Strategy
Middles: the small loss that occasionally pays 20 to 1
Two bets either side of the real line, where one result cashes both.
Updated September 27, 2026 · TrueEdge Academy
If one book posts a total of 47.5 and another posts 49.5, you can take the over at 47.5 and the under at 49.5. Land on 48 or 49 and both tickets win. Anything else and one wins, one loses, and you are out roughly the vig.
- Book A — Over 47.5
- −110, $110 to win $100
- Book B — Under 49.5
- −110, $110 to win $100
- Total staked
- $220
- Final total 48 or 49
- both cash: +$200
- Any other total
- one cashes: −$10
- Break-even hit rate
- about 4.8%
Two numbers out of a realistic range — the hit rate on a two-point NFL middle is usually well above 5%, which is what makes it worth doing.
How to judge one
The question is never "how big is the payout" — it is whether the chance of landing inside beats the cost of the misses. Key numbers matter enormously: a middle spanning 3 in NFL is worth far more than one spanning 6, because far more games land on 3.