Racing Staking Plans
The Retirement Staking Plan was devised by Grandstand's racing analyst Barry Hughes, and is rated by some professional punters and people who know racing, to be one of, if not the best staking plan they have seen.
Here’s the proper way to carry out a Fibonacci Sequence Staking plan. On a losing bet – multiply the fixed stake by one step up in the sequence. After you win a wager – multiply the fixed stake by a number two steps down in the sequence. Staking Plans Betting Banks. Many professional punters like to have a set betting bank (size varies depending on wealth) from which. Assigning unit stakes to bets can be useful as it makes the punter more disciplined and less likely to over. Kelly's Criterion. Kelly's Criterion is a.
Barry did not invent this plan by accident, it took know how and hundreds of hours of calculations to get it right.
His aim was to formulate a staking plan that could recoup all losses, and to show profits, even when a plan only breaks even. In other words, over a period of time you might have had 80 bets for 25 winners, you didn't lose, but you didn't win either. He also wanted a staking plan that could withstand long runs of outs and still achieve profits.
He did over a period of time, come up with a staking plan that did these things, but when he applied it to past results on several systems, it worked fine on some, but others, not so good.
He finally came to the conclusion that most staking plans never took into account the average price of the winners. They may work on one that has an average price winner of 5-2, and completely fail on a system with the average price winner of 5-1. The reason being, a system that does average 5-1 winners, will at some stage be more likely to go through a longer run of outs than the one that averages 5-2 winners.
The only thing he had to do now was, to work out a staking plan, with a formula that would suit all plans with different average price winners.
He finally came up with a staking plan that has a divisor, and a target, where your first bet is only 1% of your bank And as you will see he has set this staking plan up in such a way it will suit any system that shows only small profits, and can also show more than 15% at break even. It wouldn't matter if your plan averages 5-2 or 8-1 winners, or anywhere in between. You will know once you have worked out the average price winner of whatever plan you are using, how to set up and use The Retirement Staking Plan.
First. To work out the average price of the winners, ( and you should only do this after you have had more than 20 winners), you total the return of the winners, E.g. 20 winners and the total return was $100 on the TAB. Then you divide 20 into 100 = 5, so your average price winner is 4-1 as the tote return includes your dollar invested. This first step is the most important in setting up the Retirement Staking Plan, it determines your divisor, and when to bring in your safety device.
The best way to show you how to set the plan up is in the following table. First we have a divisor, which is double the average price winner of the plan you are using, say your average price winner is 3-1, your divisor would be six. We also have a tar get. Set up like this:-
First up we know the divisor will be six, double the average price winner of 3-1, your first bet is 1% of your bank, doesn't sound much, but just to show how this plan can produce over a period of time, we have started with a large bank. Now to arrive at your target, multiply your divisor by your first bet, 6 x 100 = 600. So your divisor is six, target 600, first bet 100, which is 1% of your bank, all losses are added to your target, and if you go six without a winner, then start to increase your divis or by one after each losing bet. Following is what to do when you have a run of outs.
As you can see, losses were added to the target, and when we went six without a winner, we increased the divisor, if you do not, bets get out of hand and jeopardize the most important thing, the bank.
Look at the bank after six losers 9092, it could still withstand another 42 without a winner, and that is not because we started with a 10,000 bank, if you started with a 1,000 bank it would be the same, as your first bet would have been 1% = $10. By doing this, the staking plan can withstand 48 without a winner.
Now, after the 4-1, you reduced the target from 2583 to 1723, you then look back to where your target was close to this amount and you go back to where your divisor was on 8, so your next bet is 8 target 1723.
After the 6-1 winner you reduced the target from 2153 to 863, go back to the third bet when your divisor was six, you know then if this and the next three lose, you start to increase your divisor again.

Now each time the bank increases by 200, increase the target by 10, this is another safety device Barry built in to The Retirement Staking Plan. If you add 10 to your target, you only increase a bet by $1, which is only .05% of the bank increase, doesn 't sound much, but over a long period of time, and as the bets increase, you are safeguarding the bank.
When looking at the results, you will see we outlayed 2988 for a profit of 172 or 6% on turnover. What happened to the 15% or more at break even?. The reason for this is ten out of the sixteen bet's were at level stakes of 215. We will show how this ca n change when your divisor remains on six.
Now look what happens if the winners fall in a different order.
With the winner at 6-1, we increased the target to 630, and after the 3-1 winner the profit was 819 with the outlay of 2331 which represents 35% profit on turnover, outstanding results, as the plan showed no profit at level stakes,16 bets 3 winners ret urn 16.
Now the thing to remember is, work out the average price winner then double it, that becomes your divisor. E.g. 5-2 = 5, 3-1 = 6,7-2 = 7, 4-1 = 8, 9-2 = 9, 5-1 = 10. Also the divisor tells you how many losing bets to go before you increase your divisor . Start with 1% of a bank you can afford, and you have a staking plan that will show 15% at break even, and sometimes more. It will also, over a period of time as the bets increase, withstand more than 48 without a winner.
You should now be able to understand why Barry put so much work into The Retirement Staking Plan. We have quite a few clients that have not looked back since putting this Staking Plan to good use. Others have sold so called infallible staking plans for hundreds of dollars, most fail, as they will not withstand the losing runs. Barry thinks everyone should be using The Retirement Staking Plan which is offered free of charge.
Having a regular value edge over the odds is futile unless you make it count. This is where staking and money management come to the fore. Staking is a fine balancing act between not over exposing yourself and risking going broke, and placing enough money on your selections to ensure that your bank growth is not stunted. A wise man once said ‘never strike a bet where the stake will affect how you punt tomorrow’. Never a truer word spoken. To be profitable in the long term, there can be little emotion when striking your bets. The key phrase in the last sentence is ‘long term’. Each bet is part of the bigger picture and the stake for an individual bet should not have an impact on your psyche, or bankroll.
A staking plan is, essentially, a method to determine how much money should go on each bet. There are hundreds of different staking strategies and approaches, but ultimately the aim is to find a staking strategy that:
- Generates the best returns possible.
- Minimises the chance of losing the bankroll.
Here we look at several of the more popular staking plans, assessing their strengths and weaknesses.
Fixed Return Staking

Fixed return staking involves calculating stakes based on achieving a set return. Therefore, the odds will dictate as to how large the stake size is. For instance, if a punter is using a fixed return of £100, and the odds of a horse were 5.00, his stake would be £20 (20 x 5.00 = £100). Likewise, if the horse were 2.00 then the stake would be £50. The advantage of this plan is that it takes into account the relative probabilities of success and increases/reduces the stakes accordingly and should produce consistent returns, as opposed to big swings in the betting banks. The disadvantage is that when backing big priced winners, the returns are exactly the same as when picking an odds on favourite – this can be a difficult pill for some bettors to swallow. The return that the punter is aiming for will usually be a fixed percentage of a betting bank i.e. 1-2%.
Level Stakes Staking
This method of betting involves placing the same stake on each bet. For instance, a punter with a £1000 betting bank may place 1% (£10) on each selection. Over the course of a year, the individual may make 150 points – giving a £1500 profit and an end betting bank of £2500. Level stakes are often the way that novice and beginners operate as they are easy to calculate.
Depending on risk tolerance and average odds of selections, punters generally use between 0.5-2% of their betting bank for level stakes – keeping the same bet size regardless of whether the bank is increasing or decreasing. The drawback of this method is that it doesn’t support maximal growth. If a punter has a consistent edge over the bookmakers, then they are not compounding that advantage by maintaining the same stake.
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Lay 88 Staking Plan
Ratchet Staking
Ratchet staking requires punters to calculate their bet size based upon the balance of their betting bank. The figure is typically used as a percentage of the bank and will increase as it grows and reduce as it gets smaller. The advantage of this method is that is can help accentuate growth during a profitable period, and it protects the bank during a baron run. For an individual who has several bets a day, calculating the stake for each bet requires the bettor to be keeping up with the action and results which isn’t always feasible.
Level/Ratchet Staking
Both level stakes and ratchet betting have their advantages, and combining the two approaches can be an excellent way of taking advantage of a consistent edge to multiply your betting bank balance. The stake that is placed on each horse is a set percentage of the betting bank and is reviewed after a set period of time. For example, someone with £1000 betting bank may use a 1.5% staking plan, so each bet is a level £15 stake, with the bank and stake reviewed at the end of each month.
Assume for arguments sake that a bettor has recorded a 5% ROI (which is fairly manageable for a seasoned punter). He adopts the 1.5% fixed stake and tends to strike an average of 6 bets a day.
With a daily turnover of £90 (6 bets x £15 stake), a 5% ROI would indicate a daily profit of £4.50. With the betting bank reviewed at the end of each month, and a new stake derived from the balance, we can see how quickly the bank can grow:
Starting in January and reassessing the stakes after each month, within a year, the bankroll grows four times over. This shows that with a consistent edge and a safe staking plan, a healthy profit can soon be achieved.
What Is The Best Staking Plan
Adjusting the ROI to 10% and using the same number of bets on a daily basis, we can see that the bankroll grows exponentially:
With profit compounded on a monthly basis, the bank grows a staggering 14 times in the first year, with profit levels approaching £4000 a month, from a starting fund of £1000. Of course not every month will work out to with the same profit levels, and some months may even be losing ones, however, the table gives an indication of how a betting bank can mature with a long term edge.
In terms of ROI, everyone has a different modus operandi. Certain individuals will have a high number of bets and will be satisfied with a lower yield, whilst contrastingly some take a more selective approach, and achieve a higher yield as a consequence. The number of bets and the odds of the selections should be factored in to any staking plan.
Kelly Criterion
The Kelly Criterion betting strategy that is becoming increasingly used by experienced and professional punters and its aim is to maximise profitability by determining stake sized based upon the perceived value edge over the odds on offer. The Kelly Criterion computes the optimal amount to be placed upon a bet, with the larger the edge, the bigger the stake. This strategy is discussed in length in The Kelly Criterion article .
With the Kelly Criterion plan, the stakes are determined by a formula which gives the percentage of betting bank that should be outlaid. At the end of the month/year bettors can review their bankroll and as such the relative stake sizes will change. This staking method can be quite aggressive and as such is probably best to individuals with an intricate knowledge of value.
So, Which is the Best?
Ultimately, there is no absolute standout staking method that can be prescribed to punters. Staking plans are dependent upon individual risk tolerance, betting preferences, and knowledge of the game. Advanced punters often prefer the Kelly Criterion, while newcomers find level staking the easiest method to begin with. A combination of fixed/ratchet staking can be beneficial for many punters who want to combine a straightforward plan with one that maximises their growth.