- Three sheets: Log, Monthly Summary and Rules; eight columns are enough.
- Stake traffic light: green up to 2% of your bankroll, yellow up to 5%, red above 5%.
- The goal is control: see your own behavior and stop in time, not bet more.
Bookmark this guide and come back when your spreadsheet is open, so you can follow the steps from where you left off.
Your progress is saved in this browser.
What is a betting spreadsheet for? Staying organized
A spreadsheet will not make you win more.
It shows you what you are doing.
That alone is a lot.
Once you write down every bet, you stop betting from memory.
This guide gives you very simple templates.
There are three tabs: Log, Monthly Summary and Rules.
You do not need to know Excel.
You only add, subtract and copy formulas.
The goal is to keep control and stay away from impulsive gambling.
If the spreadsheet shows you that you bet too much, it has already done its job.
All the numbers in this guide are examples, with made-up data.
They do not represent anyone's real results.
Betting is for adults 18 and over only and can lead to losses.
What a simple betting spreadsheet needs
A good spreadsheet is short.
If it has 30 columns, you will not fill it in.
Eight columns are enough.
| Column | What you record | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A · Date | The day of the bet | Nov 2 |
| B · Bet | Event and market, in words | Liverpool to win |
| C · Odds | The decimal number you see | 2.10 |
| D · Stake | How much you bet, in money | 20 |
| E · Result | W = won, L = lost, V = void | W |
| F · Net | What you won or lost | +22.00 |
| G · % of bankroll | What share of your money that bet was | 2.0% |
| H · Traffic light | Green, yellow or red depending on the % | GREEN |
Columns F, G and H calculate themselves with formulas.
You only type A, B, C, D and E.
That is five data points per bet and it takes a minute.
Tab 1 · Log: an example with made-up data
Suppose a starting bankroll of 1,000 (example).
It is the money you set aside only for betting.
If you are not sure how to define it, read what a bankroll is.
| Date | Bet (example) | Odds | Stake | Net |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2 | Liverpool to win | 2.10 | 20 (2%) | +22.00 |
| Nov 3 | Flamengo–Palmeiras, over 2.5 | 1.90 | 20 (2%) | -20.00 |
| Nov 5 | Palmeiras to win | 2.40 | 30 (3%) | -30.00 |
| Nov 6 | Flamengo to win | 1.80 | 20 (2%) | +16.00 |
| Nov 8 | Flamengo–Palmeiras, both teams to score | 1.85 | 60 (6%) | -60.00 |
| Nov 10 | Liverpool to win | 1.95 | 20 (2%) | +19.00 |
Look at the fifth row.
The stake was 60, or 6% of the bankroll.
That is triple the usual amount and it came after two losses in the same week.
The spreadsheet flags it in red.
That is the real use of the spreadsheet.
It is not about calculating how much you won.
It is about spotting the day you bet differently.
The Log formulas, written out as text
We use English-language Excel formulas, with a comma as the separator.
If your Excel is in Spanish, the function names change and the separator is a semicolon.
The equivalence table is at the end of the guide.
| Cell | Formula (English-language Excel) | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| F2 · Net | =IF(E2="W",D2*(C2-1),IF(E2="L",-D2,0)) | Won: stake times (odds minus 1). Lost: minus the stake. Void: 0 |
| G2 · % bankroll | =D2/Rules!$B$1 | Divides the stake by your starting bankroll |
| H2 · Traffic light | =IF(G2<=0.02,"GREEN",IF(G2<=0.05,"YELLOW","RED")) | Up to 2%: green. Up to 5%: yellow. More: red |
With row 2 of the example, 20 × (2.10 − 1) gives +22.00.
With row 5, 60 divided by 1,000 gives 0.06, or 6%.
Since 6% is greater than 5%, it shows RED.
Then you copy the formulas down to row 200.
Select the cell, grab the bottom-right corner and drag.
What the traffic light is and how to use it
The traffic light is the most useful rule in the whole spreadsheet.
It measures how much you risk on each bet, as a percentage of your bankroll.
It does not measure whether the match is a good one.
| Color | % of bankroll | What it means | What you do |
|---|---|---|---|
| GREEN | Up to 2% | Small bet, within plan | Carry on |
| YELLOW | Over 2% and up to 5% | Big bet for your plan | Think for 10 minutes before confirming |
| RED | Over 5% | Bet outside your rules | Do not place it today; wait 24 hours |
The percentages are an example.
You can choose 1% or 3% depending on how you feel.
What matters is that the limit is written down before you bet.
If you want to go deeper on bet sizing, see fixed vs variable stake.
You can also use the bankroll calculator.
How to color the traffic light
Tab 2 · Monthly Summary: eight numbers and nothing more
At the end of the month, you look at eight numbers.
You do not need a dashboard full of charts.
These are the indicators on the Summary tab.
| Indicator | Formula (English-language Excel) | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Bets | =COUNTA(B2:B200) | 6 |
| Won | =COUNTIF(E2:E200,"W") | 3 |
| Win rate (%) | =B3/B2 | 50% |
| Total staked | =SUM(D2:D200) | 170 |
| Net for the month | =SUM(F2:F200) | -53.00 |
| Yield (%) | =B6/B5 | -31.2% |
| Current bankroll | =Rules!B1+B6 | 947.00 |
| Bets in RED | =COUNTIF(H2:H200,"RED") | 1 |
On the Summary sheet, the label goes in column A and the value in column B, starting at row 2.
That is eight rows, although only a few numbers are key.
Look at the red bets first.
Then the net, and the win rate last.
Yield is the net divided by the total staked.
In the example, −53 over 170 gives −31.2%.
Over a handful of bets, that number swings wildly and says nothing about your skill.
Six bets are a minimal sample.
A good or bad month with 6 bets is almost pure chance.
That is why the spreadsheet is better for seeing your behavior than for measuring your success.
How to read the summary without fooling yourself
There are three common mistakes when reading the numbers.
- Looking only at the win rate: winning 50% of bets at low odds can still leave you at a loss.
- Ignoring the red: a single red bet says more about your month than the net does.
- Changing the rules when you lose: if you raise your stake to win it back, the spreadsheet will show it.
If you want to understand how each figure is calculated, the expected value calculator and the Kelly calculator are one click away.
But you do not need them to keep control.
Tab 3 · Rules: your limits, written down before you bet
The Rules tab is the most important one.
It is where you write your limits while you are calm.
When you are worked up, the spreadsheet reminds you of them.
| Rule (example) | Number | If it is broken |
|---|---|---|
| Starting bankroll | 1,000 (cell B1) | No money is added mid-month |
| Maximum stake per bet | 2% = 20 | Yellow or red light: take a break |
| Bets per day | 3 at most | The fourth is logged, but not placed |
| Maximum loss for the month | 10% = 100 | Stop until next month |
| Day without betting | 1 per week | Logged in the Log as "rest" |
These rules are not a promise of results.
They are a way to keep a bad run from turning into a problem.
You can change them, but only at the end of the month.
How to build the spreadsheet in 10 minutes
Building it in Google Sheets works the same way.
The formulas are the same, with whatever separator your regional settings use.
Function equivalents (once and for all)
| Spanish-language Excel | English-language Excel | Example in English |
|---|---|---|
| SI | IF | =IF(E2="W",D2*(C2-1),IF(E2="L",-D2,0)) |
| CONTARA | COUNTA | =COUNTA(B2:B200) |
| CONTAR.SI | COUNTIF | =COUNTIF(E2:E200,"W") |
| SUMA | SUM | =SUM(F2:F200) |
In English-language Excel the separator is a comma and decimals use a period.
So a Spanish-format 0,02 becomes 0.02.
When the spreadsheet is warning you about something
Sometimes the Log shows you signs before you notice them yourself.
They are not a diagnosis, they are a clue.
- Three or more red bets in a month.
- More than three bets a day for several days in a row.
- Stakes that go up right after a loss.
- Bets that are not logged, or logged late, when you already knew the result.
- The urge to grow your bankroll with money that was not meant for that.
If any of this happens to you, read the spreadsheet for betting with limits.
There is also a guide on betting responsibly.
What to read next
This spreadsheet is the first step: logging.
The second is setting limits on money and time with the limits spreadsheet.
The third is understanding what each bonus costs with the rollover calculator.
For a fuller diary, with the reason behind each bet, see the AI betting diary.
And to see how a public record is organized, there is the AI track record.
If you want the big picture on the topic, the main guide is AI for betting: the complete guide.
Work out your bet size with the bankroll calculator
Frequently asked questions
How do I make a betting tracker in Excel?
Create three sheets: Log, Summary and Rules.
In the Log you record the date, bet, odds, stake and result.
The net, bankroll % and traffic-light columns are calculated with formulas.
Which formula calculates the profit or loss of a bet?
If you won, stake times (odds minus 1); if you lost, minus the stake.
In Excel: =IF(E2="W",D2*(C2-1),IF(E2="L",-D2,0)).
In Spanish-language Excel, IF is written SI and the separator is a semicolon.
What percentage of your bankroll should you risk per bet?
There is no single number.
A common example is 1% to 2% per bet, with a review from 5% up.
What matters is writing your limit down before you bet and sticking to it.
Will this spreadsheet help me win more?
That is not its goal.
It helps you stay organized and see your own behavior.
If it also helps you bet less or think more clearly, it has done its job.
Can I use it in Google Sheets?
Yes.
The formulas are the same.
Only the separator changes (comma or semicolon), depending on your regional settings.
What should I do if the spreadsheet shows a lot of red bets?
It is a signal to stop and review your rules.
Try a break of 24 hours or more.
If you feel you cannot control your gambling, look for professional help.