The term “unit” can have two distinct meanings in betting, although both are to do with the size of the stake that you bet.
In this article, we’ll explore what both of these meanings are and how you can differentiate between the two.
In betting terms, a Unit can mean either of the following:
- Unit – The amount size of the stake you bet, usually used when referring to multiple-line bets (such as Patents, Canadian, Heinz etc). Often this is referred to as a “Unit Stake”.
- Unit – The standard amount that an individual tends to bet (which can vary from individual to individual).
Let’s deal with both these definitions individually, starting with the first.
Unit as in Unit Stake
Let’s start with the basics. In multiple-selection betting, a unit is just the value of the stake that covers one line on the bet. It’s that simple.
However, to understand the term comprehensively, it is essential to know how it can be used and how it relates to the other key betting terms when making multiple-selection, multiple-line bets.
To that end, let’s define what the other two key terms mean.
- Stake – This is the amount of money you wager in total on a bet.
- Line – A line is one of the possible outcomes of the market you bet on that you can cover with your bet.
On a typical single line bet, such as backing a horse to win a race, or betting on a football team to win a match, your stake and your unit stake are the same.
For example, if you place a £10 bet on “Mr Galapagos” to win the 2.30 at Haydock Park at odds of 6/1, then your unit stake is £10, and your total stake is £10. That’s because you are only covering one potential outcome in your bet (one line).
However, if you decide to make your bet on “Mr Galapagos” an each-way bet, then there are now two possible outcomes your bet has to cover. Mr Galapagos to win, and Mr Galapagos to finish in a place.
This each way bet has two lines and therefore requires two units of your stake to cover each possible outcome.
Therefore an each-way bet on Mr Galapagos with a £10 unit stake would cost you £20 in total.
- £10 on Mr Galapagos to win.
- £10 on Mr Galapagos to place.
So, your unit stake in this bet would be £10, but your total stake would be £20 as you bet 2x the unit stake to cover both potential outcomes.
Units Other Multiple Selection Bets
It is easy to see what a Unit is in an each-way bet and how 2 x your unit stake gives you your total stake for the each-way bet.
However, for bets with many more selections and outcomes to cover, the importance of understanding how your unit stake determines your whole bet is important, especially when it comes to betting responsibly.
Let’s use a bet called Heinz as an example.
A Heinz bet is so-called because it has six selections and by combining these selections in every possible bet combination, the bet covers 57 lines.
So for a Heinz bet, you would require 57 times your unit stake to cover the bet fully.
Therefore, if you kept the £10 as your unit stake, placing the Heinz bet would cost you £570. However, you can reduce your unit stake for the bet down to say, £1, this makes the cost £57 to place to cover all possible lines.
By scaling the unit stake for the bet, you can place the bet at a stake commensurate with how much you would be happy betting on the game.
When placing multiple bets or each way bet, a unit refers to the stake required to cover one line within that bet as outlined above.
However, it can also be used in a more generic term to mean something else.
Unit In Reference To How Much An Individual Usually Bets
When writers, tipsters or punters write about betting, each individual will have an amount of money that they regard as their usual single bet stake.
However, those amounts can vary from one individual to the next. For one punter, they may place a bet with a stake of £1 most often. For a different punter in a different situation, they may place a bet with a stake of £100 most often. For higher rollers, bets may be as much as £10,000 or even higher.
So rather than stating a bet amount as a ‘typical’ bet, the term unit is used to refer to the amount that an individual will usually bet.
For example, if you read a tipster’s article that states that if you back Arsenal to win the Champions League, you will win back £100 for a £10 stake if the Gunners do win the trophy – then that doesn’t reference punters that tend to stake more or less than this stake amount per bet.
Instead, if you state that if you back Arsenal to win the Champions League, you would win ten times your typical unit stake, then this applies to every punter, regardless of how much they bet. A punter who bets £1 on that knows they stand to win £10, and a punter who bets £1,000 knows they stand to win £10,000.
Unit In Betting Conclusion
Regardless of whether you use the term unit to mean as part of a multiple-selection, multiple-line bet, or in reference to an individual’s typical bet amount – both teams always refer to the size of a stake.
However, in the first usage, a unit refers to just one of the stakes required to cover all the lines of a multiple-selection bet.
In the second example, the unit refers to the total size of the typical bet an individual makes.
Fortunately, the context in which the term ‘unit’ is used will make it abundantly clear as to which of the two different examples is meant by the term.
