Game Ratings

Game Rating		Percentage of bankroll	Money wagered example	Description
Top Play	5* play (5 star)	5% (1.6 units)	$160.00 (Lay $160 to win $145)	Highest rated selection. High percentage situations and/or match-ups.
Regular Play	4* play (4 star)	4% (1.33 units)	$133.00 (Lay $133 to win $100)	Better than average selection. Close to being upgraded to a Top Play. Solid advantages.
Regular Play	3* play (3 star)	3% (1.0 units)	$100.00 (Lay $100 to win $91)	Average selection. Solid advantages.

I've decided to alter my game rating system somewhat starting with the 2006 regular season. While alot remains the same, I've made a few key changes.

The value of 1 unit has gone up (from 2% to 3%)

I'll be using a star rating system with a 5-star being the highest & represents 5% of you starting bankroll.

I've added a 2nd tier for Regular Plays (4-star) to give visitors a better idea of how much I like certain games.

The "juice" is factored in to keep things simple. A 5-star play means you are laying 5%, not 5% plus the "juice".

Using 3% as an average wager keeps the total % of the bankroll risked per week to a reasonable amount. The Tops have done extremely well and they warrant a 5% play when they grade that highly. Stay disciplined and smart.

The most important thing to do is to determine what your bankroll will be for the season.

Once you have determined that amount, you calculate your average wager amount and stick with it for the entire season. For the example above, this player's Regular (average) wager is $100.00 (lay $100.00 to win $91.00). Increase or decrease the amounts depending on your bankroll.

Examples: A player with a $3,000.00 bankroll will Lay $90.00 (3%) on a 3-star regular selection ($3,000.00 X .03).
A player with a $1000.00 bankroll will Lay $30.00 (3%) on a 3-star regular selection.

By using this method we have an approach that is somewhat aggressive but we protect ourselves by increasing or reducing the wagers by reasonable amounts.

Whether you follow the above recommendations or not, I would strongly suggest never betting more than 5% of your bankroll for any play no matter how good it looks.

Regardless of how strong a situation may be, a significant number of games are decided by turnovers and other "events" that affect the flow of the game. That's simply the nature of the game. Teams that are -3 or worse in turnovers cover less than 10% of the time and you never know when your team might fall victim. Also, never have more than 20%-25% of your bankroll in play on any given day. If you decide to play on a high number of games, reduce the amounts to stay within the 20%-25% limits.

There are two decent alternatives to what I've listed above. They're more conservative but work quite well:

1. FLAT BETTING (same amount on each and every game and deciding at the start of the season how much you'll wager on each play. This should be somewhere between 2% to 3% of your bankroll).

2. CUT THE ABOVE WAGER AMOUNTS IN HALF (which means the ratios between each play will stay the same but you'll be betting only half as much. That mean your average wager would be 1% to 1.5% of your bankroll. This is best suited for those who decide to make a very large number of plays each Sunday.

Ultimately, everyone is different and whatever system you use should make you feel comfortable. If you're overly concerned with how each play is doing for an entire season you need a more conservative plan. Trust that each season is full of ups and downs and that you'll grind out a profit over the long haul!