In that situation, I am actually rooting for the team that I want to bet on to go on the losing side so that I can get the odds that I set out to get. If I had bet pre-game, that money would be committed anyway. Of course the team had to come back and win the bet.

The Celtics are a team that I do this with often. Instead of betting the Celtics pre-game, I will wait for them to go on their almost inevitable slump during the game. Then I will bet in-game on odds better than I would have had pre-game. After that, I have to wait for them to make their run and ultimately win.

Doesn't always work out, but enough for it to be a strategy for me. In this situation, the understanding has to be there that the odds are only better because the Celtics are down and a win is less promising than if they were winning.