Your Bet
Original bet type
the price you took
current opposing price
Hedge goal
Enter your original odds, stake, and the hedge odds to see your play.
Hedge Calculator
Should you hedge it?
Enter your original bet and the current opposing odds. See exactly how much to lay to lock guaranteed profit, protect your stake, or partially hedge — and whether hedging is even the right move.
01What hedging actually does
Hedging means placing a bet on the opposite outcome of one you already have, so you win something no matter what happens. The classic case: your longshot or parlay is one leg away, and you can bet the other side now to lock in a guaranteed result instead of risking it all on the final outcome. This calculator finds the exact lay amount for whatever you're after.
02The three goals
Equal profit sizes the hedge so you walk away with the same amount no matter which side wins — the true "lock." Protect stake hedges just enough to guarantee you don't lose money, leaving more upside on your original side. Partial lets you hedge only a slice, keeping most of the upside while trimming the downside — the middle ground between letting it ride and fully locking.
03Should you actually hedge?
Here's the honest part: a full hedge almost always has negative expected value versus letting the bet ride, because you're paying the vig on a second bet. Hedging isn't about maximizing EV — it's about reducing variance. Lock the profit when the guaranteed money matters more to you than the expected value (rent's due, it's a life-changing sum, you'd feel sick losing it). Let it ride when it's a stake you can afford to lose and you want the full upside. The recommendation above weighs both so you can decide. For free bets, hedging is almost always correct — you're converting a "win or nothing" token into guaranteed cash.
Hedge calculator FAQ
Hedge when locking a guaranteed result matters more to you than squeezing out maximum expected value — a big payout you can't afford to lose, or a free bet you want to convert to cash. Let it ride when it's money you can afford to lose and you want full upside. A full hedge usually costs a little EV (you pay vig twice), so it's a variance-reduction choice, not a profit-maximizing one. This tool shows both sides so you can decide.
To lock equal profit, divide your original bet's total potential return by the hedge odds in decimal form — that's your hedge stake. This calculator does it automatically for cash bets and free bets, and shows your guaranteed profit either way. Enter your original odds and stake plus the current opposing odds.
With a standard free bet, the stake isn't returned — you only keep the profit if it wins. Hedging converts that "win or nothing" token into guaranteed cash by betting the other side at another book. Switch the original bet type to "Free Bet / Promo" and the calculator accounts for the stake not being returned. Free-bet hedging is almost always worth it.
A partial hedge lays only a portion of the full lock amount. You give up some of the guaranteed-profit certainty in exchange for keeping more upside if your original side wins. It's the middle ground between letting it ride and fully hedging — useful when you want to take some risk off the table without killing the payout. Use the Partial slider to dial in how much.
An equal-profit hedge guarantees the same result regardless of outcome — but only if that locked number is positive, which depends on your original odds versus the hedge odds. If the lines moved against you, the "guaranteed" amount can be a guaranteed small loss. The calculator shows the actual locked figure so you know exactly what you're locking before you place it.