What is hedging a bet?
Hedging means placing a second bet on the other side of one you already have. If your first bet is going well, the hedge lets you lock in some of that profit. If it is going badly, the hedge cuts the loss.
The price is a smaller win. When you hedge for equal profit, you give up the big payout of your original bet and get the same smaller profit whatever happens. The calculator finds the hedge stake that makes that happen.
When to hedge a football bet
Hedging only makes sense when the odds on the other side have moved in your favor since you bet. In football, three situations come up most.
- The last leg of an accumulator. Everything has won except the final match, and a big payout rests on one result. Hedge it to keep part of the win.
- A long-term bet. You backed a team to win the league or a cup early at long odds. Its odds have since shortened, so you can lay it for a profit.
- In-play. A goal or a red card changes the odds mid-match. Your pre-match bet may now be easy to hedge at better odds than you started with.
How to use the hedge calculator
- 1
Choose back or lay. Back the other side at a bookmaker, or lay your selection on an exchange.
- 2
Enter your bet. Your stake and the odds you took, in any format.
- 3
Enter the hedge odds. The odds available now on the other side. On an exchange, add the commission.
- 4
Pick what to hedge for. Equal profit pays the same on both sides. Break even only gets your stake back if the hedge wins.
How to calculate a hedge
For an equal profit hedge, the total return of your first bet is split over the hedge odds.
Hedge stake (back) = stake × odds ÷ hedge odds
Lay stake (exchange) = stake × odds ÷ (lay odds - commission)
Liability = lay stake × (lay odds - 1)
Break even hedge (back) = stake ÷ (hedge odds - 1)
With 100 on 3.00 and the other side at 2.00, the hedge stake is 100 × 3.00 ÷ 2.00 = 150. If your bet wins you get 300 back, minus the 250 staked, a profit of 50. If the hedge wins you also get 300 back, so the profit is 50 either way.
Hedge betting examples
Load any example into the calculator to change the odds or the stake.
The last leg of an accumulator
Your 10 stake on a four-fold at 24.00 has three wins. The last leg is both teams to score, and you can back both teams to score: no at 2.10.
| Bet | Odds | Stake | Profit if it wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accumulator | 24.00 | 10.00 | 115.71 |
| BTTS no | 2.10 | 114.29 | 115.71 |
Locked-in profit 115.71 whichever side wins.
A long-term bet before the final
You backed a club to win the league at 8.00 with 50 staked. Now it is 3.00 on the exchange, and you lay it with 2% commission to make the same profit either way.
| Bet | Odds | Stake | Profit if it wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| League winner | 8.00 | 50.00 | 81.54 |
| Lay at 3.00 | 3.00 | 134.23 | 81.54 |
Locked-in profit 81.54 whichever side wins. Liability 268.46.
In-play, after a goalless hour
You bet 40 on over 2.5 goals at 2.20 before kick-off. It is 0-0 on 60 minutes and under 2.5 pays 2.30. Hedging to break even gets your stake back if no goals come.
| Bet | Odds | Stake | Profit if it wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| Over 2.5 (pre-match) | 2.20 | 40.00 | 17.23 |
| Under 2.5 (in-play) | 2.30 | 30.77 | 0.00 |
Break even if the hedge wins, 17.23 profit if your bet wins.
Common hedging mistakes
- Hedging too early. A hedge ends your upside. If you still think the original bet is good value, a hedge turns a good bet into a smaller one.
- Forgetting commission. An exchange takes its cut of the lay winnings, so the real odds are lower than the screen shows. Always enter it.
- Forgetting liability. A lay stake of 50 at 4.00 means 150 you need in your balance. Check it before you place the bet.
- Different rules on each side. One bookmaker may void a bet that the other settles. Void rules
- Waiting for the perfect odds. Odds can move against you while you wait. If the numbers already work for you, take them.