A teaser bet is basically a group of wagers combined into one bet much like a parlay. The difference between the parlay and the teaser is that in a teaser, the line you wager against for each individual bet is moved to your favor by the number of points of the teaser.
For instance, on a 6-point teaser, the line for the favorite would more from -14 to -8. All the individual wagers need to win for the teaser to be collected on. The payoffs depend on how many teams are selected as well as how many points were on the teaser. It’s an interesting wager for football and basketball (football is the better option) to say the least and knowing how to play it is important.
Evaluating Teams for a Teaser Bet
When evaluating the best teams and games to place a teaser wager on, it’s wise to consider the most popular winning margins for that sports. This is what makes football the better option as basketball scoring differs completely from football. Most football games, whether NFL or NCAA, are going to be won by three or seven points because of the way scoring works in the sport.
If you ran the numbers, you’d find that about one quarter of football games are won by either three or seven points. That said, when playing a teaser, stick to football.
Keeping these scoring patterns in mind, the smart play for a favorite is to look for a team favored by about 7.5 points. Taking this team on a standard point spread bet, the team would need to win by eight or more points. However, in a six point teaser, they’d only need to win by 1.5 points. This is a good spot to be in on a football game as both the three point and seven point are covered. The same would apply to a team that’s a 8.5 favorite as well, the move to 2.5 covers both numbers as well.
The same applies for taking the underdog. A team considered a 1.5 underdog, but adding a six point teaser, the wager wins if they lose by less than 7.5 points, covering both the three and and seven point margins. The same applies for a team that is the 2.5 underdog, needing to lose by less than 8.5. This is the best edge you can have for football teasers.
Just as with a parlay, the teaser only wins if all of the teams you’ve combined in your wager win. Therefore, it is best to limit the number of teams in your teaser. Yes, it is true that your payout will increase dramatically with every team you add, however, so does your odds of losing.
The Teaser “Sweet Spot”
Just as there is a “sweet spot” in the amount of points you are adding or subtracting from, there is a “sweet spot” in the number of games to combine. Two, three, or four are the most you want to play on a teaser. Anything more and you’re over-exposed and one loss can ruin it all whereas two to four team teasers still pay well and limit the risk.
Home Teams, Line Movements & More
Knowing how many teams to play and how many points to look for is a great first step. Now you can add more qualifiers to your wager to add even more value.
For instance, home teams are perfect for teasers, especially in football. The hometown teams compete far more than visitors and they cover much more often. If you want to add value to your teaser, pick as many home teams as possible. The home field advantage plus your teaser points will increase your chances of winning the wager every time.
It’s important to note line movement as well. Having an idea of where a line will move will greatly improve your teaser chances as well. If there is a game with a point spread you feel is undervalued, wait for it to move where you like and get your teaser points.
Line movement is one of the most important aspects of placing any point spread wager. Many theories can apply to where the line moves. For teasers, you’re waiting for the line to finish moving in order to secure the most points you can. You want the opportunity to maximise how many points you can get and letting the lines move is the best way to do this.
Not only do you want the line to finish moving, you’d like it to end on a hook. The “hook” is the half point seen frequently on point spreads and it’s perfect for avoiding ties and pushes which can ruin a teaser. Some teasers allow on push to equate a push on the entire wager.
Others will not, so it’s best to avoid them altogether if you can by getting a number with a hook. Again, this limits your risk and increases the value of your teaser.
Teasers are just that, a tease. They can be great wagers, though, if you know where to find the value. Know the numbers to play, stick to the home teams, watch the lines and grab the hook. If you can find two to four teams that fall into this category, you’ve got yourself a good teaser with plenty of value.
