Title photo by Michael Zagaris/ Getty Images
I need a break.
Not a 30-minute nap in the afternoon kind of break, but a real break.
The type of break where either Clemson or LSU kicks a field goal in the final 12+ minutes of the National Championship game. ‘Over’ tickets cash, end of story. That kind of break.
And then I checked the lines for the AFC and NFC Championships this weekend. Bingo. See, I’ve wanted to discuss teaser bets for quite a while, and the football gods have determined that now is the perfect time. How nice of them.
Most people who bet on sports fall into one of two categories when it comes to teasers:
- They don’t know what a teaser is. (Perfectly normal, teasers can be complicated)
- They use teasers as a crutch to “soften” the line on multiple games.
I’m here to tell you that you can be part of a third category that not only understands teasers, but also deploys them effectively as part of your overall wagering strategy.
What is a teaser?
A teaser is a wager type that allows you, the bettor, to manipulate the spread or total of two or more games up or down a certain number of points. In football, the two most popular teasers are 6 and 7 points; basketball teasers are often 4 points. Say the Colts were a 7-point home favorite against the Bengals. We all know that Indy has a tendency to let lesser teams hang around, so we may not feel comfortable betting the -7 number. (You’re also unlikely to bet Cincy at +7 because they are not good. At all.) You have the option of teasing the game so Indy becomes just a 1-point favorite (using a 6-point teaser). This alters the payout. A standard bet on the spread is made at -110 odds; a two-team teaser pays out at around -145, and both legs need to win in order for your bet to cash.
Both the Chiefs and 49ers find themselves as 7.5-point favorites in their respective games against Tennessee and Green Bay. Let’s begin to examine the seven factors that you need to take into consideration when assembling a teaser ticket for this weekend’s NFL action. Keep in mind that these guidelines should be applied to every teaser bet you make. You’ll soon find out what makes this particular spread such a great number for us.
7. ‘Teasing’ across key numbers in football
Of the 264 games played in the NFL this season (including both playoff rounds thus far), there have been a total of 139 contests decided by single digits. Of these, the most common point differential was 7 (33 times), followed by 3 (28), 6 (20), and 4 (12). It is super important when teasing a favorite down to a lesser spread that you knock out as many “key numbers” as possible in the process. In our situation, teasing the favorites in both games (Kansas City and San Francisco) would bring the spread down to either -1.5 or -0.5 (using the standard 6- or 7-point teaser). This play knocks out the four highest occurring outcomes in the league this year, and only the 6-point teaser is required to do it!
6. Treat teasers like a regular parlay bankroll
This has less to do with the NFL wager we’re putting together and more to do with becoming a profitable sports bettor. Teasers are different from parlays in many ways, but you should treat them the same in terms of bankroll allocation. Like parlays, you should not be spending any more than 10{e5a2c78333cd2b046c434d71e2429f0c16f5e72c19badef2b307d6f8033092f8} of your sports betting funds on teasers. Remember that all legs of a teaser must hit in order for the bet to pay out.
Be sure to check back tomorrow for factors 5 through 1.
All odds provided by BetRivers.com.
