Have you ever found yourself on the edge of your seat, watching an NFL game unfold, wishing you had a bit more leeway with your bets? Enter the teaser bet. It is a strategic play that can turn the tides in your favor.
For example, you’re eyeing two upcoming games with spreads that seem just a tad too tight for comfort. With a teaser bet, you can adjust those lines to give yourself some breathing room. It’s like having a secret weapon in your sports betting arsenal.
How to Make a Teaser Bet
So, how do you bet on a teaser? First things first, let’s break it down. A teaser is essentially a parlay bet with a twist—you get to tweak the point spread or total in your favor. For instance, if the New England Patriots are favored to win by 7 points and the Los Angeles Rams by 3 points, a 6-point teaser could adjust these lines to -1 for the Patriots and +9 for the Rams.
The most common football teasers are 6, 6.5, and 7 points. Some sportsbooks offer 14-point teasers.
Basketball also has teasers. The available numbers depend on the sportsbook. The most common basketball teasers are 4, 4.5, and 5 points. You may find that some sportsbooks have different teaser points for NBA and NCAA games.
Now imagine applying this strategy across multiple games. You could combine an underdog’s resilience with a favorite’s dominance, all while navigating around those nail-biting spreads. But remember, even though teasers offer more flexibility than standard parlays, they still require all selections to win; one misstep and the entire bet crumbles.
This is great for the player. However, there is a catch. While this maneuver increases your chances of winning each wager within the teaser, it also means accepting lower overall odds—and thus, a smaller payout. If any leg of a teaser loses, the entire ticket is worthless.
Don’t confuse teasers with pleasers. These are two opposite types of bets. Pleasers move point spreads against the player’s picks. These are more like lottery tickets.
Teaser Pushes
Pushes drop from the teaser. For example, a four-team teaser with three wins and a push pays out as a three-teamer. A 14-point teaser usually considers a push a loss.
A two-team teaser has special rules that depend on the house. Some grade it as a push on the entire ticket. Others will pay it as a winner. Always read the house rules to determine what your favorite sportsbook does in this situation.
Wong Teasers
A Wong Teaser was invented by Stanford Wong. The concept is to push a football game past three and seven. For example, a 2.5-point underdog becomes +8.5 on a six-point teaser. That puts it through the key numbers of three and seven. An 8.5-point favorite teased down to 2.5 does the same. A Wong bettor would tease every game of the week that allows this.
Wong Teasers are mostly a thing of the past. That is because sportsbooks dropped teaser payouts to levels that thwart the concept. However, it is still the best way to tease games.