In sports betting, a teaser is a variation of a parlay bet that allows the bettor to move the point spread or the Over/Under a designated amount of points in their favor. Sounds great, right? The catch, however, is that it requires multiple bets be tied together as part of the overall teaser and all of the wagers involved must win in order for the teaser bet to also win.
How does a teaser bet work?
The most common teaser is a 6-point teaser, which allows you to add or subtract six points from a spread or total whichever way you want. Some sportsbooks will offer varying point sizes for teasers so you might also find 6.5-point and 7-point teasers.
Teasers must include two or more bets (although some books require three or more) and the more bets added, the higher the potential payout but also the higher the risk. Just like in parlay betting, every bet included in the teaser must win in order for the teaser to pay out. Even if only one game loses, the entire teaser is graded as a loss.
Below, we see an example of an NFL two-team, 6-point teaser where the bettor has teased the Baltimore Ravens from 9.5-point favorites down to -3.5 and teased the Chicago Bears from 2.5-point underdogs to +8.5.
The bettor now needs the Ravens to win by four or more points and the Bears to win outright or lose by eight or less. If both of these happen, the bettor would cash in at odds of -110, meaning a $110 bet on the teaser would profit $100.
Teaser odds and payouts
Teaser payouts will rise with every game added to the teaser, but more games mean more risk. The table below shows the payouts for 6, 6.5, and 7-point teasers when selecting two games, three games, and four games. Note that payouts can vary sportsbook to sportsbook.
| Teaser size | 6 Points Odds | 6.5 Points Odds | 7 Points Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two-Team Teaser | -110 | -120 | -135 |
| Three-Team Teaser | +160 | +140 | +120 |
| Four-Team Teaser | +265 | +240 | +215 |
Teaser bet ties
If one of the bets in your teaser ties or pushes with the spread or total, it is removed from the teaser.
- A three-team teaser that finishes with one push would be graded as a two-team teaser and see its payout drop from +165 to -110.
- A two-team teaser with a push would be graded as a push overall and the original wager would be returned.
Betting teasers at online sportsbooks
Online sportsbooks offer varying ways to play teasers and the majority use “off the board” teasers, which pulls spreads and totals from the current odds rather than a fixed set of odds designated to teaser betting.
Most books will offer a teaser option as you add multiple bets to your bet card, allowing you to select the odds involved and the number of points you want to move, then providing the potential payout.
Other online sportsbooks require you to select alternative spreads and parlay those bets and their adjusted juice/vig.
Betting teasers in person
Retail sportsbooks, like those found in Las Vegas, often have a teaser card to work from, showing the available fixed teaser odds, points options, and the designated payouts for the different sized teasers. Bettors can fill out the card and submit it to the ticket writer to place their wager.
When it comes to “off the board” teaser bets, bettors use the designated ID rotation numbers assigned to every game to indicate the spread or total they want to tease and by how much. Many Vegas sportsbook rules require a minimum of three games in action per teaser.
NFL super teaser cards
An NFL super teaser card is a variation of the teaser bet that allows bettors to move the spread or total by a large number of points, most often 7.5 points or more. These bets often require at least three bets per teaser and the payouts are adjusted to reflect the number of points allotted for line movement.
Teaser betting strategy
While some consider teasers a “sucker bet” there are proven strategies to help get the most from your teaser wagers.
- Due to the scoring system of football, there are key numbers when it comes to point spreads, these being 3, 6, 7, and 10. This is due to the majority of NFL games being decided by these margins. Using teasers to move off and through these key numbers increases the probability of your teaser bets covering the spread.
- There are varying opinions when it comes to teasing spreads through zero. Since NFL games rarely end in a tie, zero is looked at as a dead number and a waste of a point when moving the spread with a teaser bet. However, there is proven success from taking a short favorite and moving them to a short underdog, which requires a move through zero.
- While teasers are available for college football, the volatility of the NCAA game and the larger point spreads can make it tougher to capitalize on the value of teasers. There’s more parity in the NFL and more consistent results, making it easier to spot the value when using teaser bets.
- Teasing Over/Under totals may not be as popular as point spread teasers but there are also key numbers to consider when moving totals up and down. Those are 37, 41, 44, 47, and 51. The most effective teaser movements around those totals are dropping the points on lower numbers and taking the Over.
Reverse teasers (pleasers)
Reverse teasers – also known as pleasers – allow you to add or subtract a designated number of points and then bet with that move, such as dropping a total from 46 to 40 points and betting the Under rather than gaining an advantage with the Over.
Because pleasers modify the spreads and Over/Under totals in a disadvantageous direction, the risk of losing those bets is higher but the potential payout reflects that and offers a greater return.
For example, a two-team 6-point reverse teaser would move the Baltimore Ravens from -9.5 to -15.5 and the Chicago Bears from +2.5 to -3.5. With the pleaser increasing the Ravens’ spread and changing the Bears from underdogs to favorites, that increase risk pays out at +600 odds.
Are teaser bets worth it?
Teaser bets are always a riskier wager, due to tying multiple results together. The more games added to the teaser, the greater the chances one of those games will produce results outside of the standard lines as well as the teased lines.
That said, keeping the size of your teaser bet low (two or three games) and taking advantage of the movement of the points by pushing through key numbers will increase the chances of cashing in your teaser bets.
Teaser betting FAQs
An open teaser is an option to add additional bets to an existing teaser, as long as one of the bets involved is pending (undecided) and there are no losing bets in the teaser.
Yes, the teaser has become a common wager type found at all sportsbooks.
Yes, a teaser bet can push. The bet that pushed is removed from the teaser and the teaser is graded on its remaining games. A two-team teaser with a push is refunded automatically.
Yes, you can tease Over/Under (totals) bets. Teasing Over/Under totals is very popular among NFL betting.
