BOOKMAKERS' RATING

In betting, there is such a thing as hedging. It was borrowed from the stock markets. Hedging means reducing the level of risk, which is made possible by opening trades in opposite markets. This also affects the potential profit, the volume of which decreases accordingly.

In betting, hedging can be used by both active players and fans. The difference is that experienced bettors reduce their losses through hedging, while beginners and non-professionals lose profits. As you can see, the same term can affect rates both positively and negatively.

Example of hedging

Let’s give an example of hedging to better understand it in practice. To do this, let’s analyze the group stage match of the European Championship between Russia and England, which resulted in a draw. The score was 1:1. Before the start of the match, the majority of professional experts were in favor of an unequivocal victory for England. And the first half of the game confirmed these opinions in every possible way. Russia showed itself poorly, scoring only one goal into the opponent’s goal.

Hedging allows you to re-analyze and change your point of view. Sometimes it gives you a chance to win in any outcome of the game. For example, if we had bet $30 on Russia to win, we would still have made a profit regardless of the outcome of the match.

Sometimes hedging is confused with surebets. They do have similarities, but in the first case, we try to reduce possible losses, and in the second case, we expect to win in any outcome.

Hedging should be used in moderation. If you start covering every second bet you make, then the result of such actions will only be additional profit for the bookmaker.