Stop-loss and take-profit orders
How to set automatic stop-loss and take-profit thresholds, where they appear, and when they trigger.
What are stop-loss and take-profit orders?
Stop-loss and take-profit are conditional order types that execute automatically when the market price reaches a level you specify in advance. They let you define your exit conditions before entering a trade, removing the need to watch the ladder continuously.
Stop-loss triggers when the price moves against your position by a specified amount. It is designed to limit your loss on a trade that goes the wrong way.
Take-profit triggers when the price moves in your favour by a specified amount. It is designed to lock in gains when your target is reached.
Neither order type guarantees execution at exactly the specified price ā on a fast-moving market, slippage can mean your order is matched slightly beyond your target level. This is normal exchange behaviour and applies to all conditional orders.
Setting a stop-loss
After opening a position (entering a back or lay order), open the position panel below the ladder. Next to your active position, click + Stop Loss.
A dialog appears where you can enter:
- Trigger price ā the price at which the stop-loss fires
- Order type ā typically the opposite of your entry (e.g. if you backed, the stop-loss lays)
- Stake ā defaults to an amount that would close your full position at the trigger price
For a backed position, you would set the stop-loss trigger above your entry price (a higher price = bigger loss on a back). For a laid position, you would set it below your entry price.
Click Set Stop Loss to confirm. The stop-loss appears as a pending order in your position panel.
Setting a take-profit
Take-profit works identically but in the favourable direction. Click + Take Profit from the position panel, enter your target price, review the projected profit, and click Set Take Profit.
Stop-loss and take-profit orders are monitored by HRT's order management layer. They are submitted to Betfair only when the trigger condition is met. Until triggered, they do not appear in your Betfair unmatched orders list.
Where they appear in the interface
Active stop-loss and take-profit levels appear:
- As price markers on the ladder (a small coloured line across the relevant price row)
- In the position panel, listed beneath your active position with the trigger price and order details
Red markers indicate stop-losses; green markers indicate take-profit levels.
Adjusting or cancelling
To adjust a stop-loss or take-profit, click the marker in the ladder or the entry in the position panel. This reopens the order dialog where you can change the trigger price or stake. Click Update to save.
To cancel, click the Ć next to the order in the position panel. The conditional order is removed and will not trigger.
When they trigger
When the market's best available price touches your trigger level, HRT immediately submits the corresponding order to Betfair. The order is subject to normal exchange matching ā if there is insufficient liquidity at exactly that price, it may match at the next available price.
If the market suspends at the moment of triggering, your order will be held and submitted when the market resumes, which may result in a different matched price than intended.