Welcome to my guide that tells you all you need to know about hedge betting - perfect for anyone looking to minimize their risk when betting on sports.
It simply refers to the practice of making two opposing bets on the same event to lock in a profit whatever happens in the game. It’s a technique that works for lots of different sports like football, basketball, hockey, baseball and so on.
Plus you can try hedge betting for anything from a single game to the winner of an entire tournament like the Super Bowl or the Stanley Cup. So if you’re the kind of sports fan who likes betting but hates to lose money, this could be for you.
So let’s take a closer look at how you could bet on a big game in the NBA and use this technique to avoid making any losses. This technique isn’t available pre-game usually, but in-play wagering can give an opportunity to hedge bets as the odds shift.
Let’s say the Dallas Mavericks were +180 before tip off in a game against the LA Lakers, who were -220 on the moneyline. You bet the Mavs for a $100 stake and they get out an early lead in the second quarter. Now the game is a pick ’em according to the sportsbooks. You could bet $140 at odds of Even money (+100) on the Lakers and guarantee a profit of $40 no matter the result.
I’ve also found that this type of wager works well in live betting. This is where you will be making a live bet after the game has already begun in a bid to lock in a win, regardless of what happens in the game.
So let’s imagine that you wanted to try live hedge betting on an NFL game between the Seahawks and the Chargers. Here is an example of what you might do:
The key thing to remember here is to check that the odds work to give you some decent returns. After all, these will be changing in real-time and there can be quite a lot of variance to deal with.
This method doesn’t just work for single games – it can also be used for bets on the winner of entire tournaments. Let’s imagine that you’d been reading the latest golf news and wanted to bet on either Scottie Scheffler or Rory McIlroy to win The Masters.
Here you would simply put down a futures bet for Scheffler to win the Masters, and another one that McIlroy would win. However, you should remember that there are many other potential winners with these kinds of futures bets, so you would need to be very careful here.
Here are the main advantages and disadvantages of using this betting technique:
Here is a walkthrough of what you’d need to do to enjoy some hedge betting:
Once you have done all of this, you can simply sit back and watch the action knowing that you won’t be hit with any losses, regardless of what happens in the big game.
Here’s some advice to help you out:
While you could potentially use the same sportsbook to hedge the two opposing bets, doing so could see you getting banned. As a result, it’s smarter to try hedge betting at two separate sportsbooks where they won’t know that you are placing two opposing bets on the same event. Plus you will benefit from getting the different sportsbook welcome bonuses at these sites.
A hedged bet is only going to be successful if you make sure that you calculate the bets correctly to ensure that you are covered either way. You can easily do this just by using any kind of betting calculator to ensure that the odds and stakes work out to cancel out any losses.
Of course, there is nothing to say that you have to plan your hedge bets well in advance of a big game. I’m sure that I’m not the only one who has made a live hedge bet at the last minute when I realized that things weren’t going according to plan. Don’t forget that there are also cash out betting sites out there who offer you a decent alternative.
Just because you are using hedge betting to lock in a winning result doesn’t mean that you should get reckless. This is why I’d always recommend playing with small stakes even when doing things like hedge betting. After all, it can be all too easy for your sports betting to quickly get out of control.
In theory, you could try hedge betting for sports that you know nothing about. But while trying a hedged bet on something like kabaddi or pesapallo might be amusing, it’s probably best if you keep all bets on the sports that you know inside out.
I’ve found that the best sportsbooks for hedge betting usually have the following characteristics:
Just so you know, each of the sportsbooks featured in the banners of this page have been checked to ensure that they have all of the above ingredients.
Regardless of whether or not hedge betting is part of your strategy, selecting the best sportsbook based on where you live is important. When it comes to hedging out a bet, getting the best available lines can make all the difference. Those extra few points on the price can be the difference between a profitable hedge and one that locks in a negative position. With dozens of sites online in 2026, picking where to bet can be as important as what you’re betting on.
No, it’s actually perfectly fine and legal to hedge your bets. However, a sportsbook is perfectly within its rights to ban you if you are doing nothing but winning money at their sites. This is because they will have terms and conditions that highlight how any instances of ‘unfair gambling’ can cause the offending customer to have their account suspended or even terminated.
By now you shouldn’t have to ask questions like, ‘What does hedge mean in sports betting?’. This is because my guide has shown you that it is a technique that can be simply used to make two opposing bets that minimises your chances of making a loss.
It’s debatable as to whether hedge betting is fair or actually fun, but there is no doubting that it’s a technique that is proven to be useful for anyone looking to reduce those inevitable losses. So be sure to check out some of the sportsbooks featured here and see if this technique works for you.
You can try, although some sportsbooks might take a dim view of this. After all, it’s a technique that could be seen to be give you an unfair advantage and therefore you might find yourself blocked if you repeatedly try it.
Probably not, unless you are looking to get involved with this betting technique over the long term.
Simply enter in the odds and your stake for one selection, and then enter in the odds and stake for the other selection. From here, you should be able to see what your returns will be for when each selection wins.
Most sports that regularly feature draws such as soccer might not be suitable. This is why it’s a technique that is more commonly associated with sports featuring just two possible winners such as basketball or football.
It basically means to make two opposing bets on the same sporting encounter to try and ensure that you don’t lose any money. My guide explains the answer to the question of, ‘What’s hedge betting?’ in much more detail.
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