Introduction
A hedge bet is a second bet you place on the other side of a game. It helps you win money no matter who wins. This hedge calculator shows you how much to bet on that other side.
Say you bet $100 on a team at +200. That team is now one win away from a big payout. You could wait and hope. Or you could bet on the other team and lock in a sure profit. The calculator does the math for you in seconds.
Just type in three things: your first stake, the odds on your first bet, and the odds on the hedge bet. You can use American odds like +200 and −150, or decimal odds like 3.00 and 1.67 — our odds calculator can help you convert between formats. The slider lets you hedge part of the way if you want to keep some risk.
You will see your hedge stake, your locked-in profit, and what happens with each result. The tool also shows other plans, like betting less to keep more upside, or betting more to protect your cash. A chart and a step-by-step guide show how each number was found, so you can check the work yourself.
How to use our Hedge Calculator
Enter your first bet's stake and odds, then the odds on the other side. The hedge calculator shows how much to bet to hedge, your guaranteed profit, and the payout for each outcome.
Odds Format: Pick American (like +150 or −120) or Decimal (like 2.50 or 1.83). If you already typed odds, they change over to the new format for you.
Original Stake: Type the dollar amount you bet on your first ticket, such as 100.00.
Original Bet Odds: Type the price you got when you placed that first bet, such as +200. Use the betting odds calculator if you need to check the payout on that ticket first.
Hedge Bet Odds: Type the current price on the opposite outcome, such as −150. This is the bet you would place now to lock in a profit.
Hedge Percentage: Slide to pick how much of the full hedge you want to place. 100% means a full hedge, so both outcomes pay the same. A lower number means you keep more upside if your first bet wins.
Calculate and Reset: Click Calculate to see your results, or Reset to start over with the sample numbers.
What Is Hedging in Sports Betting?
Hedging means placing a second bet on the other side of a bet you already made. The new bet is called the hedge. It lowers your risk. If your first bet loses, the hedge wins and pays you back some or all of your money. If your first bet wins, you still win, but you win a little less because the hedge cost you money. A basic bet calculator shows what a single ticket returns; this tool shows what both tickets return together.
When Bettors Hedge
Hedging is most common with futures bets and parlays. Say you bet $100 on a team to win the championship at +2000 before the season. Now that team is in the final game. You can bet on their opponent to lock in a profit no matter who wins. Bettors also hedge live bets when odds move in their favor during a game. If your ticket has several legs still live, run it through the parlay calculator first to see the exact payout you are protecting, and the round robin calculator if you split those legs across many tickets.
How the Math Works
Every bet has odds, and odds can be turned into decimal form. Decimal odds show how much you get back for each $1 risked, including your stake. The full hedge stake is found by multiplying your original stake by your original decimal odds, then dividing by the hedge odds. That amount gives you the same profit on both sides. Bet less than that amount and you keep more upside on your first bet. Bet more and you lean toward the hedge side.
Guaranteed Profit and Arbitrage
A hedge only locks in profit when your original odds are much better than the current hedge odds. If both prices are close, hedging can lock in a small loss instead. That still can be smart, because a small sure loss beats a big possible loss. When the two prices together add up to less than 100% implied probability, that is called arbitrage, and both sides pay a profit. The surebet calculator and the arbitrage calculator are built for spotting those two-sided opportunities from scratch.
Implied Probability and Vig
Implied probability is the chance a price suggests. Divide 1 by the decimal odds and multiply by 100. Add both sides together. Anything over 100% is the sportsbook's built-in fee, called the vig or juice. Higher vig makes hedging cost more, so shopping for the best hedge price at another book puts more money in your pocket. Strip the juice out of any market with the no vig calculator to see the fair price behind the numbers.
Things to Watch
Hedging trims your long-term expected value, since you pay the vig twice. It is a tool for protecting a big payout, not a way to beat the book. Check the trade-off with an EV calculator, and size your unhedged bets with the Kelly Criterion calculator so you rarely need a panic hedge. Also check that both bets truly cover opposite results. Ties, pushes, and canceled games can break a hedge and leave you exposed on both bets. If your hedge comes from a promo, the free bet calculator handles stake-not-returned pricing.