Middling is considered one of the more difficult sports betting strategies. After all, consistently finding the middle of sports betting wagers isn’t easy to do by any means. However, the fact that some of the biggest payouts in sports betting history have happened as a result of bettors successfully hitting on the middle is testament to the fact that the strategy is worth learning and investing in. Here is a closer look at the middling sports betting strategy and how you can use it to your advantage.

What Is The Middle?

The first thing you need to know is what the middle is in the first place. In sports betting terminology, finding the middle is when you place two bets against one another on the same event and hit on the sweet spot that allows you to cover both wagers simultaneously. Of course, this can only happen if the line for that event moves enough between the time of your first bet and your second bet to allow you to hit on that spot. The best way to understand the middle is through the use of an example.

Let’s pretend that the Oakland Raiders are hosting the Kansas City Chiefs in a game where the line opens with the Chiefs listed as a 3.5-point road favorite. The first bet placed on this event is Oakland +3.5, in order to take advantage of a home underdog getting a significant cushion against a key number. As the week progresses, there is enough action on the Raiders to force the sportsbooks to adjust their lines and they move it from Oakland +3.5 to +2.5. At this point, you can make your second bet and take Kansas City at -2.5. As a result, you will have two wagers:

Oakland +3.5 (The original bet)
Kansas City -2.5 (The middling bet)

With these two wagers in place, there are three things that could happen. First, the Raiders could win and cover. That would mean you win your first bet but lose your second bet, which hopefully just cancels out the wagers altogether. Second, Oakland could lose by four points or more. That would mean you lose your first bet but win your second bet. Again, the hope would be that the two wagers would cancel out. Finally, the third option is that Kansas City wins by exactly three points. This would mean that both bets win, which could result in a potentially massive payout.

The Upside Of Middling

The best part about middling as a sports betting strategy is the potential big cash out that you could win on if both sides hit. While it won’t happen every single time that you bet on a game, the fact that you will get these opportunities from time to time if you apply this strategy means that you could seriously cash in when you do. Another incredible aspect of middling is that it is such a low-risk approach.

The fact that you are taking both sides on a point spread or total means that you are guarantee to hit on at least one of them. As long as your risk amounts are identical or very similar, you are in essence limiting or eliminating all together any potential risk you have when betting on the event. While it doesn’t happen all the time, middling opportunities definitely occur more often than people realize. This is especially true in college football games where the spreads can shift considerably based on a key injury. Shifts in the spreads aren’t as consistency when it comes to NFL and NBA games, but they do happen from time to time. If you understand the strategy and you track the line movement from opening to close, you are bound to find situations where you can find the middle and win big.

Applying Middling Strategy To Live Betting

One of the most underrated aspects of live betting is the ability to find additional middling opportunities. The problem for most people is that they aren’t paying close enough attention to find the opportunities when they come up. While lines will change from time to time leading up to the actual games, there can be even more line movement once the games actually begin. The key is to keep a close eye on situations where the lines move more than they should as a result of how the event begins. We can use another example to take a closer look at a situation where it makes sense to use live betting to hit the middle:

Let’s pretend that the Total for that same Chiefs vs. Raiders game is set at 48.5 in anticipation of a reasonably high scoring game. You took the Under before the game started, anticipating a slow first quester as the teams get used to playing one another. The game begins and both teams struggle through the first 10 minutes and fail to record a point. At 0-0 with time ticking down in the first quarter, the line for the total has been adjusted from 48.5 to 45.5. At this point, you take the Over with an understanding that even after the slow start the two teams can probably top that number once they eventually get going. You now have the perfect middle situation with the following bets:

Under 48.5 (The original bet)
Over 45.5 (The middling bet)

In this scenario, you could now hit big if the two teams combine to score any one of 46 points, 47 points or 48 points in the game. If they hit 45 points or fewer, then your first bet will be a winner and cancel out the losses incurred on your second bet. If the teams combine to score 49 points or more, then your first bet loses but should be covered by your second bet winning. You have both limited your potential losses while putting yourself in a position where you could hit big with simultaneous wins if you hit on any one of the three potential outcomes in the middle. This is another example of the optimal middling strategy in action and how you can use live betting to hit your mark.

Middling Is Quite Useful

While the middling sports betting strategy isn’t an easy one by any means, it isn’t exactly complicated for those that take the time to understand how it works and adopt it in to their arsenal of betting tools. If you have never done it before, then take the time to see how it works and make sure that you know what you are doing before putting your money on the line. The middling sports betting strategy can be very safe and potentially rewarding if done right. Make sure you do your research, understand any and all potential outcomes and plan for anything to happen at any time in order to make sure your bases are covered with the middling sports betting strategy.