Middles are sensitive to stake sizing because the two legs need to work together.
Use Kelly as a sizing guide, then make sure the per-leg stakes still fit your accounts and the live prices.
Why staking matters
A middle has more than one outcome.
If the middle hits, both legs can win. If it misses, usually one leg wins and the other loses. The exact stakes decide how much the miss costs and how much the hit pays.
That is why a good-looking middle can become worse if you round the stakes badly, stake too aggressively, or cannot get the required amount down at both bookmakers.
Bankroll source
Middles can use two bankroll sources.
Tracker
Uses your tracked cash bankroll automatically.
Manual
Lets you enter a bankroll amount just for Middles stake sizing.
Use Tracker when your tracked balances are up to date. Use Manual when you want Middles to use a separate bankroll or a smaller test bankroll.
Kelly fraction
Kelly estimates a total stake from the edge, miss cost, hit return, and your bankroll.
Middles supports:
- 1/4 Kelly
- 1/2 Kelly
- Full Kelly
Lower fractions reduce stake size and smooth variance. For most users, fractional Kelly is more practical than Full Kelly because fair odds are estimates and middle outcomes are lumpy.
Per-leg stakes
The table can show Kelly stake amounts on each bet leg.
Those leg amounts are based on the total Kelly stake and the offered odds on both sides. They are there to help you place the middle with the intended risk profile.
If you change the stakes manually, the SR and Hit shape changes too. Sometimes that is fine, but it means you are no longer placing exactly the displayed candidate.
Stake rounding
Kelly can produce awkward stake sizes.
Middles supports no rounding, nearest $1, nearest $5, nearest $10, and dynamic rounding. Dynamic rounding scales the step with stake size.
Rounding makes staking easier, but it changes the exact miss cost and hit return. Treat the rounded stake as a practical guide, not a guarantee that every displayed metric will stay identical.
Both legs matter
Do not judge the stake from one leg alone. A middle only has the displayed profile when both legs are placed at the intended prices and stake sizes.
Practical approach
A simple workflow:
- Use a conservative Kelly fraction.
- Check SR before getting excited by Hit return.
- Keep Min Count high enough for the markets you are betting.
- Make sure both leg stakes are realistic for the accounts.
- Track the play so you can review performance over time.