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What Is Scalping?
Scalping on Betfair means backing and laying the same selection to profit from 1–2 tick price movements, many times per race. You do not need to predict where the price ends up, only that it will move one tick your way before it moves against you. You close the position within seconds, then repeat.
It works best in UK pre-race horse racing Win markets, where commission is 2% and liquidity is deep. Each trade makes very little (often £0.50–£2.00 at moderate stakes), so profit depends on a high win rate (ideally 60%+) across many trades, fast software and strict exits.
The difficulty is execution: speed, the discipline to exit immediately when wrong, and the stamina to trade at volume without letting individual losses change your approach.
Tick Sizes and Why They Matter
A tick is the minimum price increment on the Exchange, and its size depends on the price range:
| Price Range | Tick Size | 1 tick at £500 stake (gross) | After 2% commission |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.01–2.00 | 0.01 | £2.50 | £2.45 |
| 2.00–3.00 | 0.02 | £5.00 | £4.90 |
| 3.00–4.00 | 0.05 | £7.14 | £6.99 |
| 4.00–6.00 | 0.10 | £8.33 | £8.16 |
| 6.00–10.00 | 0.20 | £11.11 | £10.89 |
| 10.00–20.00 | 0.50 | £16.67 | £16.33 |
- Odds-on (1.01–2.00): the tick is tiny, profit per tick is small relative to commission and prices do not move enough.
- 3.00–6.00: the best balance of profit per tick and manageable movement. Most scalpers work here, typically on the favourites in competitive races.
- 10.00 and above: more profit per tick, but thinner liquidity and erratic movement.
The Scalping Mechanic
A scalp has two steps: take a position (back or lay first), then close it as soon as the price moves in your favour. You are in and out in seconds.
Horse is sitting at 4.00 / 4.10 (best back 4.00, best lay 4.10).
Step 1: Back at 4.00 for £500. Order sits in the queue at the best back price.
Step 2: Order gets matched. The price shortens to 3.90 / 4.00.
Step 3: Immediately lay at 3.90 for the hedge amount (£513 approximately).
The position is now closed with a small profit whatever the result. Time in trade: typically 10–45 seconds. If the price moves out to 4.10 before you close, you take a loss instead.
Horse is at 5.90 / 6.00. You expect the price to drift slightly.
Step 1: Lay at 5.90. Backer's stake £200. Liability reserved: (5.90−1) × £200 = £980.
Step 2: Matched. The price drifts.
Step 3: Back at the higher price for the hedge stake to close the position.
Your £980 liability is reserved for the whole trade. Check your available balance before entering any lay-to-back scalp.
Commission: The Scalper's Biggest Enemy
Because each profit is so small, commission takes a large share of it:
- 5% commission (football and tennis markets): a 1-tick profit at 4.00 (tick 0.10) on a £200 stake is £4.76 gross, of which £0.24 goes to commission. A slight rise in losing trades makes this unprofitable.
- 2% commission (UK horse racing): the same trade nets £4.67. The gap per trade looks small, but it compounds across 100 trades a day.
This is why scalpers concentrate on horse racing at the 2% rate. In 5% markets you need a significantly higher win rate, and the maths often does not work at typical stakes.
With a 1-tick target and a 1-tick stop, losing trades must be no larger than winning ones (a scratch or a 1-tick loss). Your win rate then decides whether you are profitable.
When and Where to Scalp
- UK horse racing Win markets only: deep liquidity, 2% commission, predictable pre-race price behaviour.
- At least £200,000 matched before you start. Thinner markets move when you place orders.
- 5–8 runner fields: few enough to monitor, but not dominated by one or two selections.
- 30–60 minutes before the off: earlier than 60 minutes, volume is too low; inside the last 5 minutes, the market is too volatile for clean scalping.
- Selections priced 3.00–10.00: short favourites under 2.00 do not move enough ticks, and long shots have thin liquidity.
- Avoid races where non-runners are likely: a late withdrawal reprices the remaining runners quickly and can move any open position sharply against you.
Required Tools
- Trading software with a ladder interface: Bet Angel or Geeks Toy are the industry standard for UK horse racing scalping. Both offer one-click ladder trading with refresh rates fast enough for scalping. See software ranking.
- A fast, stable connection: latency means worse fills and more slippage. Use a wired connection rather than Wi-Fi.
- Automatic stop-loss and green-up settings: have the software close positions that move beyond a set threshold. Manual exits in a fast market are too slow.
- A dedicated bankroll separate from personal finances. See bankroll management.
Entry and Exit Rules
Set these rules in advance and follow them without hesitation. Improvising on individual trades is how sessions are lost.
- Entry trigger: Back when weight of money is building on the lay side at the current best back price, suggesting the price is about to shorten. Lay when the price looks set to drift (back money appearing above the current price, lay money withdrawing).
- Stake sizing: Never risk more than 2% of your bankroll on a single scalp. On a £1,000 bankroll that is £20 per trade, measured as the loss if the trade goes wrong, not the stake. Increase stakes only as the bankroll grows and your win rate is proven over 100+ trades.
- Take profit: Exit as soon as you are 1 tick in profit. Do not chase a second tick when you targeted one.
- Stop loss: Exit if the price moves 1 tick against you and shows no sign of reversing. Never hold a losing scalp hoping for recovery; keeping losses equal to wins lets your win rate decide profitability.
- Scratch rule: If the target is not reached within 30–60 seconds, scratch at breakeven or a very small loss. Time in the market is risk.
- Maximum losing trades per race: Set a limit (for example 3) and stop trading that race when you hit it.
- Don't trade in-play: Close all positions before the off. If you are still unhedged at the start, use your stop-loss. Going in-play is a separate strategy and should only ever be a deliberate decision.
Risk Management
Because you trade so often, bad habits compound faster than in swing trading.
- Daily stop-loss: If you lose 5% of your bankroll in a day, stop until tomorrow. Do not try to recover a bad morning in the afternoon.
- Session loss limit: Set a maximum loss per session (for example £50) and enforce it mechanically.
- Never increase stakes after losses: small individual profits make the urge to recoup with a bigger trade strong. Keep stakes consistent.
- Track every trade: price, direction, outcome and decision quality, not just daily P&L. After 500 trades you will have enough data to see what works.
Scalping is difficult, and many people who try it do not become consistently profitable. The edge it needs, a reliable 60%+ win rate at 1 tick profit and 1 tick loss in liquid markets, is hard to find and hard to keep. A common route is to learn swing trading first and move to scalping once you understand market behaviour. See swing trading guide.
Realistic P&L Expectations
These numbers are illustrative. Your results depend on your win rate, average stake and the markets you choose.
Session parameters: 50 trades, £200 average stake, odds 3.50–5.00 range, 2% commission, 60% win rate, 1 tick target, 1 tick stop-loss.
Winning trades: 30 × avg £6.50 net = +£195
Losing trades: 20 × avg £6.50 = −£130
Session P&L: +£65
Hourly rate (2-hour session): ~£32.50/hr
If win rate drops to 55%: 27.5 winners × £6.50 − 22.5 losers × £6.50 = +£32.50
If win rate drops to 50%: breakeven (before slippage, connection issues, execution delays)
A five-point drop in win rate halves the profit. Scalping is very sensitive to execution quality and win rate consistency.
Scalping vs Swing Trading
For most beginners, swing trading is the better starting point.
- Time pressure: scalping needs decisions in seconds; swing trading gives you minutes.
- Commission: both pay it, but scalping's tiny per-trade profit makes commission a larger share.
- Win rate: scalping needs 60%+ to be meaningfully profitable; swing trading can profit at lower win rates with larger average wins.
- Learning curve: scalping demands mastery of software and execution; swing trading can be learned more slowly.
- Stress: scalping is far more mentally demanding. A daily session time limit helps avoid decision fatigue.
Some traders eventually use both. See the swing trading guide for the alternative approach.
Not ready for scalping? Swing trading is more beginner-friendly — larger price targets, lower time pressure, still uses the same core back-and-lay mechanics.
Swing Trading Guide →