Calculate your optimal betting unit based on bankroll size, risk tolerance, and playing style for proper blackjack bankroll management.
Unit = min(Bankroll × Risk%, Bankroll ÷ UnitsNeeded)Recommended Unit
$100
Range: $80-$120
Max Bet
$100
1x spread
Effective Units
100
Need 100 for 13% RoR
Money dedicated to blackjack
% of bankroll per unit
Determines required unit count
Your advantage (negative = house edge)
Half Kelly is recommended to reduce variance while maintaining growth
With a $10,000 bankroll, optimal betting unit is $100-$200 (1-2% of bankroll). For card counters, the unit should support spreading 1-12 units. Conservative players use 1%, aggressive 2-3%. Kelly Criterion suggests betting edge/variance of bankroll.
A betting unit is your standard bet size, typically 1-2% of your total bankroll. If you have $5,000, your unit would be $50-$100. Card counters use units to scale their bets based on the count while maintaining proper bankroll management.
Divide your total bankroll by the number of units you need. For basic strategy players, 50-100 units is sufficient. Card counters spreading 1-12 need 200-400 units minimum. $10,000 ÷ 200 units = $50 unit size.
The Kelly Criterion calculates optimal bet size as (edge × bankroll) / variance. For blackjack with ~1% edge, Kelly suggests betting about 0.8% of bankroll. Most advantage players use "half Kelly" or "quarter Kelly" to reduce variance.
For a 1-12 bet spread, you need 200-400 units to have less than 5% risk of ruin. With $10,000 bankroll and $25 units, you have 400 units - very safe. With $50 units, you have 200 units - adequate but more volatile.
Quick-start with common scenarios
Recommended Unit
$100
Range: $80-$120
Max Bet
$100
1x spread
Effective Units
100
Need 100 for 13% RoR