What is a 3 to 1 risk-reward ratio? (2024)

FAQs

What is a 3 to 1 risk-reward ratio? ›

With a 3:1 reward-to-risk ratio, a trader can lose three out of four trades and still end up with a break-even result and not lose money. This would mean that for a 3:1 reward-to-risk ratio, the minimum required winrate to reach a break-even point is 25%.

To increase your chances of profitability, you want to trade when you have the potential to make 3 times more than you are risking. If you give yourself a 3:1 reward-to-risk ratio, you have a significantly greater chance of ending up profitable in the long run.

A 3 to 1 risk-reward ratio is a common term in trading that refers to the relationship between the potential profit and potential loss of a trade. It represents the ratio between the amount you're willing to risk (potential loss) and the amount you aim to gain (potential profit) from a trade.

A positive reward:risk ratio such as 2:1 would dictate that your potential profit is larger than any potential loss, meaning that even if you suffer a losing trade, you only need one winning trade to make you a net profit.

Risk-Reward Ratio (1:3): For every trade you take, you are willing to risk 1 unit of your capital (e.g., $100) to potentially gain 3 units (e.g., $300) if the trade goes in your favor. Now, let's consider the win rate: 2. Win Rate: This represents the percentage of your trades that are profitable.

With a 3:1 reward-to-risk ratio, a trader can lose three out of four trades and still end up with a break-even result and not lose money.

For example, a risk ratio of 3 for a treatment implies that events with treatment are three times more likely than events without treatment. Alternatively we can say that treatment increases the risk of events by 100 × (RR – 1)% = 200%.

In many cases, market strategists find the ideal risk/reward ratio for their investments to be approximately 1:3, or three units of expected return for every one unit of additional risk. Investors can manage risk/reward more directly through the use of stop-loss orders and derivatives such as put options.

To calculate risk-reward ratio, divide net profits (which represent the reward) by the cost of the investment's maximum risk. For instance, for a risk-reward ratio of 1:3, the investor risks $1 to hopefully gain $3 in profit. For a 1:4 risk-reward ratio, an investor is risking $1 to potentially make $4.

For any stock you plan to scalp, you must understand the price supports, resistances and the set-up. From there, you can calculate the share sizing and the probabilities versus the risk. In scalping, a 3:1 risk to reward ratio is common (although, lower risk/reward is always more favorable).

How to calculate risk ratio? ›

A risk ratio (RR), also called relative risk, compares the risk of a health event (disease, injury, risk factor, or death) among one group with the risk among another group. It does so by dividing the risk (incidence proportion, attack rate) in group 1 by the risk (incidence proportion, attack rate) in group 2.

If you have a win percentage of 30% then to break even you would need your average winner to be 2.3 times the size of your average loser. (Risk/Reward = 2.3) Therefore, if your anticipated win percentage is 30% do not take any trade unless your potential risk/reward is larger than this.

The 1.5 Risk-Reward Ratio: Balancing Risk and Reward

A commonly cited benchmark in trading is the 1.5 risk-reward ratio. This ratio suggests that for every unit of risk taken (usually measured as a percentage or dollar amount), an investor should aim for a potential reward that is one and a half times greater.

A ratio of 3:1 means that there are 4 parts altogether. The fractions from the ratio can therefore be deduced as. 34and14. These represent the percentages: 75%:25%

For example, if a system had a winning average of $750 per trade and an average loss over the same time of $250 per trade, then the profit/loss ratio would be 3:1. A consistently solid profit/loss ratio can encourage a trader to leverage bets on the same strategy in an attempt to generate greater absolute profits.

I'd be interested to see how much real money you are using for this, as at best the risk:reward ratio is 2.5:1 (100/40), and in terms of money management, you're risking 25% of your account for a 10% gain.

In general, traders avoid opening trades that have 1 risk and less than 1 reward ratio. For instance, if you find a trading setup that requires you to place Stop Loss 90 pips away and Take Profit target is 30 pips away, most professional traders will not take the trade.

Your profit, expressed as R, is how many risk units you make on the trade. If you set a 3:1 reward-to-risk for the trade and risk 1R, you will make 3R if the price hits your profit target. If your 1R is 1% of the account, if you lose, you lose 1% of your account. If you win, your account increases by 3%.

Risk/reward is a ratio of the size of winning trades compared to losing trades. If lose $100 on a losing trade but make $200 on a winning trade your risk/reward is 100/200=0.5. You can also think of it as reward/risk = 200/100 = 2. Meaning your win is twice as big as your loss.