How Does A Teaser Bet Work – What Is A Teaser In Sports Betting?

Mike McDermott on April 2, 2024

It is hard to make it through an NFL Sunday without hearing someone talking about a teaser bet on that day’s games. Teasers are very popular in pro football, but they can be used in other sports as well. Here, we break down what a teaser is, which sports it can be used on, and how to most effectively utilize this type of bet when it is available.

What Is a Teaser?

Teasers are similar to parlays, in that all the teams selected in your wager (the number of teams is often determined by the sport) must win or the bet loses, but there’s one key difference. In a teaser, you’re allowed to move the point spread or over/under in your favor. Traditional basketball teasers allow you to move the line 4, 4.5, or 5 points, while with football teasers you may move the point spread 6, 6.5, or 7 points. Many US sportsbooks also offer “sweetheart teasers” and the like, allowing the odds to move 10 points or more, but obviously, the payouts are much lower on a 14-point football teaser than on a 6-point teaser.

If the Green Bay Packers are listed at -7 against the Chicago Bears, you can move the line in either direction, so if you bet a 6.5-point teaser, you can lay Green Bay -0.5 points or take Chicago +13.5 points. For this reason, payouts on teasers are much less than they are for standard parlays.

A number of teaser sportsbooks consider ties as losses with teasers, while others reduce the number of teams in your teaser if one of them ties. It’s best to read the rules of the individual sportsbook before placing your wager.

Most sportsbooks allow bettors to tease over/unders as well, and again, the Monday night teasers with the side and total are popular during football season, as bettors attempt to get one last hit in before the days without football begin for the week.

How Teasers Work in the NFL and College Football

The odds on football are dependent on the number of points a bettor wishes to move the line. A two-team 6-point teaser is typically -110, the same as a traditional flat bet. A 6.5-point teaser is -120 (risk $120 to win $100), while a 7-point teaser is -130. The odds on teasers do vary between sportsbooks, so it’s wise to shop around before placing a bet.

Football teasers are typically limited to between six and eight teams, while some sportsbooks accept 10-team teasers. As with parlays, the number of teams you choose determines the payout for your bet. A three-team 6-point teaser might pay 9-to-5, while a six-team 6-point teaser pays 6-to-1.

How Teasers Work in the NBA and College Basketball

Basketball teasers work the same as football teasers, although bettors are only allowed to move the point spread between 4 and 5 points. A two-team 4-point basketball teaser requires the bettor to lay odds of -110, while a 4.5-point basketball teaser is -120. A 5-point basketball teaser requires the bettor to lay -130 odds.

Again, the number of teams allowed in a basketball teaser is typically six to eight, although a few sportsbooks make exceptions and allow more. Several sportsbooks offer larger teasers, such as 7 or even 10 points.

Another similar bet to the Teaser is the Pleaser Bet. In a pleaser, you actually move the line in the opposite direction than a teaser would, with much better odds as the reward for your bravery in doing so.

There is a ton of debate as to whether or not teasers are a good idea in basketball. There are so many more possessions in basketball than there are in football, which can create way more variance than the limited possessions in a football game. For that reason, teasing a game by five points in basketball is far less impactful than a six-point teaser in football in many cases.

What Is a Wong Teaser?

Bettors may hear the term Wong Teaser thrown around by bettors who have assembled teaser cards, especially in football. A Wong Teaser, named after well-known bettor Stanford Wong, is a teaser where each leg is sent through two key numbers in football. This strategy consists of taking favorites of 7.5 to 8.5 points and underdogs of 1.5 to 2.5 points and teasing them up or down so that favorites are now laying just 1.5 to 2.5 points and underdogs are getting 7.5 to 8.5 points.

What this does is make it much easier to win each of those teaser legs, as favorites no longer have to win by more than a field goal, while the underdogs have to stay within just one touchdown. Of course, this strategy does not guarantee victory when betting on teasers, but it does maximize the chances of winning with them.

Where To Bet Teasers

Every major sportsbook offers teaser betting, including sportsbooks like DraftKings Sportsbook and BetMGM. Below, bettors can find the latest sportsbook promos in their state, where bettors can find teaser action throughout the season in football and basketball.