Your First Hedge

Your first hedge uses the FanDuel and DraftKings signup bonuses together, because signup bonuses have to go on your first bet at each book. This walks the whole screen: the expected value at the top, the two sides of the bet in the middle, the possible outcomes, the other options if you would rather bet a different game, highest floor profit versus highest expected value, and the Place Bets screen with the exact stake and odds to use at each sportsbook.

The hedge card

On the Hedges page you have one option, and it is Your First Hedge. It uses both the DraftKings and FanDuel signup bonuses and is worth about $71.

With signup bonuses, you typically have to use them on your very first bet at a new sportsbook. If you are hedging, that means you need to use both of them at the same time, as part of the same hedge set. We have done all the calculations to make that as simple as possible while keeping you profitable.

The hedge screen

There is a lot on this screen, so let's take it one piece at a time.

At the top: this is Your First Hedge, it uses signup bonuses at DraftKings and FanDuel, and we expect it to win about $71 in expected value.

In the middle is the hedge itself. In this example the recommendation is Kansas State vs Cincinnati, Saturday at 7 PM: under 50.5 points at DraftKings and over 50.5 points at FanDuel. If the DraftKings leg wins, you win $73. If the FanDuel leg wins, you win $68. Across both probabilities you end up with $71 of expected value. Exactly one of these bets is going to win and exactly one is going to lose.

This is the highest-profit way to use your two signup bonuses right now. We recalculate our recommendations in real time behind the scenes, so if you come back in ten minutes or three hours you will probably see different recommended bets. What you see is what is best at that moment, assuming you place the bets at that moment.

Possible outcomes

Expand Possible outcomes to see the full details of what can happen. We do our best to explain everything here so you understand it before you go and place the bets.

One bet always wins, and there are two possible outcomes: the over or the under. Whichever one happens, you are profitable.

• Under hits: your DraftKings bet wins you $8 of cash profit, plus a $50 bonus bet at DraftKings and a $50 bonus bet at FanDuel.
• Over hits: your FanDuel bet wins you $3, for $68 of net profit, and you get the same $50 bonus bets at both.

We include the value of those bonus bets in our calculations so you do not have to think about it. There is only a $5 difference between the two outcomes, which makes this a very easy signup bonus to use. You get basically the same thing no matter what happens, which is the point. You want the $71. You do not want to be gambling.

Other options

Farther down we give you multiple options. Say you do not care about Kansas State vs Cincinnati and just want a different choice. Step to the next highest-EV bet and now you can bet on Texas vs Tennessee. It is also $71 of expected value, so you can pick either, and if you would rather watch this game and root for the under to get your extra $5, you have that option.

A third option: Northern Illinois vs Georgia State. Still $71 of expected value.

Highest floor profit

Beyond highest EV, we also offer highest floor profit. This one may be a little lower in expected value, but the lesser of the two outcomes is higher. In this example the expected value is $70 instead of $71, but you win $70 no matter what happens. It is exactly balanced: $70 net, $70 net.

This is for people who just care about making the money and want nothing to do with gambling. No rooting, no asymmetry, nothing.

Place Bets

Let's go with the top recommended option. Click Place Bets.

This screen shows all of the information you need to actually place the bets at the sportsbook: your stake, the odds, how much you win, and the total payout. The payout is how much you win plus the stake. In the example, DraftKings is $5 to win $8 for a $13 payout, and FanDuel is $5 to win $3 for an $8 payout.

The most important thing here is to bet at the correct odds. If you do not bet at the odds we show, the math on the screen does not hold up, because the odds are at the root of everything we calculate.

Click the launch button next to a leg and we put the bet in your bet slip at that sportsbook for you, so there is less work for you to do. In this example you are putting in a $5 stake at +150 odds and applying your signup bonus.

Applying the bonus matters. Some signup bonuses apply automatically, some you have to explicitly apply. It is your very first hedge. Take your time and make sure you do it right.

Same thing at FanDuel: click the button, we pre-populate the bet slip, you enter your stake and apply your signup bonus.

When you are confident that FanDuel and DraftKings show the same information in their bet slips that we told you to bet, place both bets at the sportsbooks and then click Save Bets 1.

The saved hedge appears under My Bets as an open hedge. The next part picks up from there.