How to Hedge a Bet: The Complete Guide to Hedging in 2025
- Hedging means betting on alternatives to profit.
- Hedging helps secure profit by reducing risks.
- Popular with acca bettors to beat the odds.
Frank Monkhouse
Last updated 26 Nov 2025
Hedging your bets is an advanced betting strategy used by profitable gamblers to limit the risk posed to their stake and secure a guaranteed profit. Our expert gambling team explains how to hedge a bet, the pros and cons of hedging, and how Flashscore can help you land a profit.
Table of contents
- 1.What Exactly is Hedging in Sports Betting?
- 2.When and How to Hedge: Two Common Scenarios
- 3.The Flashscore Advantage: Monitoring Your Bets for the Perfect Hedge
- 4.The Pros and Cons of Hedging
What Exactly is Hedging in Sports Betting?
When explaining hedging in sports betting, I’ll keep things as simple as possible, ensuring this article appeals to all manner of sports gamblers.
Hedging is a risk-management betting system where you’d bet on the opposite of your original wager, ensuring you secure a profit regardless of the result. There are many options, but there’s a hedging betting strategy to suit most sports bets and markets.
The Main Goals of Hedging
- To guarantee a profit. The most popular approach works well in many scenarios, especially with the last leg of an accumulator.
- To minimise a potential loss. Hedging your bets is great for limiting the damage if you’ve made a poor selection.
When and How to Hedge: Two Common Scenarios
What is hedging in betting, and how do you do it at your favourite sportsbook? I’ll explain all in this section of my article.
Scenario 1: Hedging the Final Leg of an Accumulator
Four Wins
You place a five-fold football accumulator and are delighted to see four teams have won ahead of the final leg played this evening.
Decide to Hedge
Your £10 stake wins £1000 if the final team wins. Will you hedge your bets to guarantee a return or let it run to a finish, leaving it to luck?
Place Opposite Bet
You decide to hedge, but how do you do it? You now place a separate bet that goes against your original pick. If it’s Man Utd to win or draw vs Man City, for example, you’d place a second wager on Man City to win. You now can’t lose.
Secure Return
You’re now in a great position. If Man Utd wins or the game ends in a draw, your accumulator lands and you secure the £1000 returns. But if Man City wins, you land the profits. You must bet on Man City at the correct odds to ensure you’re happy regardless of the result.
Scenario 2: Hedging an Outright (Futures) Bet
Early Season Bet
You bet on Chelsea to win the Premier League before the opening match at odds of 30/1.
Title on the Line
It’s the final match of the season, and the Blues need just a point to win the EPL.
Hedge Your Bet
You’d hedge your bet by backing Chelsea’s opponent in the match-winner market.
Win Either Way
If Chelsea wins or the game ends in a draw, you land the profits from your outright bet. But if their opponents win, you get the returns from your match bet.
The Flashscore Advantage: Monitoring Your Bets for the Perfect Hedge
Now you know what is hedging in sports betting and understand the main hedging betting strategy, let’s focus on the tools that’ll help you win.
Track the final leg live
The decision to hedge your bets, especially in-play, requires reliable real-time information and match stats. Visit Flashscore, click on the competition that interests you the most, and then select the fixture and live match tracker. Follow live, up-to-the-minute stats to see if it’s best to hedge your bets or let it ride. You’ll also spot the best time to hedge.
If your team is dominating, it’s probably best to leave it alone. But if your pick is in danger, hedging is a smart strategy.
Use Push Notifications as a Trigger
The push notifications at Flashscore aren’t just great for keeping up with the scores when you’re out and about. You can also use the feature on the site and app to signal the best time to hedge your bets. Visit Flashscore and set up alerts for your team to ensure you never miss an important moment.
The Pros and Cons of Hedging
Hedge betting continues to divide opinion, but there’s no denying it’s a strong way to secure a profit or limit your losses. Here are my pros and cons of hedging.
- Hedge betting offers a reduced risk when gambling on popular sports, like football.
- You can use hedge betting to guarantee a profit from your accumulators.
- Hedging is ideal for protecting your stake on long-term bets, including EPL outright wagers.
- The latest stats and trends available at Flashscore make it easier than ever to hedge.
- Hedging your bets removes the emotional pressure of waiting for a result.
- Hedging your bets guarantees a profit, but can reduce the amount you win.
- It requires a precise betting market and stake to ensure the best results.
Meet the Author
I have been involved in the gambling industry for almost 20 years, filling a number of important roles, from the trading floor to content editor. My previews and predictions lean heavily on the stats and trends to help readers identify the value and find winning bets. As a former professional boxer, I boast a unique insight into sports and enjoy covering the biggest events.
