Teaser Bet Example

admin 4/12/2022 12/04/22

Teaser Bet Calculator
Teaser Bet Example Meaning
Teaser Bet Rules

For sports betting, the big three bet types capture most of the attention. Moneyline, point spreads, and totals attract a ton of betting action, and bets of this nature tend to dominate the conversation as a result.

However, there are plenty of other ways to get in the game. Some of them are really simple and straightforward, while others can seem a bit on the complex side at first glance.

While the natural tendency is to shy away from those that fall in the latter category, they are more than worthy of taking the time to understand how they work.

A teaser bet is a bit of a parlay bet, which allows players to reduce their risk. A teaser bet offers the opportunity to bet on point spreads or game totals, and then “tease” or adjust the line to give them a better chance of winning. Of course, their chances to win come at a cost? Which is reduced odds. Here's an example of how the odds would move on an NFL bet on a 6-point teaser card. In this example, all three favorites are priced above seven points, which is the second most common margin of. Mar 02, 2014 If you do sports betting on basketball or football you might be wondering what a teaser bet is. Well in this video i will show you exactly how to use a teaser bet and what it costs you to do so.

In fact, you’ll come to find that they aren’t that tough to wrap your head around after a little practice. One of the wagers that fall into this category is a teaser bet.

Through this article, you’ll know what a teaser bet is, how to use it, and whether or not it’s something that fits with your strategy.

What Are Teaser Bets?

A teaser bet shares something in common with parlay wagers. In both cases, you are placing two or more games on a single betting slip. You’ll need to be right on all choices in order to cash in.

For example, on a three-team teaser, all three legs must be correct in order to have a winning ticket. The same holds true when we’re talking about a three-team parlay bet.

The difference between the two comes down to who is in control of the lines. On a point spread parlay bet, you’re placing your money down on the line set by the oddsmakers. For a teaser bet, you can move the lines to a point that you find them more favorable.

Naturally, a shift in the lines can result in a less favorable return. That said, when used properly, teaser bets can open the doors to even more potentially profitable situations.

Most Common Types of Teaser Bets

Teasers are most commonly used in sports in which the point spread is a big betting focus, such as in basketball or football. As we work through some examples, we’ll use these two sports as our main focus.

A teaser bet will include two or more games. Just like in parlay betting, the more games that are added to the ticket, the greater the odds of being correct on all of them.

Some books will cap the number of games that can be used for parlays and teasers, so keep that in mind and consult the exact rules at your preferred operator for clarification.

Teaser bets generally revolve around key numbers. Three specific numbers are the big focus for basketball and football.

Basketball: 4,4.5, or 5 points.
Football: 6. 6.5, or 7 points.

Now let’s take a look at how these numbers get applied. Starting with basketball, consider this fictitious line for an NBA game.

Los Angeles Lakers -10.5 over Golden State Warriors
Milwaukee Bucks -7.5 over New York Knicks

You decide that you like the favorite in both cases, but the hefty spreads are making you feel a bit skittish. This could be a good spot to use a 4-point teaser. Here’s what the adjusted lines would look like.

Los Angeles Lakers -6.5 over Golden State Warriors
Milwaukee Bucks -3.5 over New York Knicks

It works the same way in football. Here’s an example using a made-up spread from an NFL game.

Patriots -9 over Jets
Cowboys -8 over Giants

Once again, you like the favorites but don’t want to lay that many points. You decide to use a 7-point teaser to bring the spread more to your liking. Here are the adjusted lines.

Patriots -2 over Jets
Cowboys -1 over Giants

Teaser bets can be used to your advantage by dropping the spreads down to a level that you feel is more reasonable. Since you’re dropping the spread, there’s a little less risk involved.

The return on a teaser will be less than you would receive for a correct parlay on unadjusted lines as a result, so keep that in mind.

How to Use Teaser Bets

To use teaser bets effectively, it helps to have a good sense of how the lines move. From the time that lines are released until game time, the market will react, and oddsmakers will adjust accordingly.

For NBA and College Basketball, betting odds will generally be released no later than the morning of a game, but you may be able to get a sneak peek at them the night before in some spots.

College football lines are generally out on Sundays in advance of the following weeks games. For NFL, you’ll see lines for the upcoming week by Monday, but keep in mind that there’s still a primetime game to play before the previous week is considered closed.

As the day moves along for basketball lines, there will be shifts based on how the market reacts. When it comes to football, there’s more time for swings, so you may see the number hold steady before fluctuating later in the week.

In both cases, if oddsmakers release a number that the betting market loves, then it’s not uncommon to see the line move real quick after the open.

One good rule of thumb to follow is to get a glimpse of the lines for your chosen sport as soon as you can after the release. Make a mental note of games that look appealing, and keep an eye on any shifts that happen from that point.

By doing so, you’ll have a good sense of which games you want to key in on when it gets closer to time to place your wagers.

Let’s say that you have reviewed the day’s College Basketball lines early in the morning. You have a handful of games that you like at first glance, and these are the ones you’ll watch as the day moves along.

After handicapping the games, you come up with three that you like. It just so happens that all three are favorites, and the spread has risen throughout the day.

Dayton -4.5 to -6.5
Michigan State -5.5 to -7.5
Villanova -3.5 to -5.5

The market has come down heavy on the favorites, and the spread has risen on all three games as a result. You still like all three favorites to win their games, but climbing spreads make you uneasy. It’s a good time to use a 4-point teaser. Here’s what you’ll be looking at.

Dayton -2.5
Michigan State -3.5
Villanova -1.5

Not only do you have more attractive spreads than what the public is betting on, but you have also dropped them below the open. You’ve managed to drop the risk somewhat, but the trade-off comes in that you’ll get less of a return if all three of your teaser bets come in.

Examples of Teaser Bets

Before diving right in with teaser bets, it’s important to understand exactly how they work. There’s no such thing as easy money when it comes to sports betting. However, practice and fine-tuning your skills can enhance your chances of being right more often than not.

To that end, let’s walk through some more examples of teaser bets. We’ll kick things up several notches and add several teams to the mix, starting with the NBA.

Four games on the hardwood jump out to you as appealing plays. However, those same choices are readily apparent to others as well, so the lines are a bit hefty.

Toronto Raptors -7.5
Philadelphia 76ers -6.5
Denver Nuggets -9.5
Los Angeles Clippers -8.5

You fully expect the favorites to win all four games, but high spreads in the NBA turn you off. If you add a 5-point teaser into the equation, the lines suddenly don’t seem as intimidating.

Toronto Raptors -2.5
Philadelphia 76ers -1.5
Denver Nuggets -4.5
Los Angeles Clippers -3.5

All four of the games are now at a level that you find more attractive, so you’re willing to take less of a return while enhancing your chances of success.

Next up, you’re looking ahead to a busy Saturday of College Football action. Of the dozens of games on the docket, five favorites are staring you in the face as potentially fantastic plays.

Clemson -10.5
LSU -8.5
Alabama -9.5
Notre Dame -12.5
Ohio State -16.5

You’ve seen the spreads rise on all of these games to the point that all five teams are favored by more than a touchdown. While you’re confident they’ll get the job done, there’s no telling when they’ll call the dogs off and the other teams may close the gap in garbage time as a result.

A 7-point teaser can be a workaround for that. Suddenly, the big favorites only have to cover by a lesser amount of points.

Clemson -3.5
LSU -1.5
Alabama -2.5
Notre Dame -5.5
Ohio State -9.5

The teaser has brought the lines down to a level you’re more comfortable with. While the potential return is less due to adjusting the lines, the additional peace of mind may turn out to be worth it.

Payouts on Teaser Bets

Just like getting a handle on using teaser bets, it can be a little tricky understanding what the payout will be. For visualization purposes, it can help to look at potential returns in two ways: fractional and standard odds.

This can not only tell you what kind of return to expect, but it can also help you understand the actual probability of the wager itself.

Returns may vary at different books, but there’s a standard range you can expect for teasers based on points and number of teams used. Let’s look at basketball first and cap the teams at four.

4-point Basketball Teaser Payout

Two team: 1/1 or -100
Three team: 9/5 or +180
Four team: 3/1 +300

4.5-point Basketball Teaser Payout

Two team: 10/11 or -110
Three team: 8/5 or +160
Four team: 5/2 or +250

5-point Basketball Teaser Payout

Two team: 5/6 or -120
Three team: 3/2 or +150
Four team: 2/1 or +200

Next, let’s look at the standard range for football teasers.

6-point Football Teaser Payout

Teaser Bet Calculator

Two team: 10/11 or -110
Three team: 9/5 or +180
Four team: 3/1 or +300

6.5-point Football Teaser Payout

Two team: 10/12 or -120
Three team: 8/5 or +160
Four team: 5/2 or +250

7-point Football Teaser Payout

Two team: 10/13 or -130
Three team: 7/5 or +140
Four team: 2/1 or +200

As you can see, the more games you add to a ticket, the more of a potential return you’ll see. For points, it’s the opposite: the more points you use in a teaser, the payout will drop in comparison to teasers with the same number of teams while using less points.

As with parlay bets, the chances of being correct on all legs on a ticket decrease with each game added. That doesn’t mean that it’ll be impossible to hit, but it’s important to understand the risk-reward ratio for any bet you place.

The Bottom Line

A teaser bet is a slightly advanced wagering concept. In a nutshell, you’re moving the spread on a wager to a spot that you find more favorable.

Teasers are most commonly used in football and basketball betting, two sports in which the point spread attracts a ton of action.

It’s similar to a parlay wager in that it requires two or more legs to implement. Certain books will cap the number of legs you can use for a teaser, so refer to the rules at your preferred provider for exact numbers.

Teasers generally revolve around key numbers for both sports: 4, 4.5, and 5 for basketball, and 6, 6.5, and 7 for football.

As you add more teams to the ticket, the risk rises on your end. When it comes to points, the more points that are used, the more of a risk it is for oddsmakers.

As such, returns will vary based on the number of teams and points used. In short, you’ll see less of a return from teasers than parlays using the same number of legs. That’s the trade-off you make for moving the lines in your favor.

Teaser Bet Example Meaning

Teaser bets can seem complex at first glance, but a little bit of practice is all that it takes to gain a good understanding of them. They can be a solid tool to have in the arsenal each season, especially for contests and point spreads that have you feeling unsure.

This is part 1 of a two part analysis of teasers.

Part II.A Look at Advanced Teaser Strategy

Teasers are one of the many different ways to bet football. If you’re brand new to sports betting, as in never placed a bet, you should read the article I just linked you to as the information contained in this article here is quite advanced. For others, if simple math makes your head spin, note that I touch on teasers in my simple to follow article on football betting systems. For anyone ready to learn, let’s dive into advanced teaser betting which is one the best ways to profit betting NFL football.

What is a Teaser Bet

A teaser bet is a parlay bet that uses modified point spreads. For example: a 2-team 6-point teaser on Giants -8.5 -110 and Patriots +4.5 -110 gives you Giants -2.5 and Patriots +10.5 as a parlay. The odds for 6-point teasers vary between bookies. To give an idea: 2-team 6-point teasers are generally offered at -110, 3-team 6-point teaser at +150 to +180 and 4-team 6-point teaser at +250 to +300. You’ll notice these pay less than standard parlays; this is because you have the added benefit of 6-points in your favor. In this article I’ll teach you everything required to make long term profits betting teasers.

Teaser Bet Rules

Understanding the Odds

The first thing to understand about teasers is exactly what it is you are betting. Did you know a 2-team 6-point teaser at -110 is a parlay where each team is priced -262? Did you know a 3-team teaser at +180 is a parlay where each team is priced -244? If you’re already familiar with this math you can skip ahead; for those confused, allow me to illustrate this using simple math.

When betting at -110 we’re risking $1.10 to win $1.00, this means a successful bet returns $2.10 ($1.10 stake + $1.00 win). To calculate how often we need to win to break even, even when we use the formula risk/return = implied probability.

So here the math: 1.10/2.10=0.5238 (52.38%)

This tells us in a -110 teaser BOTH teams need to cover 52.38% of the time for us to break even. To see how often each team individually must win all we need to do is calculate the square root of 0.5238. You can do this via a root calculator (outside calculator); just enter 2 on the top field and 0.5238 in the bottom one. Doing this we see the answer is 0.7237 and this tells us each team must cover their point spread 72.37% to achieve the overall 52.38% required win rate. If we plug 72.37% into the implied probability field of our odds converter we see in American odds this is -262. This tells us is if we parlayed -262 with -262 the odds are -110. Therefore a 2-team 6-point teaser at -110 is a parlay with each team priced at -262.

Doing the math on a 3-team 6-point teaser +180: we start with $1.00 risked returns $2.80 ($1.00 stake + $1.80 win). So to calculate how often all three teams must win we take 1.00/2.80= 0.3571 (35.71%). This time we’re going to take the cubed root (3rd root) of 0.3571 because we’re dealing with 3 teams. Plugging this into a root calculator we see this solves to .7095 (70.95%). Once again using our odds converter we see 70.95% implied probability is -244 in American odds. So a parlay on -244, -244 and -244 pays +180. Therefore a 3-team 6-point teaser at +180 is a parlay where all teams are priced -244.

How to Beat Teasers

If you’re using 3-team 6-point +180 teasers you simply need to find a situation where teasing a point spread six points increases that teams expected win rate by 20.95%. Why? Because point spreads are a 50/50 proposition, and we’ve already determined in order to break even on 3-teams +180 teaser we need each team to win 70.95% of the time. 70.95%-50.00%=20.95%, so if a point spread is 20.95% more likely to cover when moved 6-points it is a +EV bet, if less than 20.95% it is a –EV wager and should be avoided. If we’re doing 2-team 6-point -110 teasers we need to increase the win rate by 72.37%-50.00%=23.37%. Hopefully this all makes sense! If not, reread it and keep in mind the math involved here is very simple.

Basic Strategy

Teasers were originally designed as a method to extract more money from recreational punters; however, along the way sharp sports bettors soon realized that with simple math and careful selection betting teasers can be quite profitable. Although the concept Basic Strategy Teasers has been around since the 1980’s, it was 2001 book by Stanford Wong titled “Sharp Sports Betting” that introduced this concept to the masses. Basic Strategy is based on the fact that almost 25% of NFL games are decided by either 3 or 7 points and around 38% of all NFL games are decided by 3 to 7 points. There are no other margins of victory close to these figures. Therefore simple logic tells us teasers that fully cross the 3 and the 7 at the best possible odds are the highest value of all teasers. This is called Basic Strategy or in some circles Wong Teasers.

To put this into a betting system, basic strategy is to tease underdogs +1.5 to +2.5 and favorites -7.5 to -8.5 in 6-point teasers. Basic strategy also states the best odds possible are required. As illustrated in the first section of this article 3-team 6-point teasers at +180 have better odds per team than 2-team 6-point teasers at -110. Therefore if on a given week there are 3 point spreads matching basic strategy criteria, 3-team teasers are a far better option than 2-team teasers.

Some Points about Basic Strategy

Basic Strategy Teasers are very often +EV, but this is not always the case. The logic behind them only shows they are the best blind subset to wager on, nowhere does that logic quantify their profitability.
It is important to check multiple online sportsbooks to confirm point spread you’re about to tease truly are +1.5 to +2.5 or -7.5 to -8.5. If your sportsbook list the line as -7.5, but one, two, or several others have the same team at -7, this should not be considered a basic strategy teaser.
Basic Strategy refers only to NFL football. Despite belief to the contrary, there are in fact profitable college football teasers. To find these you need to understand advanced teaser strategy covered later in this article.

Best Betting Sites for Teasers

Prior to getting into advanced teaser strategy it is important to understand, punters who are beating teasers are doing so using lots of simple math and value shopping multiple online sportsbooks. A mistake novice bettors often make is to focus only on best teaser odds, meaning they want 3-team +180 not 3-team +170. However, what if there is 3 point spreads all +1.5 at every sportsbook (in other words the consensus line is +1.5 for each), yet one sportsbook that offered only +170 had these all priced at +3 -135? In case you’re not aware, the price such as -110 in +1.5 and -130 in +3 makes no difference to teaser payouts. Each site has “fixed odds” for teaser, so teasing +1.5 -110 to +7.5 or teasing +3 -130 to +9 results in the same payout. Generally speaking it’s important to get +180 on 3-team 6-point teasers however it is not the end all. If you understand advanced teaser strategy all things need to be considered to determine which option is best.

More to this point: 5Dimes.eu is well known for offering the best teaser odds overall, however they shade their lines in such as way it cost more to cross the 3 and the 7. Examples of how they accomplish this: say a team should be a -8.5 point favorite, 5Dimes might list them as -10.5 +130, or if a team is a +2.5 underdog 5Dimes might list them at +1 -125. On the point spread their expectation is the same; 5Dimes does this only to make it tougher to beat teasers. So although 5Dimes offers the best teaser odds, the value is often less than expected.

Again I must emphasize it is very important to use as many betting sites, bookies and sports books as possible when betting teasers. However, the site I find has the largest value the most often is www.bovada.lv. These guys offer 3-team 6-point teasers at +180, which is somewhat scarce these days. For example Intertops offers these at +170, Bookmaker at +160 and BetOnline at +150. Additionally, Bovada rarely shades their lines on -7.5 to -8.5 favorites, and often shades the lines on +1.5 to +2.5 underdogs to +3. So the one place they do shade the lines benefits teaser bettors. So while using multiple betting sites is important, opening an account at www.bovada.lv is an also near must for any serious teaser bettor.

Even websites with poor teaser odds often have +EV teasers. For example BetOnline.ag offers teaser odds so poor it’s almost a crime they’re allowed to do so. However, they also offer 2-team 7.5 point teasers at -140 which is an option not many sites offer. On rare occasions when there are two strong 10 point NFL favorites on the same week, this teaser option often has positive expected value. Another site Bookmaker.eu isn’t very competitive on most teaser options; however, they offer 4-team 6-point teasers at +300. This is quite impressive compared to BetOnline +250, Pinnacle +260, Carib +260 and Sportbet +280 on the same. The point I’m attempting to drill home in this section: understanding the intricacies of several online betting sites and then shopping point spreads in depth is a major key to profitable teaser betting.