A trading ladder shows a betting exchange market as one vertical column of every available price, with the money waiting to be matched beside each one. Most football and racing traders prefer a ladder to the standard grid, because it shows the whole market at a glance and lets you place bets with a single click. This guide explains how to read a ladder, how exchange tick sizes work and how to avoid the mistakes that catch out new traders.
Read the transcript
Football trading is about prices, not results. Here’s how to read the trading ladder, and how a simple scalp works. On a betting exchange, the trading ladder shows every price in a market from top to bottom. On one side is money waiting to back, and on the other, money waiting to lay. The current price sits where the two meet. Prices move in small steps called ticks. Between 2 and 3, each tick is 0.02, so the price after 2.10 is 2.12. Shorter prices move in even smaller ticks. Scalping means taking small profits from small price moves. For example, you back a team for £100 at 2.10. Then the price shortens two ticks, to 2.06. Now you lay at the lower price, and green up. A lay stake of £101.94 means you win the same whatever happens: about £1.94 on either result. However, the exchange takes commission on your net winnings in each market, often 5%. That turns £1.94 into about £1.84, so scalps only work with low commission. Prices don’t always go your way. So decide your exit before you trade. If the price drifts, say, three ticks against you, close out for a small loss, rather than hoping it comes back. Finally, trade busy markets with plenty of money waiting, so your bets get matched. And remember, in-play bets have a short delay before they’re accepted, so the price can move first.
Key points
- A trading ladder lists every price in a market from top to bottom.
- Beside each price you see money waiting to back and to lay, plus how much has already traded.
- Prices move in fixed steps called ticks, and the tick size grows as the odds get bigger.
- One-click betting is fast, so check your stake before every session.
Reading the ladder
A typical ladder has four or five columns:
- Price: the decimal odds, with bigger prices at the top in most layouts.
- Back column: money other users have offered to lay at that price, which you can back into.
- Lay column: money other users want to back at that price, which you can lay into.
- Traded volume: how much has already been matched at each price, often shown as a bar.
- Your bets: your own matched and unmatched stakes at each level.
Where the back money and the lay money meet is the current market price, and the last traded price is usually highlighted.
Exchange tick sizes
Exchange prices move in steps, and the steps get bigger as the odds rise. On Betfair the increments are:
- 1.01 to 2.00: 0.01
- 2.00 to 3.00: 0.02
- 3.00 to 4.00: 0.05
- 4.00 to 6.00: 0.1
- 6.00 to 10.0: 0.2
- 10.0 to 20.0: 0.5
- 20 to 30: 1
- 30 to 50: 2
- 50 to 100: 5
- 100 to 1000: 10
A one-tick move at 1.50 is a much smaller change than a one-tick move at 5.0. That is why short-priced markets suit scalping, where traders aim to take a tick or two many times over.
Worked example: one tick on the ladder
Worked example
Before their home game with Everton, you back Liverpool for £40 at 2.44 (prices for illustration only), and the price shortens one tick to 2.42.
- Lay stake to close evenly: £40 × 2.44 ÷ 2.42 = £40.33.
- Profit whatever happens: about £0.33 before commission.
- The same one-tick move from 5.0 to 4.9 on a £40 back would make about £0.82.
Small gains like these vanish fast once commission is taken, so read our exchange commission guide before you scalp.
Where to find a ladder
Exchanges such as the Betfair Exchange show markets as a grid by default, and some offer a ladder view too. Many traders use separate trading software that connects to the exchange and uses ladders as its main screen. Either way, it is the same market and the same money underneath.
Avoiding ladder mistakes
- Check the stake. Most ladders bet a preset stake with a single click.
- Know which side you are on. Clicking the back column instead of the lay column doubles your position rather than closing it.
- Watch for suspensions. Football markets suspend on goals and big incidents, and unmatched bets may be cancelled or kept depending on your settings.
- Set your exit first. Decide where you will get out before you go in. Our exit points guide explains how.
- Practise small. Learn the layout with minimum stakes before trading bigger amounts.
Related guides
18+ only. Betting should stay fun. Set a budget before you start, only bet what you can comfortably afford, and take a break whenever you need one. For free, confidential support, visit BeGambleAware.org or call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133.