What Is a Teaser Bet?

Teaser betting is a version of parlay betting where only wagers against the spread or on totals are allowed. With a teaser, you can adjust the spreads in your favor in exchange for a smaller return. Because of this detail, teaser bets can sometimes be easier to win.

Teaser betting is regularly used for football betting, and it can involve at least two teams or more. You’re normally allowed up to 10 wagers on a teaser bet.

How Do Teaser Bets Work?

Essentially, you are buying points to make it more likely for you to win your bet. The most standard type of teaser bet lets you wager on two games while adjusting the spread of both games to increase your chances of winning.

Just like a regular parlay bet, you must win all your selections to receive a payout. If just one of your legs loses, the entire teaser bet will, too.

Take a look at some of the teaser bet’s standout features:

Selection

You must choose two or more games for your teaser bet. It’s up to you whether you include point spread bets or over/under bets.

Adjusted Lines

The points are given to each game’s over/under or point spread. For example, if a team is the favorite by 7 points on a 6-point teaser, your new line becomes -1.

Teaser Points

These are predetermined figures set by the sportsbook. You should decide on the number of teaser points you would like to add or remove from each over/under or spread.

Combination Bets

All selections are tied together to make one single bet, and every single leg of your teaser needs to win for you to get a payout.

Return

Your payout will be lower than other types of bets because you have adjusted the odds to make them more favorable. These odds will vary depending on the number of teaser points and teams used.

What Happens if a Leg From a Teaser Pushes?

Good question! If a line from your teaser bet features a whole number, this may well be the result of your wager. It’s worth mentioning here that any line with half points, - 4.5, 5.5, 6.5, 7.5, and so on - will only ever have a win or loss outcome. Pushes will only occur on a line with a whole number, like 3, 4, 5, 6, etc.

If a game from your teaser bet ends in a push, it’s removed from the teaser. For example, let’s say you have a 4-pick teaser, and one game is a push but the others win. The game that’s a push will be taken off your teaser bet, and the odds will be adjusted accordingly, making it a 3-pick teaser.

If one selection from a 2-pick teaser bet is a push, the entire teaser bet is considered a push. Should this happen, you’ll get back your entire stake.

NFL Teaser Bets

Teaser bets can be used for the NFL by tying together at least two wagers for a greater chance of winning. For example, if the Lions are at -7 and the Chiefs are at -10, you can create a six-point teaser bet by moving them, respectively, to -1 and -4, lowering the spreads as a result.

NBA Teaser Bets

Just like with the NFL bets, you will once again lower the spread for at least two NBA teams. For instance, a five-point teaser bet on an NBA game change the -9 and -7 spreads to -4 and -2.

MLB Teaser Bets

Let’s say that, for an MLB game, one team has a point spread of -3.5 in favor of the other team. You could wager a teaser bet by adjusting the point spread by 6 points, making the new point spread +2.5 in favor of the team.

NHL Teaser Bets

Teaser bets work just as well for NHL games too, as they essentially allow you to purchase points and moving lines. Let’s say the Hurricanes are at -2.5 against a weaker team. In this situation, you could change this to -1.5 and improve your chances of winning.

Are Teaser Bets Worth It?

Generally speaking, teaser betting is not a good strategy for long-term sports betting. Because it’s a type of parlay, you’re still combining multiple bets into one wager, which decreases your overall chances of winning. As such, you are likely not going to win enough for the risk to be worthwhile as a consistent strategy.

With that said, teaser betting is fairly popular because it can increase your chances of winning a bet on an individual game. While the payout is less likely, you may see a significant return if your wagers do land.

There are other reasons why bettors use teaser bets. The purpose of teaser betting is to buy points in your favor and make wagers less risky. But always keep the house edge in mind, as it applies here, too.

Let’s consider some of the pros and cons of teaser betting:

Pros

Improved chances of winning

Adjust the spread or line in your favor and boost your odds of winning.

Flexibility

You have total freedom of choice when it comes to adjusting the spreads or lines, allowing you to personalize your bet according to your knowledge, strategy, and analysis.

Reduce the risk

By moving the spread or line yourself, you can create an outcome that differs from your initial prediction.

Cons

Lower odds

Compared against other types of bets, teaser bets can offer much lower odds. The lines will be adjusted in your favor, but you get a lower payout as a result.

Restrictions

Not every sportsbook offers teaser bets on all sports, so you may not be able to make the exact bet that you want.

Mistake bets

Some bettors can focus far too much on the adjusted lines and forget to analyze the data and variables as they should.

In summary, and as with all types of betting, teaser bets certainly have their time and place. While teaser betting can be good for sports bettors looking to boost their chances for individual games, it’s not really considered good practice for long-term betting.

Teaser Bets Strategy

Now we’ve explored what teaser betting is, how it works when it comes to various sports, and whether or not they are worthwhile, let’s take a closer look at teaser bet strategies.

We’ve compiled a list of tips and strategies for you to consider that may help improve the profitability of your bets.

Use key numbers

Specific numbers have been known to appear more often than other numbers, making them important to keep in mind. Lots of final scores in recorded history have had noticeable trends. For example, football results usually feature the numbers 0, 3, and 7 (20-17 and 23-7, for example). If you use these numbers for your teaser bets, they may help boost your chances, as they can be more profitable than other points.

Vary the game times

Placing teaser bets across a variety of start times can make things much easier. Doing so opens up more hedge options – if you already know a result from a previous leg, for example. If all of your games start at the same time, you may make a mistake on your bet that backfires. Spread the game times out and give yourself space to clear your head between wagers.

Choose closer spreads

If you bet on games that have a closer spread, the points that you are getting in your favor will have much more impact.

Keep your bet simple

Just like standard parlay bets, the fewer legs you have on your teaser bet, the easier it will be for you to win. Predicting 10 different outcomes is much harder than betting on 4 outcomes, for instance. While a teaser bet with 10 successful legs will give you a huge payout and major bragging rights, it is very risky.

Use favorites and underdogs

Combine your bet with favorites and underdogs for the advantage on your adjusted lines. This boosts your chances of covering both sides.

Focus on the over/under and the underdogs

Focusing on the underdogs and over/under bets can be useful. Betting on favorites often provides much less value, as the points you then add are already favored.

It’s important to keep in mind that no matter which strategy you adopt, a win is never guaranteed. The above tips are popular strategies that many sports bettors employ to help give them that extra edge, but, ultimately, no result is promised.