Step-by-step: how to hedge a sports bet for guaranteed profit. Walk through a real bonus bet hedge with specific numbers, sportsbooks, and calculations.
Hedging a sports bet means placing two bets — on opposite outcomes — so that you profit regardless of which side wins. Here's the complete step-by-step process with real numbers.
The most common hedging scenario is a bonus bet at one sportsbook and cash at another. That's what this guide walks through.
You signed up for FanDuel and received a $200 bonus bet. The bonus bet appears in your account as a credit you can use to place bets. When it wins, you receive the winnings only — not the $200 stake back.
This is the starting point. The bonus bet is "free" in the sense that if it loses, you lose nothing out of pocket. But if you just gamble it away, you might win $200 or lose nothing — and on average, you walk away with maybe $100 in expected value.
Hedging it locks in guaranteed cash of $130–$160+. Here's how.
You want to bet your bonus on a team with high positive odds — something like +250 to +400. The higher the underdog odds, the bigger the potential winning payout, which gives you more room to profit after covering the other side.
Tonight's game: Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Cleveland Cavaliers. The Thunder are +320 at FanDuel.
The Thunder are a big underdog. If they win, your $200 bonus bet pays $640 in profit. That's a lot of room to work with.
Now you need to figure out how much to bet on the Cavaliers at another sportsbook to cover the other outcome.
At DraftKings, the Cavaliers are priced at -380.
The hedge math:
If Thunder win: you get $640 from the bonus bet, and you lose your Cavaliers cash bet.
If Cavaliers win: you win the Cavaliers cash bet, and your bonus bet disappears (costs you nothing).
You want to find the Cavaliers bet amount that makes both outcomes roughly equal.
Let's say you bet $450 on the Cavaliers at -380. That pays: $450 ÷ 3.8 = $118 profit.
You've locked in between $118 and $190 no matter what. The Ungambled app finds the optimal stake that balances these two outcomes as closely as possible — usually landing around $150 per side.
Critical rules:
Once both bets are confirmed, you're done. You have a guaranteed profit locked in.
Watch the game if you want (it doesn't matter either way financially). After it ends, one of your accounts will have the winnings. Withdraw from the winning side when convenient.
If the odds change significantly between placing your first bet and your second, you have two options:
Some sportsbooks allow cancellations before the game starts. Use this if the math turns negative after an odds move.
The most common error is placing both sides at the same sportsbook. Betting Thunder +320 and Cavaliers -380 at FanDuel will get your account flagged immediately. Always use two different books.
Pick an underdog for your bonus bet. Find the cash hedge amount at a different sportsbook. Place both bets close to game time. Collect your guaranteed profit after the game.
For the full strategy behind why this works and how to do it systematically across many accounts, read the complete guide to hedging sports bets.
Want the full picture?
The Ungambled course covers this in depth — with examples, calculations, and a step-by-step system for putting it all together. It's on Udemy.
Join the Ungambled community for step-by-step walkthroughs, live support, and a proven system.
Join the Ungambled Community →