Betting
What are Teasers in Sports Betting?
Learn about teaser bets in sports betting, a type of parlay that allows you to adjust point spreads in your favor for lower odds.
Image Credits: Unsplash
You’ve probably seen the term teasers used on betting sites before, but what are they? Put simply, teasers in sports betting are a type of parlay bet. They allow you to alter the point spread in your favour, in exchange for lowered odds.
Some bettors are happy to take this trade-off, while others prefer the challenge of a more difficult parlay bet, in exchange for a greater return. We’re going to look at the intricacies of how betting teasers work, as well as if teasers are good bets, and a fully worked out example.
Image Credits: Unsplash
Now you know how to bet teasers at your favourite sites, it’s time to take a look into how teasers work in this NFL betting example.
The Detroit Lions are playing the Green Bay Packers and your sportsbook has set the point spread at +9.5 for the Lions to cover.
On the same day, the Sanfransisco 49ers are playing the Indianapolis Colts, with the point spread set at +7 for the 49ers to cover.
You are pretty sure that both of these favoured teams will win, but maybe not by those margins. The sportsbook has a 6 point teaser bet available on the two teams. So, you take it and adjust the point spread to +3.5 for the Lions and +1 for the 49ers.
As you can see, this makes the bet much easier to win and, as such, you’d receive much lower odds than with a traditional parlay. It’s up to you to decide if this greatly increased chance of winning is worth taking the lower odds.
What if a Bet Ties?
If all goes to plan and your teams win, then you now know exactly how betting teasers works, but what about if a team ties? There are different rules according to:
● How many legs are in the teaser
● Which sportsbook you’re betting at
If you have only a two-leg teaser and a team ties then generally speaking your stake is refunded and the bet is cancelled. However, some sportsbooks consider this a loss and will not refund your stake. Before placing a teaser it’s essential that you read the terms to find out if this is the case.
If you have a teaser with more than two legs and a team ties then, generally speaking, the leg of the bet that tied is removed from the bet and the odds are adjusted accordingly.
Frequently Asked Questions About Teasers
The best time for a teaser is when you think an underdog has a better chance than the sportsbook has given them. You can skew the lines slightly in favour of the underdog and receive better odds. This is because if you use a teaser bet to favour the favourite, you’ll be getting shortened odds on top of the already short odds.
While the selection varies from sportsbook to sportsbook, NFL and NBA are the two sports where you’ll see teasers on offer the most often. Some sportsbooks also offer teasers on other sports, but generally the odds are much shorter owing to the lower scoring nature of other popular sports.
With a decade of experience in the sports betting industry, Claudia can spot a value bet from a mile off. She prides herself on not just being a sports writer, but a fastidious researcher too.
SportsBoom offers honest and impartial bookmaker reviews to help you make informed choices. While we may earn commissions through affiliate links, our content remains independent and free from promotional influence.