Ideal Betting Units

[Inersha]

Are there any hard and fast rules that you use for working out what units to bet with depending on the size of your bankroll? For instance, if you were going to play a game like roulette or blackjack and you had $500 to bet with, what would be the ideal betting unit?

I know it probably depends on preference and how much you want to gamble with, but in general, is there a standard betting unit that will give me most value for money?

I was thinking 1% of your total bankroll as a betting unit (so $5 with a $500 bankroll), but is this too conservative?

Your thoughts would be much appreciated, thanks!

[KasinoKing]

Are there any hard and fast rules that you use for working out what units to bet with depending on the size of your bankroll? For instance, if you were going to play a game like roulette or blackjack and you had $500 to bet with, what would be the ideal betting unit?

It depends on what you are trying to achieve; If you are playing to meet the WR for a bonus then the safest play is with minimum bets (as long as it's not a phantom bonus).
But if you're playing without a bonus and are just trying to make 20% profit (a reasonable target) then I would play with the biggest bets you are comfortable with to start with.

Roulette is a bug bear for me - so many online casinos have ludicrous $1 minimum chips, so my minimum bet would have to be $9. There's no way I'm going to start at that level because with a progressive system I would soon end up betting a fortune! Therefore I very rarely play roulette online (that, and because it doesn't usually count in WR's... )

[D!G!TAL]

If you play with bonuses then sometimes the house edge can be in your favour (positive expectation).

If this is the case there is a formula called the Kelly Criterion that helps you decide the appropriate amount to bet. Run a search and have a read, it can be quite daunting at first but there are sites out there that explain it quite well (I might do so myself later when I have more time).