Free tool
Tick value calculator.
A tick is the smallest move the ladder makes, and it's worth different money at different odds. This turns an entry and an exit into the greened result — and shows what each tick was actually worth.
Ticks cut both ways. The same maths that greens a profit when the price shortens locks a loss when it drifts — and tick value scales with stake, so a few ticks against a big position is a real hit. This shows the arithmetic; the discipline that keeps the losing moves small is the actual skill. 18+.
The worked example
Back £50 at 3.0, lay it back at 2.9 (the price shortened two ticks — the ladder moves in fives between 3.0 and 4.0, but 2.9 sits in the two-pence band below 3.0). Greened profit = £50 × (3.0 ÷ 2.9 − 1) = £1.72. Spread across the ticks moved, that's the value of catching a small, disciplined move — and exactly the loss you'd take the other way if you froze.
Straight answers
What is a tick on a betting exchange?
A tick is the smallest amount a price can move on the exchange ladder. The tick size changes with the odds: one penny (0.01) between 1.01 and 2.0, two pence between 2.0 and 3.0, five pence between 3.0 and 4.0, and so on up the ladder.
How much is a tick worth when trading?
It depends on your stake and the odds. Backing then laying the same stake one tick lower (a shortening price) locks a small profit; the further the price moves in your favour and the bigger the stake, the more each tick is worth. Enter your entry and exit prices to see the exact figure.
How do you calculate trading profit on the exchange?
Back a stake at the entry price, then lay an equal-liability amount at the exit price. The greened (equalised) profit is stake × (entry odds ÷ exit odds − 1). If the price shortened, that's a profit; if it drifted, it's a loss of the same shape.
Do bigger stakes make ticks more valuable?
Yes — tick value scales directly with stake. That's why size and stop-discipline matter: a few ticks against you on a large stake is exactly the kind of loss the whole craft is built to control, not to hope away.
A tick is arithmetic. Taking the good moves and cutting the bad ones small is the craft.
The Sports Trading OS manual — £47 Or practise free on the ladder trainerTrading with a plan already? The Evaluation Programme is the funded-trader path — £29/mo, cancel any time.
18+ · Education, not betting advice · No tips, no picks · BeGambleAware.org
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