How to Hedge a Bet: Complete Sports Betting Strategy to Hedge Bets

Futures bets are one of the most common options when it comes to hedging since they offer long odds. Knowing this, let’s begin with a basic example of hedging an individual bet using the upcoming match between Cleveland Browns and Houston Texans on FanDuel. By hedging the 0-0, 0-1 and 0-2 scorelines you would have a profit of around £15.20 from a £10 stake if any of these scorelines hit.

• After all, it’s impossible to always be on the ball when dealing with thousands of lines daily.
• This creates opportunities for you to make a bet on the other side (against yourself) to guarantee yourself profits.
• However, if you’re serious about teaser betting, we can share our top tips to increase your chances.
• When researching the spread, study a team’s ATS (Against the Spread) stats instead of their regular record.
• Full-blown debates are common among bettors over whether it’s a viable strategy.

Why This Was Extraordinarily Profitable

This tactic capitalizes on momentum shifts and volatile odds, often referred to as a hedge trigger point. When done well, this kind of hedge can lock in profit while keeping risk low. You bet on both sides at different books and secure a no-loss outcome. Each hedge should be weighed against expected value (EV), a key factor to understand when learning how to hedge a bet.

You need to quadruple check your math to make sure you are making the right sized bet to get the result that you are looking for. A mistake in your math could put you at risk to lose a lot of money if it’s a big enough mistake. You can use our odds calculator to help you work out potential payouts. It’s not incredibly hard to do as long as you know the basics and make sure that you cover all of your bases.

However, if your team is progressing fine, you can quickly hedge the bet when the match is ongoing to ensure you get a profit. To hedge a live bet, you’ll need to anticipate the potential changes in the odds and how they will affect you later. Hedging a live bet involves plenty of research since you must have placed a wager before the games begin. If your backed team falls behind, hedging may not be a great idea – but still possible. If you wagered $100 on the parlay, you’ll want to wager an amount on the Cowboys that would give you a payout of over $100 on that bet.

Hedging your bet means giving yourself a safety net by placing a second wager on the opposite outcome; one of your bets will win. But what happens if you still think the Dolphins are going to go all the way and you want some action on the game? But, if the Dolphins win, you’ll get a profit of about $8,000. If you don’t end up needing the hedge or choosing to use it, no big deal. You utilize betting systems and betting units to help you work out how much of your bankroll to bet, and when. The best thing you can do when it comes to hedging your bets is have a plan in place in case you need it.

Because we have over 15+ years of experience helping 500,000+ members across the US and Europe lock in monthly profits hedging with matched betting. Getting started hedge betting is simple if you know where to look. Once again, hedging is a great option if an early cashout option is unavailable on a parlay bet you have placed.

Advanced bettors use this more strategically around playoffs and big games. You can scale down to a half-unit for longer-odds props (like a +400 anytime TD scorer) and keep standard sides/totals at one unit. Over a season, that discipline matters more than any single result. Once you’ve picked a sportsbook that fits what you’re looking for, it’s time to build a foundation with simple, high-percentage habits. The beginner NFL betting strategies below focus on bankroll basics and explain basic NFL bet types. As a bettor, it’s up to you to decide pinup casino what you’re comfortable with in this scenario.

More frequently, line shopping helps bettors reduce the house edge, not eliminate it. Secondly, arbitrage betting often leads to sportsbooks limiting bettors. Some bettors will even take this a step further and begin hedging in the semi-finals or divisional rounds. By then, the odds on their pick will have dropped enough that generating a profit regardless of the outcome won’t be difficult. They may not score the mammoth payday had they just let it ride, but they still stand to win a significant payout in any outcome. Hedging is one of the most hotly contested topics in sports betting.

One team takes a 1-0 lead, and you are concerned that the other team will not score an equalizer. In that situation, you could place an in-play “win to nil” bet on the team that is winning. That reduces your potential losses if “both teams to score” does not pay off.

But if there is an upset and the Cowboys win, you get a payout of $572.73. To complete a hedge bet, you place a wager that neutralizes the outcome of your first bet. Hedging is a great tool in a bettor’s toolbox as it allows you to manage risk and spread your bets across more than one outcome. Used by experienced bettors, hedging is a calculated way to make a profit – or at least limit a loss no matter what happens. We’ve looked at the definition of hedging your bets; now let’s examine some actual situations when using this tactic might help you secure a victory or minimize losses.

Many U.S. sportsbooks offer sign-up promos that lend themselves to this strategy. Just watch for rollover requirements that affect payout guarantee. Some sportsbooks offer reduced juice lines or same-game hedge tools that minimize this impact.

March Madness Sports Betting Strategy Guide

One of the most common uses of a hedge is to secure a guaranteed return. This is often referred to as “locking in profit,” and it’s a smart move when your prediction is playing out as expected but the final outcome still carries risk. This secondary bet is designed to either lock in a return, minimize exposure, or mitigate potential losses depending on how the event unfolds. While it reduces the overall payout ceiling, a well-timed hedge helps preserve your bankroll and adds a strategic layer to your betting game.

Imagine that before the current NFL season, a bettor had placed a $100 wager on the Buffalo Bills to win the AFC Championship at +700. The first three games win, and the fourth game remains from the parlay to win the full 10-1 bet. The best possible scenario would be for the final game of the four-team ticket, the favorite is involved on the customer’s ticket.

The Benefits of Hedge Betting

But there are going to be times where you want to cut your losses, and you see an opportunity to do that for cheap. You limit the top end of what you can make, but by doing so, you are able to lock up some profits no matter the outcome of the game. We’ll take a look at some of the different situation where hedging would be beneficial in a later section of this guide.