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Personally, I handicap (and wager) three sports:
1) college basketball
2) college football
3) pro football
With that in mind,
I have always played my wagers as follows:
a) MAJORITY of my wagers= "standard" plays for the exact same amount.
b) OCCASIONALLY= I will have a (1 1/2 times) or double play which is simply in relation to the "standard" play amount.
For me, each standard play is 2.5% of my total bankroll and I will increase (or decrease) this standard play amount when my bankroll hits a given increment. So the standard play amount DOES NOT change with every little fluctuation in my bankroll. It only changes when my bankroll increases (or decreases) by a certain pre-determined amount of money.
Personally, I don't believe in the MULTIPLE unit or star system that many cappers use. The reason being that there are no sure winners! Some games look easy before or after the fact but a "5 star" or "10 star" play can lose just as easily as a "1 star" play. I would rather just have a nice winning record at the end of the season and then I will have made a decent profit.
On the other hand, a guy that caps w/ a 1-5 star system could have a nice winning record and still be down due to losing more of his higher rated plays. It would "kill" me if I had a decent won/ loss record but still lost money!
Sincerely,
Bennojd
P.S.> The following reply was very thorough and well written. It should be read twice by anyone that has questions about money management.
1) college basketball
2) college football
3) pro football
With that in mind,
I have always played my wagers as follows:
a) MAJORITY of my wagers= "standard" plays for the exact same amount.
b) OCCASIONALLY= I will have a (1 1/2 times) or double play which is simply in relation to the "standard" play amount.
For me, each standard play is 2.5% of my total bankroll and I will increase (or decrease) this standard play amount when my bankroll hits a given increment. So the standard play amount DOES NOT change with every little fluctuation in my bankroll. It only changes when my bankroll increases (or decreases) by a certain pre-determined amount of money.
Personally, I don't believe in the MULTIPLE unit or star system that many cappers use. The reason being that there are no sure winners! Some games look easy before or after the fact but a "5 star" or "10 star" play can lose just as easily as a "1 star" play. I would rather just have a nice winning record at the end of the season and then I will have made a decent profit.
On the other hand, a guy that caps w/ a 1-5 star system could have a nice winning record and still be down due to losing more of his higher rated plays. It would "kill" me if I had a decent won/ loss record but still lost money!
Sincerely,
Bennojd
P.S.> The following reply was very thorough and well written. It should be read twice by anyone that has questions about money management.
Originally posted by Warrior
dwil,
Some people "rate" their games Stronger than other games.
Once upon a time a Five-Unit (or Five "Star") play meant playing 5% of your bankroll on the pick. Three-Unit meant three percent, etc.
Over the years the number of sports services and handicappers have increased so much that it's hard to tell what some of them are getting at.
You see 50-Unit, 10-star, and you'll often see a game referred to as so many "Credits". That could mean percent, or it could mean an absolute value.
I've even seen 50,000-star plays...not sure what that means. I use to have what I call my MILLION $$$ Games. That was a catchy name for Top Play.
Ideally, you would want to ask the individual, specifically, what THEIR ratings mean in relation to how you should play on the game (in a relative sense).
In general, there are really only two schools of thought, and the debate has gone on for eons regarding the logic and pros & cons of each stance:
1.) Play the same amount on each game.
2.) Vary the amount you play (using units, credits, etc.).
In either case, the wisest choice is to have a bankroll. The convential wisdom is to never play more than 5%, or at the most an occasional 10%, on one game. Many would argue that even that is too much and that a 1-2% play is the best.
Most do not play according to a bankroll anyway, so you might play what you're "comfortable with" without playing an amount that would end your season in the event of a cold run.
I'll be the first to admit that sometimes I will wing it, a lot of times at the last minute. I've been fortunate enough to be on the right side a sizeable majority of the times when I give myself the "go ahead" to do that (even though it is against all conventional wisdom).
Most cappers will rate their games between 1-10 Units, but you will find out if you study the results long enough that there is often little or no difference between a person's 2-star games, 3-stars, 4-stars, and even 5-stars.
There are some exceptions, but in the long run I've seen little difference with my plays and with the plays of others who use those ratings.
The exception might be if someone considers their 5-star as their absolute "highest" rating. Then, their 5-stars might show a better win percentage over the others while the rest have little variation.
After 24-years, I have finally ditched the unit system. I use to rate my games 2-5 stars with an occasional 10-star. Over the years, only my 10-star games (again, my particular choice for 'highest' rating') have shown a significant difference.
This season I will have only 2 ratings:
1.) Standard Play (what use to be 2-5 stars but is now all the same rating)
2.) Double Play (what use to be my 10-star but is now just what is implies--a doubling of the standard play)
The first thing in betting the games is to find winning information.
Hope that helps...
dave
dwil,
Some people "rate" their games Stronger than other games.
Once upon a time a Five-Unit (or Five "Star") play meant playing 5% of your bankroll on the pick. Three-Unit meant three percent, etc.
Over the years the number of sports services and handicappers have increased so much that it's hard to tell what some of them are getting at.
You see 50-Unit, 10-star, and you'll often see a game referred to as so many "Credits". That could mean percent, or it could mean an absolute value.
I've even seen 50,000-star plays...not sure what that means. I use to have what I call my MILLION $$$ Games. That was a catchy name for Top Play.
Ideally, you would want to ask the individual, specifically, what THEIR ratings mean in relation to how you should play on the game (in a relative sense).
In general, there are really only two schools of thought, and the debate has gone on for eons regarding the logic and pros & cons of each stance:
1.) Play the same amount on each game.
2.) Vary the amount you play (using units, credits, etc.).
In either case, the wisest choice is to have a bankroll. The convential wisdom is to never play more than 5%, or at the most an occasional 10%, on one game. Many would argue that even that is too much and that a 1-2% play is the best.
Most do not play according to a bankroll anyway, so you might play what you're "comfortable with" without playing an amount that would end your season in the event of a cold run.
I'll be the first to admit that sometimes I will wing it, a lot of times at the last minute. I've been fortunate enough to be on the right side a sizeable majority of the times when I give myself the "go ahead" to do that (even though it is against all conventional wisdom).
Most cappers will rate their games between 1-10 Units, but you will find out if you study the results long enough that there is often little or no difference between a person's 2-star games, 3-stars, 4-stars, and even 5-stars.
There are some exceptions, but in the long run I've seen little difference with my plays and with the plays of others who use those ratings.
The exception might be if someone considers their 5-star as their absolute "highest" rating. Then, their 5-stars might show a better win percentage over the others while the rest have little variation.
After 24-years, I have finally ditched the unit system. I use to rate my games 2-5 stars with an occasional 10-star. Over the years, only my 10-star games (again, my particular choice for 'highest' rating') have shown a significant difference.
This season I will have only 2 ratings:
1.) Standard Play (what use to be 2-5 stars but is now all the same rating)
2.) Double Play (what use to be my 10-star but is now just what is implies--a doubling of the standard play)
The first thing in betting the games is to find winning information.
Hope that helps...
dave
....so I can say from first hand experience: Never overbet. Better cash in 0,1 units than lose 10 units in one day. There are so many games to bet and the season is freaking long, esp in CBB.
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