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Risk Reward Calculator for Trading
Reward-to-risk compares the distance from entry to target with the distance from entry to stop. It describes the payoff geometry of a plan, not the probability that the target will be reached.
Trade levels
Use prices defined by structure, then judge the ratio.
Payoff geometry
Reward / risk
2R
Breakeven win rate
33.33%
Risk distance
3
Reward distance
6
Before fees, a 2R payoff needs wins above 33.33% if every win and loss matches the plan. This says nothing about how often the target is reachable.
Formula and assumptions
Risk distance
| Entry − stop |One R: the price distance lost if the stop fills exactly.
Reward distance
| Target − entry |Potential favorable movement to the selected target.
R multiple
Reward distance ÷ risk distanceA 2.5 result means the gross target is 2.5 times the planned price risk.
Breakeven win rate
1 ÷ (1 + R)The theoretical win rate required before fees when wins and losses match those values.
How to use the result
- 01
Define a structural stop
The stop belongs beyond the condition that invalidates the setup. It should not be pulled closer only to manufacture a larger R multiple.
- 02
Choose a reachable target
Use prior liquidity, range boundaries or measured structure. A distant number produces an attractive ratio without improving the chance of being paid.
- 03
Compare with historical outcomes
A strategy with a lower R can still have better expectancy if it reaches the target more often. Use backtest distributions rather than one trade diagram.
- 04
Subtract costs
Fees, spread, slippage and funding reduce realized reward and increase realized loss. Gross R is the starting point, not the finished result.
What the number can get wrong
- Moving the target farther away until the calculator displays 3R.
- Treating a high R multiple as evidence that the trade is likely to win.
- Comparing strategies by win rate alone without the size of wins and losses.
- Ignoring partial exits, which change the blended R of the actual plan.
Questions
What is a good risk-to-reward ratio?+
There is no universal number. A useful ratio is one the market structure can plausibly pay and a tested strategy can reach often enough to remain positive after costs.
What win rate breaks even at 2R?+
Ignoring costs, 2R requires a win rate above 33.3%. Fees and slippage raise the real breakeven rate.
Can a strategy be profitable with less than 1R?+
Yes, if its win rate is sufficiently high and costs are controlled. The important quantity is expectancy across many trades, not one ratio in isolation.
Move the calculation onto the chart
Basis can place entry, stop and targets on a live chart and calculate size beside market structure. The terminal also models fees, funding, margin and warnings in one plan.
Open the free risk workspaceRelated calculators
Updated 2026-08-26 · Estimates depend on the inputs and assumptions shown. Educational use only, not financial advice.