Middles betting is a cross-wagering strategy in which you place hedging bets with a little overlap, creating a sweet spot that can win big money, but cutting the potential losses significantly. This betting strategy is emerging as a favorite among expert bettors and professional strategists alike, and the great part about middles is that practically anyone can do it. No matter the size of your budget. All it takes is the knowhow, and with a little line shopping, it can be a solid alternative to arbitrage betting.
There is no one way to use middles betting strategy, you can tweak your strategy to create as much overlap or as small as you like, adjusting those potential returns and risks to your betting style. Some bettors also use AI predictive betting software or odds trackers to find the best application for their middles betting strategy. This is really a strategy that you can use with as many, or as few, resources as you require.
How Do Middles Bets Work?
Middles bets are most commonly placed on Total Points wagers, and point spreads. The bets require a market that uses a betting line, across which you will place two contrasting bets, with a small overlap. The idea is to bet on both sides of the market, but not using the same betting line. When using totals, this would be one bet for Over and another for Under. But the Over betting line will be slightly higher than the line you pick for Unders betting, and that little difference creates the “Middle”.
Say you are betting on an NFL game, and the standard betting line for totals bets is placed at 44.5. A wager for Over or Under 44.5 will generally come at around -110, representing a 50-50 wager (odds-wise). You can’t simply place a bet for Over and Under 44.5, otherwise, there is no middle. Should you bet Over 44.5, then for your Under wager, you should pick an alternate betting line such as 46.5 (or 47.5).
This would create the middle – in this case – if the game ends with 45 points (or 45 or 46 points). Your goal would be to win the middle, but if either side fails, such as the game ends with 42 points and only satisfies the Under 46.5 bet, then you will cut your losses to a minimum.
The simplest form of middles betting is to look for that -110 odds wager, and create a middle around that line. If you do it at one sportsbook, you can only make a profit if you win both wagers. When only one comes through, then you are going to have a minimal loss, because the contrasting lines are balanced at one sportsbook and are not designed to give middles bettors an edge.
Should you want to make a profit in the case or a Partial Win (only one bet comes through) you must shop around for good value odds. Plus, betting on contrasting lines at one sportsbook is not forbidden, but operators don’t like it. It is a form of hedge betting that sportsbooks can see as a potential threat, which could lead to them not accepting your second bet – canceling out any chance of middles betting.
Examples of Middles Betting
In our example, though, we will look at the betting lines provided at a US sportsbook and analyze how middles betting can work. We have chosen to bet on an NBA game, where scores can reach the 200+ mark, and thus create loads of middles wagers. The standard betting line of 211 points:
Over 211 Points @ -108
Under 211 Points @ -112
And opening the alternate total points bets, we have the following to pick from.
We are going to make middles bets with a 1 point middle, and those with a 2 point middle, picking middle lines of 212 and 213 points.
| Middles Betting Strategy | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middle | Bets Placed | Betting Odds | $10 Bet Partial Returns (Total Profit) | $10 Bet Full Returns (Total Profit) |
| 212 | Over 211.5 | -104 | $19.62 (-$0.38) | $37.25 (+$27.25) |
| Under 212.5 | -131 | $17.63 (-$2.37) | ||
| 213 | Over 212.5 | +105 | $20.50 (+$0.50) | $37.44 (+$27.44) |
| Under 213.5 | -144 | $16.94 (-$3.06) | ||
| 212 and 213 | Over 211.5 | -104 | $19.62 (-$0.38) | $36.56 (+$26.56) |
| Under 213.5 | -144 | $16.94 (-$3.06) | ||
Notice the 212 middle bet. The Over 212.5 wager will still make a profit if the Under 213.5 wager doesn’t come through, but if it were the other way and the Under 213.5 bet won, the losses would be greater than picking a middle closer to the official line.
This is the way the middles betting field is kept at a balance, if you choose a line where both contrasting wagers have near-even money odds, the partial returns will be closer in value. Pick a more lopsided line, where one bet has a great chance of hitting and the other is a lot riskier, and you will see one bringing a profit if it comes through, but the other incurring heavier losses.
But you won’t be middles betting like this if you do it. No, this is a strategy that works best if you have multiple betting accounts. Not just to get better odds and potentially get both sides of that middle making a profit, but also to avoid getting penalized by your sportsbook. Remember, they don’t like hedge betting, and have the right to refuse hedge bets.
Middles Mixed With Arbing Theory
Here are the odds on that same game, but at a different sportsbook. The official line at this book is set at 210, and the odds on the line are the following:
Over 210 Points @ -112
Under 210 Points @ -108
And opening the full set of alternate points, we get the following:
Because “Book 1” has a higher official betting line (211) than “Book 2” (210), we want our Under bets to come from Book 1, and our Over to come from Book 2. The book with the higher betting line has more favorable Under bets, because they start their -110 even money line a bit higher up. For Over betting, the book that has the lower line is better. Just remember the following:
Higher Line = Under Bets
Lower Line = Over Bets
This discrepancy between the odds creates a natural middle, which we can apply the same formula as above too. So here is what that first table would look like if we swapped out our Over bets for what “Book 2” is offering.
| Middles with Odds from Multiple Sportsbooks | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middle | Bets Placed | Betting Odds Sportsbook (1/2) | $10 Bet Partial Returns (Total Profit) | $10 Bet Full Returns (Total Profit) |
| 212 | Over 211.5 | +102 Book 2 | $20.20 (+$0.20) | $37.83 (+$27.83) |
| Under 212.5 | -131 Book 1 | $17.63 (-$2.37) | ||
| 213 | Over 212.5 | +110 Book 2 | $21 (+$1) | $37.94 (+$27.94) |
| Under 213.5 | -144 Book 1 | $16.94 (-$3.06) | ||
| 212 and 213 | Over 211.5 | +102 Book 2 | $20.20 (+$0.20) | $37.14 (+$27.14) |
| Under 213.5 | -144 Book 1 | $16.94 (-$3.06) | ||
This example used a game from the NBA playoffs, and if you didn’t recognize the sportsbooks we picked, they are two of America’s biggest betting sites. Therefore, the example doesn’t have great ROI or profits for either side of any Partial Win. There are many more examples we could go into that could bring a better ROI, or, for the sake of coverage, balance out the partial returns so that you are breaking even or winning in either case.
Best Bets and Sports for Middles Betting
Finding those middles betting lines that can guarantee profit for both sides is not easy, and practically impossible when you are:
- nearing the CLV of the betting market
- picking a high profile game
- have accounts at high-juice betting sites
You are essentially line shopping and looking for big enough discrepancies in the odds to take advantage, just like arbing. The early bird odds are generally more favorable for this than the Closing Line Value – because the betting markets tend to converge as the sportsbooks adjust their odds to become closer to that of the general market. You want odds where, say, one sportsbook picks a totals line of 209 and the other at 212, or a greater margin. This is when the ROI has a more favorable outlook on partially won middles bets.
That’s not all there is to it. There are some sports that are better suited to middles betting. Sports that have high-scoring games, such as basketball, are generally better because there is a greater margin in what sportsbooks could offer. In soccer betting, you won’t get as many lines to make middles bets on, and there won’t be as big differences in between what one book would offer to the other.
High Scoring Sports (good middles potential)
You can also make middles on soccer and hockey, but don’t expect as much flexibility.
Best Middles Betting Markets
You can source your middles wagers either from the Totals betting markets or the Point Spreads markets. These are wagers that you can find alternate lines for, and thus look to open middles between your wagers. Moneylines don’t use betting lines, so you can’t really use them for middles wagers. But this strategy is not limited by any means. You can extend your middles strategy to include the following types of props bets:
- Team Totals
- Quarters/Halves Totals
- Quarters/Halves Spreads
There are loads of possibilities when it comes to middles betting, so cast your net wide.
Betting Software to Assist Middles Betting
Just like the odds tracking and comparing apps for arbitrage betting, there are loads of betting tools to help you with your middles bets. These tools compare and track odds at different sportsbooks, specifically looking for larger discrepancies in the betting lines offered, and thus more lucrative middles betting opportunities.
They don’t just track odds and help you locate good value wagers either. A lot of the betting software used in America today have AI powered betting projections, using historical stats and data to predict very specific details about upcoming sports games. For example, projections on the exact number of points to be scored for a game. These metrics and projections can work wonders in your middles betting strategy, as you aren’t just looking at the odds, but have a good idea of the lines you want to take.
Middles betting is still not as big as arbitrage betting in America. This reflects in the betting software industry, as you will find many more betting apps that do arbing or matched betting converters than middles. Right now, there are only a handful of designated betting tools that do matched betting strategies.
Best Middles Betting Software
OddsJam
Outlier.Bet
Though you can always use odds trackers and value betting software to locate the wagers and prices you want. OddsJam and Outlier.Bet do the work for you. However, you can save a lot of time with apps that don’t have specific matched betting suggestions, but pick out value bets and look for the best odds for your bets. And these tend to be a lot cheaper than the apps like OddsJam, where you pay top dollar for having handpicked middles betting suggestions and optimizers.
Middles vs Arbitrage Betting
Middles is a lot like arbitrage betting, but there are some major differences between the two. Arbing is designed to cover all outcomes, but bring a fixed or nominal return whatever happens. It is harder to find good value bets for arbing, and you will need to bet strange values such as $11.76 or $12.12 instead of just $12 or $10.
You can adjust your middles to make the same amount of money for either betting line, but that isn’t really the main point. The main goal is to win the middle, and to not lose money either side of a partial win. It is much easier to find middles betting odds than it is arbitrage odds. Though the majority of your middles will end up with partial returns only. So most of the time, you are looking at a much smaller ROI than arbing. But when you hit the middle, you are doubling your stake (from both bets), at the very least.
Middles Betting for Experts
Compared to arbing, middles are easier to find, more flexible, and don’t really raise as much suspicion. The betting strategy does have a few setbacks, such as it is better suited for high scoring games – or betting markets that have a lot of alternate lines to pick from.
For beginners, we would suggest sticking to the standard betting line for total points or spreads. Look for sportsbooks where the lines are different, and then you can test out the hedge betting strategy for yourself. And remember –
Higher Line = Under Bets
Lower Line = Over Bets
Our “middles betting mantra”
When you feel more comfortable and at ease with middles, you can open alternate betting lines and shop around for alternate opportunities. You can make lopsided middles wagers, placing the middle a lot higher or lower than the official line. But you don’t have to stop there.
The beauty of middles betting is in its flexibility. Middles need low juice, but they are not contingent on having low juice, like arbing is. Therefore, it opens up the possibility of using more niched and fringe betting markets. You can make middles bets on obscure soccer games, apply them in quarters totals in an NBA game, or even make larger middles windows in cricket total runs wagers.
You could even take your middles betting strategy and apply it to live bets. Taking advantage of discrepancies in real time odds and utilizing cash out functions to lock in your profits.
Best Sportsbooks for Middles Betting
Having said low juice is not mandatory, it does help boost the potential ROI dramatically if you are using reduced odds bets. And if you are going to bet middles, you will need to have 2 or more sportsbook accounts just to make sure your bets aren’t refused or rejected at a single book. Fortunately, the US is not short of top quality sportsbooks for bettors.
There are plenty of big brand US betting apps and sites that have exceptional sports coverage, ranging far beyond major US sports and top soccer leagues. They also have a great pool of player props, team bets, and of course, endless alternate betting lines to fuel your middles bets.
For anyone living outside the legal betting states, fear not, there are other ways you can get in on the middles betting action. DFS apps don’t really give you the coverage you need, so you can turn your attention to social sportsbooks. These are betting apps and sites that don’t use real money wagers, but instead have internal virtual currencies that you can use to fund your wagers.
At social sportsbooks, you can make conventional bets without having to spend a dollar. And there are possibilities to win real money through sweepstakes contests or exchanging your virtual tokens for real cash prizes. Another alternative is signing up to a peer to peer betting app, m0st of which use the social sportsbook currency model, and they allow you to bet directly against your peers with no juice at all. Alternate betting lines and markets may be a bit more difficult to source, which is why you should pick one of the bigger social sportsbook or P2P betting brands.
