigger than the first. This is why experts opt to make more stakes.
How does the Flat Betting System Benefit Football Betting?
Like other different betting systems, the flat betting system also originated from online casino games. It's generally utilized on matches where there's a 50/50 bet.
When using the flat betting system on the roulette wheel, you'll have to bet on either black or red. However, in football betting, they need to be rated at even money. This can be on any event, but both teams need to score about 2.5 goals. The even-money bet from football matches is the only necessity, and after that, you can proceed to use the flat betting system.
Then, you need to choose the stake, which is a crucial part of the flat betting strategy. This betting system focuses on bankroll management in several ways. Because of this, many players usually bet a lesser amount of their total balance. For example, if you have a total bankroll of $2000 and your staking unit is 2 dollars.
After discovering the even-money bet, you need to put $2 on the result. This is where the flat betting system is different from other 50/50 techniques. It doesn't matter if you've lost the initial bets, as the follow-up amount remains at 2 dollars. It's possible to maintain this sequence without needing to adjust the stake.
Other betting systems usually depend on adjusting the stake to recover losses or make a winning streak. On the other hand, flat betting takes a different approach from these techniques. Bankroll management plays a vital part in this system. Even though there are plenty of opportunities to obtain earnings, this system works as a planned parachute to minimize the losses.
The Pros and Cons of Flat Betting
You can come across various reviews on flat betting – some may claim it to be "the best" strategy while others say it's pointless and only generate losses. Let's look at the opinions through the pros and cons of flat betting.
The Cons
Bigger Initial Capital - This applies to bettors looking to make bigger profits. In theory, flat betting works in any bankroll and its only restriction is the minimum stake amount that the bookie requires.
The Need for High Win Rates - Flat betting is only profitable when the success rate goes beyond 50%. But we think if a bettor can't go over 50%, he will lose any bet with any strategy by staking 50:50.
Slow Bankroll Growth - This factor is an intrinsic part of a flat betting strategy. Most players look to get it all here and now, which is understandable. However, we think that the best approach is to let your bankroll grow slowly and steadily. You can learn to overcome this by looking at some basic rules for flat betting.
Psychology - You may be familiar with how difficult it is to control yourself in retrieving your losses, mainly when you've found a seemingly sure way to do it. Then, there are the fundamentals of flat betting, which is known as a tedious system. This may be true, but you'll need to decide whether you want to beat the bookie or if you're looking for extra excitement no matter the result. If you're going for the first option, you need to accept the rules. Try to control your emotions and follow the main principles of the flat betting strategy.
The Pros
We've mentioned some of the advantages, but it can't go wrong to refresh your knowledge
Flat betting is straightforward – it is suitable for every bettor
It is reliable – You'll save yourself from getting your bankroll drained
Large profit opportunity – flat betting can earn you bigger wins when reaching a specific success rate
Flexibility – you can bet with flat betting and combine it with other strategies.
Conclusion
There are many benefits to flat betting, especially if you like to bet on football. However, there are also some drawbacks, which you can overcome by betting cautiously. We think that flat betting and its variations and combinations can become a reliable tool for any bettor. If you've used the flat betting strategy and managed to earn a positive return on investment for a long time, you can combine it with other options. This might give you an excellent chance to beat the bookie and not the other way around.
