Hedge calculator — hedge stake and the result on each side
An open bet, a price on the other side, and three choices: leave it, hedge so both outcomes come out the same, or hedge just enough to get the original stake back if the hedge wins. Every result is shown with its sign — a loss is a loss.
| Choice | Hedge stake | If the original bet wins | If the hedge wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| No hedge | $0.00 | +$400.00 | −$100.00 |
| Equal result | $300.00 | +$100.00 | +$100.00 |
| Break-even if the hedge wins | $150.00 | +$250.00 | $0.00 |
Staking $300.00 on the hedge at -150 leaves the same result whichever side wins: +$100.00.
Net of both stakes. Two outcomes only: if either bet can push, draw or be voided, these figures do not cover that case. Hedging at a book's price pays its margin a second time.
Hedging $100 at +400, at different hedge prices
| Hedge odds (American) | Equalising stake | Result either way | Break-even stake |
|---|---|---|---|
| -300 | $375.00 | +$25.00 | $300.00 |
| -200 | $333.33 | +$66.67 | $200.00 |
| -150 | $300.00 | +$100.00 | $150.00 |
| -110 | $261.90 | +$138.10 | $110.00 |
| +100 | $250.00 | +$150.00 | $100.00 |
| +120 | $227.27 | +$172.73 | $83.33 |
| +150 | $200.00 | +$200.00 | $66.67 |
A $100 bet at +400 returns $500 in total if it comes in. The equalising stake is whatever the hedge price needs to return the same $500.
How a hedge is calculated
The equalising hedge stake is the original stake times its decimal odds, divided by the hedge's decimal odds. $100 at +400 (5.00) returns $500, so at −150 (1.667) the hedge needs $500 ÷ 1.667 = $300. Either way, the result is +$100.
The break-even hedge is the original stake divided by the hedge's decimal odds minus 1 — the stake whose profit just covers the original bet. At −150 that is $100 ÷ 0.667 = $150: the result is $0 if the hedge wins and +$250 if the original does.
Every hedge placed at a bookmaker's price pays that book's margin again. If the hedge price is poor enough, the equal result is a loss on both sides: $100 at −110 hedged at −120 needs $104.13 and leaves −$13.22 whichever side wins.
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