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BETTING THE MIDDLE AND ARBITRAGE BETTING IN SPORTS

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Betting on sports is all about comparing risks with the rewards. That’s the basis of gambling and the main reason why betting on sports is so thrilling. But do you know that there’s a finance strategy that professional sports punters use to guarantee profits by backing both teams in a two-way bet?

This finance strategy is called arbitrage betting and many sports punters have been using it since the dawn of sports betting. Middle betting is another similar sports betting strategy that involves using point spread bets instead of the money line. However, there’s more to arbitrage and middle betting than simply logging into your sportsbook and backing both sides simultaneously.

While middling and arbitrage are practiced by professional sports punters, you don’t need to be a seasoned bettor to pull it off. With a little patience, discipline, research, and the insights shared in this article, you can easily understand what’s middling and arbitrage betting to start hedging your bets like a pro. This article will also give you useful examples of every action to help you understand how to place profitable and powerful bets.

How Arbitrage and Middle Betting Works

Betting the middle is when you place two opposite wagers backing both sides in a two-way bet. For example, if you’re betting on an upcoming WWE match featuring Drew McIntyre vs Jey Uso or an NFL match between the Houston Texans and the Indianapolis Colts, you can wager on both sides to win at different betting lines.

While both the money line and the spread work in sports betting, only the money line can guarantee you a profit and is considered true arbitrage betting. Arbitrage betting guarantees you a profit on the money line since you’re choosing the odds that give you more profits on the winning bet than the amount you’ll lose.

That involves shopping for the best odds in a market and calculating the amount to be staked in every wager to make a profit. The profit margin might be small (typically under 5%), even when wagering on AEW matches, so you’ll need to use a lot of cash for a decent return.

Arbitrage betting summary

• Arbitrage betting involves betting on both sides of a wager

• To back both sides of a wager, you’ll need to track the best odds for every team in separate bookies. You can easily do that with odds comparison sites.

• If you suspect there is a chance for arbitrage, you have to calculate the implied probability to make sure there are profits.

• If the implied probability suggests there’s an arbitrage opportunity, you’ll need to determine the amount to stake on every bet using the arbitrage calculator.

Middling betting summary

Sports punters can also bet in the middle with point spreads by taking both sides of a wager. However, instead of the system guaranteeing a profit, you have the chance to win both wagers. For that to happen, you need to find two game lines at different point spreads.

To win both wagers, the winning margin must be in the middle of the two-point spreads. If you win both bets, you stand the chance to make more profit than you would have made from hedged money-line bets. Let’s explain further:

• Betting the middle involves finding two different game lines with different point spreads. For example, -2 and -4.

• Taking both sides of a wager allows you to capitalize on the point spread gap. For instance, you can back the favorite at -2 and the underdog at +4.

• You stand the chance to win both wagers if the favorite team beats the underdog with the points isolated between the spreads. In this example, 3 is the magic number. If the favorite wins the game by 3 points, both wagers will cover the spread.

• If the favorite team beats the underdog with points near the middle, you’ll win one bet while the other pushes. For instance, if the favorite team wins by 4 points, the favorite will cover and the underdog wager will push.

Betting the middle using totals

Besides the point spreads, you can extend your betting landscape by middling using totals. Similar to the spread bets, the totals have two sides (over and under). The total bet line can sometimes shift down or up, creating middling opportunities for smart punters.

If you find a game with two different totals at reliable bookmakers or the line shifts significantly, you have the chance to win both the under and over bets simultaneously. However, to successfully place the middle bet using the totals, you’ll need to take the over using the lower number and the Under for the higher total. Here’s an example to help you understand:

NBA total Gameline 1

• Indianapolis Colts – Over 217.5 (-110)

• Houston Texans – Inder 217.5 (-110)

NBA total game line 2

• Indianapolis Colts – Over 220.5 (-110)

• Houston Texans – Under 220.5 (-110)

In this example, gameline 1 has a total of 217.5 points, while Gameline 2 has 220.5. That means the middle includes 220, 219, and 218, so you’ll need to place the Over bet at 217.5 and the under bet at 220.5. 

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