Hedge Your Bet — Lock in Guaranteed Profit
Calculate the exact hedge bet amount to guarantee profit regardless of outcome. For futures, parlays, and live bets.
When to Hedge a Bet
Hedging means placing a second bet on the opposite outcome to guarantee a profit regardless of which side wins. The most common scenarios: you have a futures bet that has gained significant value (e.g., you bet a team to win the championship at +2000 preseason, and they made the finals), a parlay where all legs except the last have hit, or a live bet where odds have shifted dramatically in your favor.
The Hedging Tradeoff
Hedging always reduces your maximum potential profit in exchange for guaranteed minimum profit. The question is whether the guaranteed money is worth more to you than the gamble. A $100 bet at +2000 to win $2,100 — hedging at -200 locks in roughly $600-800 guaranteed. You sacrifice $1,300-1,500 of potential profit for certainty. The right decision depends on your bankroll, risk tolerance, and life situation.
The optimal hedging strategy is not always equal profit both ways. If the original bet is +EV (positive expected value), a partial hedge that locks in some profit while maintaining upside on the +EV side is mathematically superior to a full hedge.
