What is a Teaser and How to Bet Them

To understand what is a teaser bet, you must know what a parlay is. In essence, a teaser is a form of a parlay bet.

Remember, a parlay is simply a single bet made up of multiple straight bets. In order for the bet to cash, all the individual bets must win.

BETTING TEASERS AT ONLINE SPORTSBOOKS

A teaser is a parlay in which the bettor can pay to adjust the point spread. One of the most common teaser bets is the two-team, six-point NFL teaser. Bettors must pick two games correctly but get an additional six points on each game’s line.

What is a Teaser – Teaser Example

To understand what is a teaser, we need to see an example. We can use Week 7 of the 2020 NFL season as an example. That week, the Cardinals were a 3.5-point home underdog to Seattle. Jacksonville played on the road as an 8-point underdog.

Seattle @ Arizona (+3.5)

Jacksonville (+8) @ LA Chargers

The Cardinals were playing well and were at home. The extra six points took them to +9.5. Arizona ended up winning on a field goal in overtime.

The Jags led the Chargers 29-22 late in the third quarter, but the L.A. came back and, with a fourth quarter field goal, ended up winning 39-29. That covered the original point spread of eight points, but with the teaser and the extra six points, the bettor ended up winning.

Since both legs of the teaser won, this teaser bet is a winner.

Must Read > Why Prop Bets are Popular

Betting Teasers

The best opportunity to win teaser bets is on NFL games. In college football, there is too much volatility in scoring and too wide of a range in point differentials. NBA and college basketball offer teasers as well, but the most common is the four-point, four-team teaser. Picking two games is difficult enough.

For the most opportune teasers, the NFL is your best option. To be successful betting NFL teasers, there are a few simple rules a bettor should follow.

  • Don’t tease college football games.
  • Always tease to cross two key numbers. The most common margins of victory in the NFL are 3 and 7. When you tease a spread, it should cross these two numbers. For example, tease a 7-point favorite down to -1. When the favorite wins by 3 or 7 points, the spread is covered.
  • Never tease across zero. Don’t take a 3-point underdog and tease it to -3. NFL games are designed not to end in a tie. By teasing across zero, you are paying for an outcome that will not likely happen.
  • Don’t tease totals. The most common point total for an NFL game is 41. The most common final score is 23-20 for a total of 46 points, yet these numbers do not come up with enough frequency to make teasing totals worthwhile.

Be sure that you are getting -110 on your two-team, six-point teaser. If you are not, continue to shop around until you do at your best sportsbook options.

Betting a teaser is not that much different than betting a point spread on a single game. Find yourself the best price to maximize your winnings.

I hope this helped you understand a little better what is a teaser.