Middles
Middle Betting Software
What if you could win both sides of a bet? It's called middle betting, and the middles software does all the maths and finds them 24/7.
The short version
What is a middle bet?
A middle is a bet on both sides of the same market at two bookmakers, where the two lines do not quite line up. If the result lands in the gap between them, both bets win.
Most of the time the middle will not hit, and only one side of the bet wins, which costs you a small qualifying loss. Occasionally it will hit and make up for all the small losses and more.
This is our highest variance strategy, and it suits advanced bettors who are already comfortable with arbitrage and positive EV.
Worked example
30 cents to win $199
In the AFL match between Adelaide and Gold Coast, Ladbrokes is offering 1.22 on over 131.5 total points while Sportsbet is offering 5.50 on under 133.5. Stake $163.69 on the over and $36.31 on the under, $200 in total.
Total points scored
One
One
Both
Both
One
One
If the total points Lands on 132 or 133: both bets win. Anything else and one wins while the other loses.
Risking 30 cents to win $199.41 is effective odds of 670 on the total to land in that 2 point gap. That is far bettor odds than the true odds of it happening, which is what makes the bet worth taking even though it will miss majority of the time.
Expanding the row opens the calculator, where you can set your total stake, adjust either price if it moves, and find direct links to both bookmakers.
Adelaide Crows vs Gold Coast SUNS
Over 131.5 Points
Under 133.5 PointsIf it misses
−$0.30
If it hits
$199.41
Inside the tool
Both sides, priced and sized
Every middle arrives as a single row showing both legs, the stake for each, what it costs when the middle misses and what you are effectively being paid if it lands.
What each column tells you
- Sport
- The league the opportunity belongs to
- Match
- Teams or players, with the start time in your local timezone
- Market
- The betting market type
- Outcomes
- Both sides of the middle, each with its bookmaker, odds and a direct link
- Stakes
- What to put on each side, sized from your total stake
- QL%
- The qualifying loss, meaning what it costs you when the middle misses
- Eff. Odds
- The odds you are effectively getting on the middle landing
- Range
- How wide the middle is, in points
- Info
- The calculator: adjust either price and see every outcome update
- Track
- Sends both legs to your bet tracker with the fields filled in
Placing a middle takes seconds
- 1Click each bookmaker’s logo to open both match pages
- 2Fill out both bet slips with the stakes shown, but confirm neither yet
- 3Check the odds still match the software, then place both back to back
- 4Hit the + icon to add both legs to your tracker
If a price moves before you have placed either bet, open the calculator in the expanded row and enter the new odds. If the effective odds are still worth it, take it. If not, move on.
Filters
Only see the middles worth taking
Eight filters decide what reaches your screen. Save a set as your default and it loads automatically every time you open the tool.
Sport
Choose which sports appear. We recommend leaving them all on.
Bookmakers
Which bookmakers to show. Choose the ones you actually hold accounts with, because a middle is no use if you can only place one side of it.
Odds
Set the odds range that you prefer.
QL%
The % of your total stake you will lose if the middle does not hit, keep this low if you are risk averse and want smaller losses.
Effective Odds
Essentially, the odds you get on the middle hitting.
Middle Range
How wide the middle gap has to be. Wider ranges hit more often but usually come with a greater QL.
Starts in
Limit how far ahead events can be. Close to the jump is best, ideally within a few hours.
Stakes
Your total stake across both bookmakers, and how to round it. We recommend rounding to $5 so the bets look ordinary.
FAQ
Middle betting FAQ
What is a qualifying loss?
It is what the bet costs you when the middle does not land. One side wins and the other loses, and the two almost cancel out, leaving a small loss.
In the example on this page the qualifying loss is $0.30 on a $200 stake, or 0.15%.
What are effective odds?
Effective odds are, essentially, the odds you receive for the middle to hit. They are the profit if the middle hits divided by the qualifying loss if it misses, so risking $0.30 to win $199.41 is effective odds of about 670.
The question is then: does the result land in that middle gap more often than 670 to 1? If it does, the middle is worth taking.
How often do middles actually hit?
Middles usually have small gaps and hit very rarely. You can expect to go on large losing streaks before a middle hits.
Middles need a longer run than any other strategy before luck is out of the equation and you see the true edge play out. If you would rather have a small profit on every bet, use the arbitrage scanner instead.
Included in Sports Premium
Start finding middles automatically
The middles scanner comes with positive EV, arbitrage, odds comparison, the bet tracker, education modules and premium Discord access.
$19.99/week or $64.99/month