Can You Make Decent Money With Hedge Betting or Is It a Waste of Time

Published on 03 Jun 2025 | Last updated on 03 Jun 2025 | Reading time: 3 minutes

Punters follow different betting styles, tactics, and strategies as a way of maximising their chances of winning bets. They are constantly on the lookout for newer and better techniques that they can incorporate week after week. Among the most attractive ones is hedge betting.

It's a popular type of sports betting used by many punters, especially experienced gamblers. But can hedge betting provide solid payouts, or is it a waste of time and money? We'll answer this important question by thoroughly elaborating on hedge betting.

What Is Hedge Betting? – Hedge Betting With Real Money or Free Bets

Hedge betting is a sports wagering strategy where you place at least one extra bet to cover other possible outcomes. This technique can help you reduce the risk of losing funds you place on a sports bet.

It can even guarantee a profit, regardless of the outcome of the match you’re wagering on. Most punters use hedge betting on future markets and accumulator bets.

Some of them may even apply for betting bonuses like free bets. Then, they use the extra credits to cover their original wagers. You can acquire such free bets with Bet365 and follow the example below to try out hedge betting.

Let's say you want to bet on team A to win a competition by placing £100 on odds 10.00 (9/1). If you win, then you’ll collect a payout of £1,000. Now, if team A goes to the final, you can reduce the risk by hedging. In other words, you need to place another bet on team B to win the match.

For instance, you place £300 on team B at odds 1.66 (33/50). This bet alone will get you a payout of around £500. But, your overall exposure on both bets is £400, so you’ll only make a £100 profit if team B wins. On the other hand, if team A wins, you’ll collect a profit of £600.

Is Hedge Betting Profitable?

Hedge betting can help you win decent payouts when wagering on sports. But this depends on several key factors. First of all, you need to place a futures bet early on while the odds are still high.

When the team reaches the final, bookmakers will significantly lower their odds, making them less attractive for hedging. In fact, the bigger the odds difference between the two teams, the better potential profit you’ll get. This is true only if the team with the bigger odds wins the match.

You can hardly make a profit if the teams’ winning odds are pretty close to each other. In such circumstances, sharp bettors and high rollers will rely on hedging to preserve their bankrolls and reach a break-even point. This is where you don't make a profit, but you also avoid losing money.

Additionally, hedge betting works only when you’re placing larger amounts. Using a small bankroll can result in very low profits, which aren’t worth the risk. Plus, you should check the limits, fees, and odds shifts, as they can significantly lower your potential profit.

The Right Time to Use Hedge Betting

Earlier, we mentioned that hedging works best when betting on teams with a big odds difference and when using larger bets. But there are a couple of other factors that you should also consider.

One of them is paying attention to the live betting odds. They tend to change throughout the match, which may give you an opportunity to hedge. But, for this type of wagering to work, you must place a pre-match bet beforehand.

The next factor concerns accumulator betting, specifically when you’re down to your last selection. If your bet slip has a large potential payout, then you should seriously consider hedge betting. It may lower your payout, but it will also reduce the risk of losing.

Lastly, taking advantage of a good betting offer is another factor that can help with your hedge betting. In such a situation, you’re using extra funds or a free bet to cover the first or the second part of your hedge betting. But, once again, if the bonus isn’t very big, then you’ll end up with a small profit.