What is a Teaser Bet?

What is a Teaser Bet?

teaser bet

Sports betting has a variety of options available for punters. You can place a single bet, or you can combine multiple wagers into a parlay. When wagering on the point spread, bettors can choose to buy points and move the line to make it easier, although this comes with a smaller payout. A teaser bet shares similarities with both cases mentioned.

 

What is a teaser bet? Bookmakers offer teasers as separate bets from parlays. While they are both similar in the sense that all legs must win for the bet to be successful, a teaser bet combines multiple spreads into one bet while also allowing you to move the line. Of course, that also comes with a price, as it will decrease your payout.

 

Are teaser bets worth it? We will now take a better look at how they work and the best way to make use of them.

 

Teaser Bet Explained

 

Before we move on to teaser bets, let’s recap a few things about parlay bets and point spread bets. In a parlay, hitting one single bet isn’t enough for you to win; all legs must go through. If a single one loses, that’s it – your parlay also loses.

 

Point spread bets establish a negative handicap for the favorite and a positive handicap for the underdog. In order to cover the spread, the underdog has to lose by a margin smaller than its handicap, or simply win the match. The favorite covers the spread if it wins by a margin large enough to cover the bookmaker’s line. You can also buy points in a spread to move the line and create a new one that’s easier to cover.

 

Why must we recap parlay bets, point spread bets and buying points in betting before getting started with teaser bets? As you will see, teaser bets also share some similarities with those.

 

A teaser bet allows you to combine multiple point spread bets into one wager. However, it also allows you to move the line in all games, albeit at the cost of a smaller payout.

 

Teasers in sports betting are far more common in football, more specifically in the NFL, compared to other sports and professional leagues. Why is that? Teaser bets usually move the line by 6 points, which is the equivalent of a touchdown (not including the PAT or a two-point conversion).

 

Since score margins in the NFL tend to be relatively close, moving the line by 6 points makes a big difference. Bookmakers usually offer teaser bets in basketball as well, but since winning margins tend to fluctuate a lot in the sport, teasers usually aren’t worth it. That’s also the case for college football, which usually has some rather elastic scorelines.

 

You can also place teaser bets on points totals and over/under, although buying 6 whole points is an exaggeration. In this case, you are usually better off taking the lines offered by the bookmaker.

 

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Teaser Bet Tips

What is the best way to make a teaser bet, and how to get the most value out of it? Here are some useful tips.

 

🔵 Teaser bets were made popular by Stanford Wong in the book Sharp Sports Betting. Wong proved that, by moving the line 6 points in the -7.5 to -8.5 range for the favorite and +1.5 to +2.5 range for the underdog, punters usually won 75% of the bets while also cashing in a worthy payout. That’s because, in football, 3 and 7 are considered key numbers: 3 for a field goal and 7 for a touchdown, plus the point after. These are the two most common winning margins in NFL games. In a Wong Teaser, the new lines would then become -1.5 or -2.5 for the favorites and +7.5 or +8.5 for the underdogs, making them much more manageable. Over time, sportsbooks began taking notice of the Wong Teaser, and now usually try to stay away from these ranges. It’s worth taking a chance if you do find these numbers.

 

 

🔵 While teaser bets are also available in other sports and leagues, you should not consider them outside of NFL games. In basketball, winning margins aren’t as consistent: while some games may be decided by a single possession, others may go well into double digits. It’s the same for college football. In other words, moving the line wouldn’t make much of a difference; you would still place a high risk bet at a much smaller payout – going against the very basics of sports betting.

 

 

🔵 The same applies to the betting markets available for teaser bets. Point spreads are the only betting market in which teaser bets are viable. Bookmakers allow you to place teaser bets on points total as well, for example. But moving the total by 6 points is a bit excessive. Once again, it would be taking a high risk (requiring all legs to win) at a smaller payout when compared to the original lines provided by the operator.

 

Also Learn About How to Understand Betting Scores and Odds

 

Teaser Bet Examples

For Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season, reigning champions Los Angeles Rams are +2.5 underdogs versus the Buffalo Bills, while the Minnesota Vikings are also +2.5 underdogs in the NFC North showdown against the Green Bay Packers. The Baltimore Ravens, meanwhile, are -7 favorites versus the rebuilding New York Jets. A teaser combining all three teams would move the line to +8.5 for the Rams and the Vikings and -1 for the Ravens.

 

In a less-ideal bet, but still somewhat viable, the Indianapolis Colts are -9 favorites versus the Houston Texans. The Las Vegas Raiders and the Arizona Cardinals are +3.5 underdogs against the Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs, respectively. You could combine all three in a teaser bet, moving the lines to -3 for the Colts and +9.5 for the Raiders and Cardinals.

 

You should avoid making teaser bets for points total, but let’s take a look at an example of how it would look if you picked three potential low-scoring matches: New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons (41.5), Cleveland Browns at Carolina Panthers (42) and Jacksonville Jaguars at Washington Commanders (44). A teaser bet would move all three lines by 6 points (47.5, 48 and 50 points).

 

 

Pros vs Cons of Teaser Bets

🔷 Pros:

🔹 Teaser bets offer a slightly better payout than single bets. If you feel that wagering on a parlay bet using the lines provided by the bookmaker is not your thing, taking the teaser instead can be an option.
🔹 You are moving the line by 6 points, and that’s a lot in football. No matter the situation, you are creating a much more manageable line, and therefore improving the chances of winning a bet.

 

🔶 Cons:

🔸 Teaser bets aren’t really that different from parlays, so you are still taking a few risks. If a single leg doesn’t win, then your teaser goes down the drain in an instant. Since teasers still have some risk and offer a smaller payout, some bettors are against them.
🔸 Realistically, teaser bets are only viable with NFL point spreads, which really limits their usefulness. Bookmakers make punters pay a relatively expensive price for moving the betting line, and the payoff isn’t always worth it.

 

 

Summary

Most bettors will ask themselves: are teaser bets good or not? As you can see, they can be an alternative, although somewhat limited. If you are into NFL betting, then it can be worth calculating whether a teaser is worth it or not heading into the week. Depending on the situation, you might actually find a chance to place a teaser. But remember that teasers should be avoided outside of NFL point spread bets. While moving the line by a lot looks tempting, remember that it comes at a steep cost.

 

 

FAQs: What is a Teaser?

1. What Is a Teaser in Sports Betting?

A teaser is a multiple bet in which players can move the bookmaker’s line by buying points. The most common teaser bet is combining multiple football spread bets and then moving the respective lines by 6 points.

2. How Does a Teaser Bet Work?

In a teaser bet, you are combining different point spread bets just as you would in a normal parlay. However, the bookmaker allows you to move the line by 6 points in exchange for a smaller payout. In other words, you will be taking a more manageable line, at a cost.

3. Is Teaser a Good Bet?

It depends. On one hand, teaser bets offer a better payout compared to single bets. On the other hand, they still carry some risk, since you still need to win all legs. The Wong Teaser suggests that you can get the most value in a specific range: -1.5 to 2.5 for the favorite and +7.5 to 8.5 for the underdog.

4. What Is a 7-Point Teaser Bet?

A 7-point teaser bet means that you will be moving the sportsbook’s line by 7 points. Let’s take a look at an example: Team A is a -9 favorite, Team B is a +5 underdog, and Team C is a -8 favorite. A 7-point teaser would move the lines to -2, +12 and -1.

5. Are NBA Teasers Worth It?

The answer is usually no. For the most part, teasers only work with NFL point spread bets. In basketball, the winning margins are all over the place, going from single possession games to double-digit blowouts. Moving the spread by a few points doesn’t do much to change the risk, and it also comes with the downside of offering a smaller payout as well.
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