How to clear a rollover with low hold bets, step by step

In short: Bet the rollover at the promo book on one side of a low-hold market and hedge the other side at another book. Only the promo-book leg counts toward the rollover, and the pair costs a small, locked amount instead of the several percent a single bet would.

Step by step

  1. 1

    Read the rollover terms

    How much must be wagered, which markets count, the minimum odds, and the deadline.

  2. 2

    Find a low-hold pair

    The promo book's price on one side and another book's best price on the other, with a combined hold under about 1%.

  3. 3

    Bet the rollover leg at the promo book

    Stake what you need to put through; that leg is what counts.

  4. 4

    Hedge at the other book

    Hedge stake = the promo leg's total return ÷ the hedge's decimal odds.

  5. 5

    Repeat until it is cleared, and log the cost

    Keep a running total so you know what the rollover actually cost.

Worked example: a $2,500 rollover

Promo book: $2,500 on the under at -108 (decimal 1.9259), returning $4,814.81.

Other book: the over at +105 (decimal 2.05). Combined hold: 0.70%.

Hedge stake: $4,814.81 ÷ 2.05 = $2,348.69.

Total staked $4,848.69; either result returns $4,814.81 — a locked cost of $33.88.

Betting the same $2,500 on one side at -110 has an expected cost of about $113.64, and it is not locked.

What is a low hold bet?

Hold is the share of the money a book expects to keep. A pair of prices at two books with a combined hold under about 1–2% is a low-hold pair: betting both sides costs very little whichever side wins.

Watch for

  • Terms that exclude hedged or both-sides betting at the promo book.
  • Minimum-odds rules that rule out the cheapest pairs.
  • Prices moving between the two bets.

Tools for this

Frequently asked questions

How do you clear a rollover cheaply?

Bet the rollover at the promo book on one side of a low-hold market and hedge the other side elsewhere. The pair costs a small, locked amount.

What is a low hold calculator?

A tool that adds the implied probabilities of every outcome and shows the hold. TrueEdge's hold calculator is free and handles two-way and three-way markets.

Does the hedge count toward the rollover?

Only if it is placed at the promo book. Usually the hedge is at another book, so only the promo-book leg counts.

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