Football Teaser Bet
One of the most popular types of wagers that NFL sports gamblers like to bet on are teaser bets. An age old question among sports bettors is are these bets profitable and what is the best way to reduce the edge held by the sportsbooks?
- Best College Football Teaser Bets
- 3 Team Teaser
- Football Teaser Bets
- Football Teaser Bet
- Football 6 Point Teaser Odds
A teaser is a popular type of football bet, and one that you should definitely consider including in your overall football betting strategy. Teasers are similar to parlays, in that they involve making. A teaser is a type of wager used in sports betting, most commonly in basketball and football. This wager is a multi-team wager, allowing the bettor to choose a minimum of two teams up to, in. 'Off the Board' (OTB) teasers are based on the current point spreads off the betting board at the time of the bet. No card is filled out. Instead, the bettor tells the writer the number of legs in the teaser, number of additional points on each leg, the bet numbers he wishes to parlay, and the amount of the bet.
What Are Teasers?
Teasers are multi-leg bets similar to parlays, but that instead allow bettors to modify or move the point spread. They are most common in both college and pro football, but can also be bet on basketball games, as well.
All the legs of the bet must win for a bettor to win their teaser. If one the legs loses the teaser is graded as a loss. Bettors must choose a minimum of two teams in their teaser bet but may choose up to 15 teams at many sportsbooks, and anything in-between. When I say teams, I mean totals as well, any side or total can be used as a leg in a teaser bet.
Let’s look at some straight bets from a typical NFL Sunday before I show how a teaser affects each number:
San Francisco 49ers -3
St. Louis Rams +6.5
Minnesota Vikings +5
Now, we’ll look at the odds offered after we add 6-point three team teaser to our selection of bets.
San Francisco 49ers +3
St. Louis Rams +12.5
Minnesota Vikings +11
As you can see the odds have moved 6 points in our favor. This 3-team teaser pays out at +165 for bettors in US odds. That means, if a bettor wagered $100 on this 3-team teaser and all his legs won, he would win $165 plus original stake of $100. But, what if one of the legs ties or pushes?
Let’s say the 49ers end up losing the game by exactly 3 points, making the San Francisco leg of the bet a push. Depending on your online sportsbook, a tie could result in the loss of the teaser or grade the wager no action. What happens then? The teaser is reduced to two teams. If the sportsbooks allows pushes to be graded as no action, the teaser will then just be reduced by one game.
For instance, if one of my bets pushes in a 4-team teaser, then the teaser becomes 3-team teaser with correct appropriate odds. Remember, this is not the case if one bet pushes and the other bet loses. Any teaser, besides a 2-team teaser is graded as a loss.
The vast majority of sportsbooks offer teasers that count pushes as a reduction in the number of teams and not as a loss. Some sportsbooks, such as 5Dimes Sportsbook offers players a wide array of choice with their teaser bets, including options for ties/pushes reducing the number of teams and a tie counting as a win, as well. Of course, the odds change slightly depending on your choice, but this is a marvellous feature which puts a lot of control in the bettor’s hands.
Almost all US-facing sportsbooks will offer sweetheart teasers, also known as monster teasers. These bets are normally 10 3-team teasers but have unique rules. I cover sweetheart teasers in depth on this page.
Teaser Odds
Below are the listed NFL teaser odds for Bovada.lv, which is probably the most popular online sportsbook for US-based online sports bettors.
| Teaser size:s | 6 points: | 6.5 points: | 7 points: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2-team | -110 | -120 | -130 |
| 3-team | +165 | +150 | +140 |
| 4-team | +265 | +240 | +200 |
| 5-team | +450 | +400 | +350 |
| 6-team | +600 | +550 | +500 |
| 7-team | +1000 | +900 | +800 |
| 8-team | +1500 | +1200 | +1000 |
| 9-team | +2000 | +1500 | +1200 |
| 10-team | +2500 | +2000 | +1500 |
As you can see, the odds increase dramatically as players start to reach the higher numbers of teams. Also, if players want to buy more than six points it will cost them. Bovada’s teaser odds are around the industry standard, but US bettors can usually find better odds and certainly better options at 5Dimes.
For those that like to bet 2-team teasers, 5Dimes offers players +100 odds versus the -110 that Bovada offers. 5Dimes also allows players to go up to 15-team teasers and allows teaser options up to even 20 points. Of course, bettors will pay big if they want a 20 point teaser, and it will vastly decrease the amount they stand to win on the wager.
Why Odds Less Than Parlays?
Those that bet NFL parlays may come over to teasers and wonder why the odds are so much worse for bettors. For one, bettors are getting more points in their favor, but the other reason is that a teaser is the only bet which a sportsbook offers that can be beat from both sides, even if they receive balanced action. Let me show you what I mean.
Cincinnati Bengals +3 at Pittsburgh Steelers -3 Total: OverUnder 47
We bet several combinations of teasers:
Bengals +9 and Over 41
Bengals +9 and Under 53
Pittsburgh +3 and Under 53
Pittsburgh +3 and Over 41
If Pittsburgh wins the game by a final score of 23-20, all of the above bets win. 23-20 is a fairly common score line in the NFL, meaning that bookmakers can lose their asses when certain numbers hit for players.
However, if the books can lose big, they can also win big. This same situation may happen in reverse, but go in favor of the sportsbooks and they can scoop up the profits from teaser bettors. Also, certain types of teasers have had a lot of success over the years, especially Wong Teasers, which have forced bookies to decrease the overall teasers and have even pushed them off certain numbers.
Are Teasers Profitable?
The Wizard Of Odds did a long term study over hundreds of NFL games from 2001 to 2011 on the profitably of teasers and the sportsbook’s edge on bettors.
He analyzed common teasers of 6, 6.5 and 7 points but also looked at teasers up to 14 points. His results were rather conclusive, and he found that sportsbooks held a rather large edge on NFL teasers. Interestingly, he found that for the more commonly bet teasers of 6 or 7 points that away teams and overs were marginally better than home teams and unders.
Teasers are similar to parlays, in that the edge of the sportsbooks increases as the number of picks or teams in the teaser increases. So, if bettors want to have a chance at betting the sportsbooks with teaser bets, they better stick to 2 or 3-team teasers.
Even these odds are not great as they still give the sportsbooks an edge of 10 to 19 percent depending on your prospective sportsbook’s teaser odds. This is a significant edge, and it only gets worse from there. As the number of teams get higher, the odds get worse and worse for NFL bettors. According the decade on NFL games compiled by the Wizard of Odds, the sportsbook’s edges on teasers of 4 or more picks is anywhere largely from 17 to 55 percent and gets worse as gamblers add more bets.
This massive edge is impossible to beat, making teasers a sucker bet in many cases. Wong Teasers, as mentioned on Intense Gambling have been proven to be profitable with the appropriate odds, and I discuss this in-depth here. But, long term, teasers in most situations are not wise bet for bettors.
Tips For Betting Teasers
Though we just discussed that most teasers are not profitable for bettors, there is a reason why it is called gambling. Bettors may still want to try and hit it big by betting teasers, and even though the odds normally are not in their favor, I’ll do my best to point them in the right direction to minimize the bookie’s edge as best as possible.
Firstly, finding a sportsbook with the best odds and options is vital. Making sure that the book gives no action on 2-team teaser in which one game pushes is also crucial. If you want to bet teasers with a variety of options, such as teasers higher than 8-9 teams or sweetheart teasers, be sure to check that the book is offering these wagers before signing up. Try to formulate your own strategy for NFL teasers and use some of the tips and information written by Intense Gambling. The IntenseGambling.com page is the best NFL teaser study I’ve found online and its results seem to reveal some conclusive patterns.
Warning
This page is rather dated and limited in scope. I recommend you visit my page on Teaser Bets in the NFL instead.
Introduction
A teaser is similar to a parlay bet in that the player ties multiple wagers together and the cumulative bet wins only if the wagers all win together. Where the teaser differs from the parlay is that the point spread is moved a specified number of points (usually 6 to 7 points) in the player's favor on all picks. The player pays for those points in the form of much lower wins than a parlay bet. For example, a 2-team parlay usually pays 13 to 5, but a 2-team 6-point teaser usually pays 10 to 11. On teasers, each pick is called a 'team.' I always thought this was confusing, because the player can choose over and under bets too. Personally, I prefer to use the term 'pick,' but on this page I use the terms 'pick' and 'team' interchangeably.
As with a parlay, every pick must win in order for the bet to win. In the event one or more events end in a push, then those picks are ignored. For example, if a 4-team teaser results in 3 wins and 1 push, then it would pay as a winning 3-team teaser. In the rare event a teaser is reduced to just one pick, then it usually pushes, because there is no such thing as a one-team teaser. An exception to this is The Greek Internet sports book, which treats any teasers with a losing pick as a loss. Otherwise, don't throw away a teaser bet if the first game loses, because it will still push if every other pick results in a push.
Let's take a look at an example. The image to the side is of a teaser bet I made in 2004. The following would have been the normal point spreads that week:
Best College Football Teaser Bets
- Bengals +2.5
- Buccs -8
- Chiefs +2.5
- Colts -8.5
However, because I did a 6-point teaser, all the point spreads moved six points in my favor, to the following:
- Bengals +8.5
- Buccs -2
- Chiefs +8.5
- Colts -2.5
If I covered all four of these spreads, then I would have been paid 3 to 1. Since I made that bet, teaser odds have gone down. The Suncoast now pays only 5 to 2 for a 4-team 6-point teaser, for example. The outcome of the teaser above is I won two and lost two, so the bet lost.
Probability of a Single Pick Winning
A good place to start an analysis of teasers is to find the probability of any given pick winning. I looked at every regular season NFL game between the 2000 and 2011 seasons. Then I cut the results by the number of points given, and whether the pick was on a home team, away team, under, or over. The 'all sides' column is the average of both sides of all games against the spread.
The most common teasers give the player 6, 6.5, or 7 extra points. However, I've seen teaser cards with an unusual number of points given. To be complete, I analyzed everything from a 0 to 14-point teaser, although many of these you will never see.
Teaser Average Probabilities
| Extra Points | All Home | All Away | All Sides | All Under | All Over | All Totals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 85.85% | 85.00% | 85.43% | 83.70% | 87.44% | 85.57% |
| 13.5 | 84.89% | 84.05% | 84.47% | 82.86% | 86.69% | 84.78% |
| 13 | 84.16% | 83.26% | 83.71% | 81.94% | 85.78% | 83.86% |
| 12.5 | 83.15% | 82.49% | 82.82% | 80.87% | 84.85% | 82.86% |
| 12 | 82.43% | 81.77% | 82.10% | 79.92% | 83.73% | 81.83% |
| 11.5 | 81.48% | 80.91% | 81.20% | 78.83% | 82.81% | 80.82% |
| 11 | 80.74% | 80.32% | 80.53% | 78.10% | 82.09% | 80.09% |
| 10.5 | 79.53% | 79.31% | 79.42% | 76.99% | 81.01% | 79.00% |
| 10 | 78.32% | 77.91% | 78.11% | 75.94% | 79.59% | 77.76% |
| 9.5 | 76.82% | 76.61% | 76.71% | 74.92% | 78.39% | 76.66% |
| 9 | 75.88% | 75.70% | 75.79% | 73.73% | 77.39% | 75.56% |
| 8.5 | 74.74% | 74.87% | 74.81% | 72.68% | 76.12% | 74.40% |
| 8 | 73.65% | 73.85% | 73.75% | 71.60% | 74.75% | 73.17% |
| 7.5 | 72.28% | 72.64% | 72.46% | 70.36% | 73.14% | 71.75% |
| 7 | 71.06% | 71.56% | 71.31% | 69.03% | 71.61% | 70.31% |
| 6.5 | 69.67% | 70.03% | 69.85% | 67.71% | 69.88% | 68.79% |
| 6 | 68.09% | 68.48% | 68.28% | 66.24% | 68.18% | 67.21% |
| 5.5 | 66.30% | 66.61% | 66.45% | 65.11% | 66.73% | 65.92% |
| 5 | 64.97% | 65.46% | 65.21% | 63.91% | 65.69% | 64.80% |
| 4.5 | 63.66% | 64.19% | 63.93% | 62.73% | 64.54% | 63.63% |
| 4 | 62.15% | 62.78% | 62.47% | 61.50% | 63.16% | 62.33% |
| 3.5 | 60.31% | 61.16% | 60.73% | 59.86% | 61.53% | 60.69% |
| 3 | 58.95% | 59.69% | 59.32% | 58.53% | 59.80% | 59.17% |
| 2.5 | 57.52% | 58.33% | 57.92% | 57.16% | 58.25% | 57.70% |
| 2 | 56.08% | 57.21% | 56.65% | 55.69% | 56.73% | 56.21% |
| 1.5 | 54.56% | 56.13% | 55.35% | 54.32% | 55.13% | 54.72% |
| 1 | 53.11% | 54.84% | 53.98% | 52.91% | 53.38% | 53.14% |
| 0.5 | 51.47% | 53.17% | 52.32% | 51.46% | 51.71% | 51.58% |
| 0 | 49.13% | 50.87% | 50.00% | 50.03% | 49.97% | 50.00% |
What does the table above tell us? For the common teasers of 6 to 7 points, away teams are slightly better than home. It also shows that overs are slightly better than unders. The most important thing to notice is that teasing sides is significantly better than teasing totals.
The sports book review at my Wizard of Vegas site indicates what all the major sports book families pay on teasers. The next table shows the expected return on 6, 6.5, and 7-point teasers under all known pay tables, for all side and all total teasers.
3 Team Teaser
6-Point Teaser Returns
6-Point Teasers
| Picks | Pays | Sides | Totals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 10 to 11 | -10.99% | -13.77% |
| 2 | 5 to 6 | -14.52% | -17.19% |
| 3 | 9 to 5 | -10.86% | -15.00% |
| 3 | 8 to 5 | -17.23% | -21.07% |
| 3 | 7 to 5 | -23.60% | -27.14% |
| 4 | 3 to 1 | -13.05% | -18.39% |
| 4 | 14 to 5 | -17.40% | -22.47% |
| 4 | 13 to 5 | -21.75% | -26.55% |
| 4 | 5 to 2 | -23.92% | -28.59% |
| 4 | 12 to 5 | -26.09% | -30.63% |
| 4 | 17 to 10 | -41.31% | -44.91% |
| 5 | 5 to 1 | -10.95% | -17.73% |
| 5 | 9 to 2 | -18.37% | -24.58% |
| 5 | 4 to 1 | -25.79% | -31.44% |
| 5 | 3 to 1 | -40.63% | -45.15% |
| 6 | 7 to 1 | -18.92% | -26.28% |
| 6 | 13 to 2 | -23.99% | -30.88% |
| 6 | 6 to 1 | -29.06% | -35.49% |
| 6 | 9 to 2 | -44.26% | -49.31% |
| 7 | 11 to 1 | -16.96% | -25.68% |
| 7 | 10 to 1 | -23.88% | -31.87% |
| 7 | 9 to 1 | -30.80% | -38.06% |
| 7 | 8 to 1 | -37.72% | -44.26% |
| 7 | 7 to 1 | -44.64% | -50.45% |
| 8 | 15 to 1 | -24.40% | -33.40% |
| 8 | 12 to 1 | -38.58% | -45.89% |
| 8 | 10 to 1 | -48.03% | -54.21% |
6.5-Point Teaser Returns
6.5-Point Teasers
| Picks | Pays | Sides | Totals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 5 to 6 | -10.56% | -13.23% |
| 2 | 10 to 13 | -13.69% | -16.27% |
| 2 | 10 to 14 | -16.37% | -18.87% |
| 3 | 8 to 5 | -11.40% | -15.35% |
| 3 | 3 to 2 | -14.81% | -18.60% |
| 3 | 29 to 20 | -16.51% | -20.23% |
| 3 | 7 to 5 | -18.22% | -21.86% |
| 3 | 6 to 5 | -25.03% | -28.37% |
| 4 | 5 to 2 | -16.70% | -21.60% |
| 4 | 12 to 5 | -19.08% | -23.84% |
| 4 | 11 to 5 | -23.84% | -28.32% |
| 4 | 2 to 1 | -28.60% | -32.80% |
| 5 | 4 to 1 | -16.88% | -22.95% |
| 5 | 7 to 2 | -25.19% | -30.66% |
| 6 | 7 to 1 | -7.11% | -15.19% |
| 6 | 6 to 1 | -18.72% | -25.79% |
| 6 | 11 to 2 | -24.52% | -31.10% |
| 6 | 5 to 1 | -30.33% | -36.40% |
| 7 | 9 to 1 | -18.89% | -27.07% |
| 7 | 8 to 1 | -27.01% | -34.36% |
| 8 | 12 to 1 | -26.36% | -34.78% |
| 8 | 10 to 1 | -37.69% | -44.81% |
| 8 | 9 to 1 | -43.35% | -49.83% |
7-Point Teaser Returns
7-Point Teasers
| Picks | Pays | Sides | Totals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 10 to 13 | -10.03% | -12.53% |
| 2 | 5 to 7 | -12.83% | -15.25% |
| 2 | 2 to 3 | -15.25% | -17.60% |
| 3 | 3 to 2 | -9.34% | -13.09% |
| 3 | 7 to 5 | -12.97% | -16.57% |
| 3 | 13 to 10 | -16.60% | -20.04% |
| 3 | 6 to 5 | -20.22% | -23.52% |
| 3 | 1 to 1 | -27.48% | -30.47% |
| 4 | 2 to 1 | -22.42% | -26.67% |
| 4 | 9 to 5 | -27.60% | -31.56% |
| 5 | 7 to 2 | -17.02% | -22.66% |
| 5 | 3 to 1 | -26.24% | -31.25% |
| 5 | 5 to 2 | -35.46% | -39.85% |
| 6 | 5 to 1 | -21.10% | -27.49% |
| 6 | 9 to 2 | -27.68% | -33.53% |
| 6 | 4 to 1 | -34.25% | -39.58% |
| 7 | 8 to 1 | -15.61% | -23.52% |
| 7 | 7 to 1 | -24.98% | -32.02% |
| 7 | 13 to 2 | -29.67% | -36.27% |
| 7 | 6 to 1 | -34.36% | -40.52% |
| 8 | 11 to 1 | -19.76% | -28.30% |
| 8 | 10 to 1 | -26.45% | -34.28% |
| 8 | 9 to 1 | -33.13% | -40.25% |
| 8 | 8 to 1 | -39.82% | -46.23% |
Football Teaser Bets
As you can see, teasing random picks results in a very high house edge most of the time. As a rule of thumb, teasers are a sucker bet. However, with some skill you can get the odds in your favor.
Wong Teasers
Football Teaser Bet
The two most common margins of victory in the NFL, by far, are 3 and 7 points. My sports betting appendix 2 shows the probability of each margin of victory. Briefly, 15.9% of NFL games are decided by exactly 3 points and 9.6% are decided by 7.
In his outstanding book Sharp Sports Betting, Stanford Wong noted that by crossing the 3- and 7-point margins of victory with a 6-point teaser, the player could have an advantage. However, his book is now somewhat dated, and results since its publication have not been good for what are known as 'Wong teasers.' Let's take a fresh look at them. Again, all the results in this page are based on regular season games from week 1 2000 to week 4 2010.
Wong Teasers
| Bet | Wins | Games | Ratio Wins | Standard Deviation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home underdogs | 90 | 126 | 71.43% | 3.98% |
| Home favorites | 109 | 144 | 75.69% | 3.72% |
| Away underdogs | 124 | 170 | 72.94% | 3.42% |
| Away favorites | 31 | 48 | 64.58% | 6.44% |
| All home | 199 | 270 | 73.70% | 2.72% |
| All away | 155 | 218 | 71.10% | 3.02% |
| All underdogs | 214 | 296 | 72.30% | 2.59% |
| All favorites | 140 | 192 | 72.92% | 3.22% |
| All | 354 | 488 | 72.54% | 2.02% |
The table above shows the probability of a Wong teaser winning ranges from 64.58% to 75.69%. I tend to think this is just random variation and that the overall win rate of 72.54% is the significant statistic. The next table shows the expected return of Wong teasers according to the number of teams and the odds a winning bet pays.
Wong Teaser Expected Return
| Picks | Pays | Expected Return |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 10 to 11 | 0.46% |
| 2 | 5 to 6 | -3.53% |
| 3 | 9 to 5 | 6.88% |
| 3 | 8 to 5 | -0.75% |
| 3 | 7 to 5 | -8.39% |
| 4 | 3 to 1 | 10.76% |
| 4 | 14 to 5 | 5.22% |
| 4 | 13 to 5 | -0.31% |
| 4 | 5 to 2 | -3.08% |
| 4 | 12 to 5 | -5.85% |
| 4 | 17 to 10 | -25.24% |
| 5 | 5 to 1 | 20.52% |
| 5 | 9 to 2 | 10.48% |
| 5 | 4 to 1 | 0.44% |
| 5 | 3 to 1 | -19.65% |
| 6 | 7 to 1 | 16.57% |
| 6 | 13 to 2 | 9.29% |
| 6 | 6 to 1 | 2.00% |
| 6 | 9 to 2 | -19.86% |
| 7 | 11 to 1 | 26.84% |
| 7 | 10 to 1 | 16.27% |
| 7 | 9 to 1 | 5.70% |
| 7 | 8 to 1 | -4.87% |
| 7 | 7 to 1 | -15.44% |
| 8 | 15 to 1 | 22.68% |
| 8 | 12 to 1 | -0.32% |
| 8 | 10 to 1 | -15.65% |
The table above shows the classic 2-team teaser that pays 10 to 11 is barely good any longer, with a player advantage of about half a percent. To have an advantage worth bothering with, you need at least three teams and the premium odds. Here is Nevada, when last I checked in 2010, your best chance at a good Wong Teaser is the 4-team teaser that pays 3 to 1 at Leroy's sports books. You can use my Las Vegas sports book groups page to find which cases have a Leroy's outlet.
Teaser Cards
I have not checked every teaser card out there, but those I have checked I found to be a lousy bet. Consider the Boyd Gaming 'Super Teaser' card, for example. For the Monday Night Football game of October 18, 2010, they had the Titans +5 and the Jaguars +12. Ties always win, and every point spread is an even number, so that is the same as Titans +5.5 and Jaguars +12.5. That is mathematically equivalent to a 9-point teaser. The following table shows the pay table, probability of winning, and expected return for a random picker.
Boyd Super Teaser
| Picks | Pays (for one) | Probability Win | Expected Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 2 | 32.99% | -34.01% |
| 5 | 2.5 | 25.00% | -37.49% |
| 6 | 3.5 | 18.95% | -33.67% |
| 7 | 4.5 | 14.36% | -35.37% |
| 8 | 6 | 10.89% | -34.69% |
| 9 | 7.5 | 8.25% | -38.13% |
| 10 | 9.5 | 6.25% | -40.60% |
| 11 | 12 | 4.74% | -43.14% |
| 12 | 15 | 3.59% | -46.13% |
| 13 | 20 | 2.72% | -45.56% |
| 14 | 25 | 2.06% | -48.43% |
| 15 | 30 | 1.56% | -53.10% |
The upshot of it is that this Super Teaser card is a lousy bet. You might say, what if the player only crossed through key totals. I found that didn't help much. To make things worse, they give the player only 8.5 points on totals, when they should offer more points than for sides, to be fair.
Football 6 Point Teaser Odds
Pre-Season Teasers
Most sports books don't allow teasers on pre-season games. However, if you find one that does, I think Wong teasers would be a strong bet. This is because you find a lot of games with a 1.5 to 2.5 spread, and the games tend to be low scoring, and decided by small margins of victory. I don't have data on pre-season games, so this is anecdotal advice only.- Betting MLB In-depth look at betting professional baseball.
- Betting the NBA In-depth look at betting professional basketball.
- Appendix 1 Comparative study on who has the best lines in Vegas.
- Appendix 2 Various topics in sports betting.
- Appendix 3 List of Las Vegas sports book families.
- Appendix 4 Fair prices to buy and sell points in the NFL.
- Appendix 5 Explores sports futures in greater depth.
- Appendix 6 Lost and expired tickets.
- Appendix 7 Companion to appendix 1, showing NFL money line pairs from several Internet sportbooks.
- Appendix 8 Comparitive study on who has the best lines offshore.
- Appendix 9 Companion to appendix 8, showing NFL money line pairs from offshore sportbooks.
- Total number of kickoffs in Super Bowl 43. Were there 9 or 10?
- Vegas sports book comparison at WizardOfVegas.com. Who offers what odds on parlays and teasers, as well as rebate percentages.
Written by: Michael Shackleford