How big a bankroll does a $25 unit need? Unit size from bankroll

A unit is a chosen percentage of your bankroll, so the bankroll a unit needs is the unit divided by that percentage. A $25 unit at 1% needs $2,500, at 2% needs $1,250, and at 0.5% needs $5,000. Going the other way, a $3,000 bankroll at 1.5% gives a $45 unit. Pick the percentage first, then do the division.

The unit size calculator works both directions: from bankroll to unit and from unit to bankroll.

The two formulas

Unit = bankroll × percentage. Bankroll needed = unit ÷ percentage. The percentage is a risk choice. A smaller one makes each loss smaller relative to the bankroll and needs a larger bankroll for the same unit. The usual ranges and the reasoning are in the article on choosing a unit size, and this page covers the arithmetic once you have chosen.

What each unit needs

• $10 unit: $2,000 at 0.5%, $1,000 at 1%, $500 at 2%
• $25 unit: $5,000 at 0.5%, $2,500 at 1%, $1,250 at 2%
• $50 unit: $10,000 at 0.5%, $5,000 at 1%, $2,500 at 2%
• $100 unit: $20,000 at 0.5%, $10,000 at 1%, $5,000 at 2%

The right-hand column of each line is what most people do wrong. They keep a $50 unit with a $1,000 bankroll, which is 5%, and a losing run of ten bets takes half the money. The same bankroll at 1% is a $10 unit.

Check the percentage you are really using

Rounding changes the effective percentage. A $30 unit on a $2,000 bankroll is 1.5%. Round it to $40 for convenience and it is 2%, a third higher. Rounding down is the safer direction. Recompute the percentage each time you change the unit, and write the result down alongside the unit.

Fractions of a unit

Many people stake 0.5 or 2 units on some bets. The same percentage logic applies: a 2-unit stake on a 1% unit is a 2% stake. Staking more than one unit puts the effective percentage above the one you chose, and the unit's risk reasoning no longer holds. If you size bets by confidence, the article on letting stakes follow confidence describes how it tends to go.

When you can only afford a smaller bankroll

If the bankroll is below what the unit you want needs, there are two honest options: lower the unit, or lower the number of bets. A $25 unit with a $500 bankroll is 5%, not 1%. Keeping the percentage and shrinking the unit to $5 keeps the risk of each bet the same as a larger account's. The tool gives the unit; whether it is large enough to be worth the effort is your call.

Fixed units against percentages that follow the bankroll are compared in the next article.

Size it. Enter your bankroll and percentage into the unit size calculator to get the unit, or a unit to get the bankroll it needs.