Playing Middles & Line Movements

       You want to learn how to play middles and make guaranteed money with zero risk? Most of the betting public and even many average sports handicapping professionals have a habit of forgetting what the Vegas oddsmakers do and exactly what their job is. Many everyday betters seem to forget why the lines move the way they do and don't really understand why they can't get the same line as their buddy who got a better one. To be a successful sports handicapper, you must always remember that the Vegas oddsmaker's profession relies on one thing only; to post a line that gets an even amount of action on both sides of the game. The reason for this is because if the sportsbook they work for gets an even amount of betting action on both sides, the book always makes a profit because they are collecting the juice (or vig) from all the losing bets (half the wagers). The trick to taking advantage of these line movements and a way to secure yourself a profit no matter what happens is by playing middles. If you play the middle, you can guarantee yourself either two wins or no loss at all with the only thing you can possibly lose is the juice on the game.

       Here is how playing middles works and what professional gamblers speak of when they talk about playing middles. To start, what you will have to do is look for a football game during the middle of the week that appears to have the line set wrong and seems like the public will bet mostly on one side. You are looking for a game with a line that will move a lot during the week. As an example; (these are not real records or lines) lets say that the Jets have a record of 11-2 and they are playing at Buffalo who is 2-11 in week 14 and the line for this game is New York -1.5. Now, with the Jets being a very good team (11-2) and Buffalo being a very bad team (2-11), you would think that the betting public will bet heavy on the Jets throughout the week and force some serious line movements. So, at the beginning of the week when the line came out, you would bet New York -1.5 ($110 to win $100). Now, you have the bet placed that you like because you think the Jets are going to win and cover the 1.5 points. Now, on Saturday, the day before the came, what you thought would happen did, and line movements took place for this game. Now, the Jets vs. Bills line moved to New York -6.5. You still have you original wager of New York -1.5 ($110 to win $100) already placed and the line will not change for that bet. What you will want to do now is bet on Buffalo +6.5 for the same amount ($110 to win 100).

      Now, the worst that could happen in this game is that you could lose one one of the two bets since there is no possible way for you to lose both of your bets. Another thing that could happen (and this is what you want to happen), is the Jets win this game by 2, 3, 4, 5,or 6 points. In this case, you will win both of your $100 bets. This is exactly what playing middles is. When you made your bet of Buffalo +6.5 you took advantage of the line movements and 'played the middle' of the two. The worst that you can lose is the juice (or vig) when playing middles. But, with all the online sportsbooks out there today (Get a 100% bonus at BetOnline), and all the perks & betting options offered at various sportsbooks, including the option to buy and sell points in games, you can usually find away to reduce the juice and/or remove it completely from both wagers. If you play the middle and cut out the vig (or juice), you are taking no risk at all.

One might say, "What fun is gambling if you're not taking any risk?" Well, consider this....

      Lets say for example that before you made the Bills +6.5 bet, you recognized the line movement and the opportunity to play the middle, but you don't want to "middle the bet" because you researched the game and did your handicapping. By your research, you think that the Jets are going to win and win by a lot. In this case, you can middle only halfway and take the Bills +6.5 at only half the amount (for $55 to win $50). Now, you have a risked wager on New York -1.5 and you will make more money depending on how much the Jets win by, with the middle making you the most money. If the Jets win by more then 6, will win $45 and your handicapping work paid off. If the middle hits (and the Jets win by 2,3,4,5,6), you will win $150. But, since you are not playing a true middle, you can still lose money where if the Jets were only to win by a point or lose the game completely, then you will have lost $55. Playing middles and taking advantage of line movements is a great way to limit or completely reduce risk in sports betting. Many wiseguys make a living on doing nothing but shopping around for lines at different sportsbooks and playing middles.

      The hardest part of the 'playing middles' process is finding a game that you are 100% sure will have a different line later in the week. Another difficult part of playing middles is that when there is a big line swing, the average bettor either (a) doesn't think to middle his bet; or (b) he just doesn't want to play the middle because he believes his original be will cover and there is no reason to play a middle. This is what separates sports handicapping wiseguys from the average sports bettor.

      You may just want to do your regular handicapping, while making sure to play the games that you like at the beginning of the week. This gives you the chance to watch the lines of the games that you bet and play the middle (or middles) if you see some advantageous line movements throughout the week on the games that you bet. The bigger the difference in the line, the more likely the middle is to hit and the more you will want to middle your first wager.But, the most important thing to remember (playing middles or not) is that the Vegas oddsmaker's job is to get an even amount of action on each side of the game and nothing else. Never forget that.

      Always consider all of your betting options, even after you placed your original bet. Most public bettors just place a bet and don't even bother watching the lines and again, this is what separates solid handicappers from the betting public. Here is one more tip to consider that the sportsbooks and the betting industry doesn't want you to know; The more that you; take the time watch the game lines, keep an eye on the value of your wagers, and look for opportunities to take advantage of different line movements to reduce risk, the more successful you will be and the more opportunities you will find to make the books pay for mistakes. Good luck with your handicapping and Bankroll Sports is always here to help.

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Current matchups reports to research games that you may be able to play middles with: