Ratchet Staking Plan (Lay)
Overview
A lay staking plan that only increases stakes — never decreases. The “ratchet” mechanism: every time your bank balance reaches a new high, the stake ratchets up. During drawdowns, stakes stay flat (they never go down). Designed for conservative, one-directional growth.
How It Works
- Divide your bank into a number of “points” (e.g., 100 points)
- Each point = Bank ÷ number of points
- Bet 1 point per selection
- Bank increases → Points increase → stakes increase (ratchet up)
- Bank decreases → Stakes stay at the last high level (never ratchet down)
- Reset only at profit target or stop-loss
Parameters
| Parameter |
Type |
Default |
Description |
num_points |
number |
100 |
Number of points to divide bank into |
liability_mode |
boolean |
true |
Use liability (true) or stake (false) |
stop_profit |
number |
— |
Maximum profit then stop |
stop_loss |
number |
— |
Maximum loss then stop |
max_odds |
number |
10 |
Maximum lay odds |
Risk Assessment
- Risk Level: Medium
- Max Drawdown: Stakes don’t decrease — sustained losses at elevated stakes hurt more
- Recommended Bankroll: 100× point value
- Ruin Risk: Medium — the ratchet never releases, but growth is slow
When to Use
- Long-term, conservative lay betting
- You want automatic compounding without manual recalculation
- You prefer the psychological comfort of “stakes only go up”
When to Avoid
- You want stakes to decrease during losing runs (use percentage staking)
- Short-term trading (ratchet takes time to build)
Betfair Exchange Notes
- Two modes: fixed liability (recommended) or fixed stake
- Fixed liability mode: you always know your maximum loss per bet
- The ratchet applies to whichever mode you choose
Comparison: Ratchet vs Percentage Staking
| |
Ratchet |
% Staking |
| After win |
Stake increases |
Stake increases |
| After loss |
Stake stays flat |
Stake decreases |
| Recovery |
Slow (no reduction) |
Automatic |
| Psychology |
Positive (only up) |
Neutral |
Sources