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Betting basics · 9 of 36
The middle
In one line: Two bets on opposite sides of one number, placed at two books. If the final lands between the two lines, both bets can win.
Worked example
Team A is -2.5 at one book, and Team B is +4.5 at another. Both are priced at -110, so each $110 bet wins $100. Both bets win when the final margin, Team A minus Team B, is 3 or 4, and you collect $200. At any other margin, one bet loses $110 and the other wins $100, so you are $10 down.
Illustrative prices, not a live quote.
What it is
A middle is two bets on opposite sides of a number, placed at two books. The two lines are set apart, and the space between them is the middle. If the final lands in that space, both bets can win.
Outside the space, one bet wins and the other loses. Most results land outside the space, so a middle often loses a little.
How to read it
The window is the set of results where both bets win. For a spread, Team A at -2.5 and Team B at +4.5 leave a window of final margins of 3 or 4. For a total, Over 44.5 at one book and Under 46.5 at another leave a window of totals of 45 or 46.
Read both prices. A middle pays only when both bets win, and each price changes the profit you make in that window.
How it shows in Antic
Edge's Middles list shows the width of the window in points, any key numbers inside it, and the chance of a hit when Antic has one. Antic shows an estimated hit chance only for full-game totals and spreads.
A middle that is also an arbitrage shows its arbitrage return, and its settle chart marks the both-win result in gold.
Common mistakes
Counting only the win. Most results land outside the window, and one leg loses there, so the net is often a small loss.
Ignoring the prices. A -120 leg costs more than a -110 leg, so the profit in the window depends on both prices.