Teaser Betting Guide

A teaser is a type of parlay betting covering only point-spread picks. However, the beauty of teaser bets is that you get to move the point spread in your favor.

You must select at least two games to qualify for a teaser. However, the number of points you can move the spread by is totally up to you. Move the spread up in a teaser and give the underdog a better shot, or move the spread down in a “pleaser” if you think the favorite will win even with a bigger handicap.

Most U.S. sportsbooks offer teaser bets. A teaser lets you combine multiple point spread betting selections in one bet. For the teaser to win, every leg of the bet must be successful. Point spreads can be great fun if you’re a savvy gambler. However, why settle for the sportsbook’s spread when you can pick your own and get better odds?

Let’s start by explaining how odds work in the point spread. A point spread is a handicap bet where one team (the favorite) is given a theoretical points deduction before the game starts. The other team (the underdog) is given equal points as a headstart.

For example, imagine the Cleveland Browns are playing at the New England Patriots. The spread is listed as follows (odds in brackets):

• Cleveland Browns +4.5 (-110)
• New England Patriots -4.5 (-110)

The Browns are slight underdogs but are odds-on once a 4.5-point head-start has been applied. Conversely, the Patriots are slightly better odds at -110 than their moneyline betting price of -135, given their 4.5-point handicap.

The score finishes 43-40 to the Patriots. If you’d bet on the Browns on the spread, you would have won, as they would have ended with a theoretical total of 44.5 (40 + 4.5).

A teaser bet can sometimes end in a tie. For instance, one of our teams may hit the spread on the nail. If this happens, the leg will result in a “push.” The leg is removed from the bet, and the sportsbook will recalculate the payout based on your remaining parlay legs.

It’s important to check the sportsbook’s terms and conditions. Some betting apps will scrap the leg and honor the remaining legs. However, some sportsbooks will void the entire wager.

Football is probably the most popular sport for teaser bets. Most casual bettors will cover teasers in NFL games, and all football sportsbooks will offer a range of odds.

You can also win basketball teaser payouts on NBA and college games. Teaser spreads are smaller in basketball and normally cover from 4 to 10 points. You can also back up to 10 teams in your teaser parlay with basketball betting sites.

You can also select college games to add to your team's teaser wagers, but be mindful of the rules in your state. Some legal sports betting states allow the use of college basketball and college football betting sites but don’t allow prop betting or betting on in-state teams.

Teaser betting is not normally offered on MLB baseball, NHL hockey, or soccer. This is due to the small point spreads (run line) available on MLB games and the close scores in the NHL and soccer.

However, you can often find handicap betting on soccer games where one or either team will be given a +1.5/-1.5 goal handicap first. You can combine handicap bets in a single parlay, plus you’ll have the option to pick handicaps as wide as -2.5/+2.5.

You can also add a massive 10 or 13 points to the spread.

You can typically bet teasers on football and basketball. Sportsbooks usually provide football teasers at 6, 6.5, and 7 points for NFL games.

A Super Teaser is a bet where each team gains a 10-point add to the spread.

Some gamblers will avoid a two-team teaser purely because of the house edge. For instance, a regular eight-team parlay on point spreads may pay out +3000. However, a 7-point teaser bet with those same eight teams may only pay +1000. That’s a huge difference.

A Monster Teaser sees each team get 13 points added to the spread. Super teasers typically contain three picks, and Monster teasers have four picks.

As with multiple bets in the NFL, always check the terms and conditions on a push. Some sportsbooks will void the entire bet if one of your legs ends in a tie.

A pleaser is like a teaser, but the point spread is moved against the player and toward the sportsbook. As a result, the odds will increase to give the player a better payout. All selections must come well for you to win your pleaser bet.

You place the pleaser in the same way you would the teaser. However, instead of adding points to the spread, you adjust it.

In our example, let’s imagine a 7-point pleaser. The pleaser would look like this:

• Cleveland Browns at New England Patriots -5.5
• Atlanta Falcons at Dallas Cowboys +3.0

The Browns are now bigger underdogs, while the Falcons have a bigger mountain to climb from their 3-point advantage.

However, the odds on this two-team pleaser are now listed as +700. If you like the look of the two handicapped teams, there could be value there.

In some circumstances, a point teaser bet can be a great wager. The best way to use a point teaser is if you want to give the underdog a big positive points head-start.

For instance, the Atlanta Falcons may be no-hopers at the Cowboys on a moneyline bet. However, with a 10 or 13-point advantage, they become a better prospect.

Essentially, teaser betting is all about turning a marginal outcome into a profitable one. If the underdog has a +2.5-point spread, it’s always better to tease the spread to +7 or +7.5. The payouts come down, but you are giving yourself a better chance of getting a payout.

You can use some basic strategies to find the top teaser odds. Wong Teasers is a term for the most favorable bets, first highlighted in Stanford Wong’s 2001 book, Sharp Sports Betting.

In Wong’s book, he recommended teasing up home underdogs who started with a spread of +1.5 to +2.5. Similarly, he recommended teasing hot home favorites who started at -7.5 to -8.5 points.

The simple reason was that the probability of home teams winning made the teaser bets worth backing.