How to Use Basic Strategy When Betting on NFL Teasers and Win
It is not surprising that most bookies offer odds for the National Football League (NFL), considering it is among the most popular sports leagues in the United States. Of course, sportsbooks also treat punters to various types of bets. However, teaser bets seem to tickle the fancy of many sports fans. That is why we decided to dedicate this article to teaser bets and provide our readers with tips on how to use basic strategy when betting on NFL teasers.
Teaser Bets Explained
A teaser bet is a type of parlay bet that allows sports fans to combine two or more wagers into one bet and benefit from better point spreads or totals. Thus, sports fans enhance their chances of winning, but that comes at a price – teaser bets offer lower payouts when compared to parlay bets. With this in mind, we can conclude that the teaser bets are the best choice for less risk-averse sports fans.
The most common NFL teasers are available at 6, 6.5, or 7 points. In other words, they shift the line in the punters’ favor by 6, 6.5, and 7 points, accordingly. The odds for a 2-team 6-points teaser bet are typically -110. A 2-team 6.5-points teaser bet usually has odds of -120, while the odds for a 2-team 7-points teaser stand at -130.
All selections in the teaser bet must win for the bet to be successful. If one of the matches results in a tie, the sportsbook will refund your money or grade the teaser bet as a loss, depending on its policy regarding ties.
A Glance at the NFL Teaser Basic Betting Strategy
A poker player gave publicity to the NFL teaser betting strategy in 2006. He read about it in Stanford Wong’s book Sharp Sports Betting published in 2001. Many people believe that all teaser bets are suckers bets because they lure punters into betting against large odds. However, with the introduction of the NFL teaser basic betting strategy in the betting circles, many people changed their opinion regarding the NFL teaser bets.
The strategy stipulates that punters should select teasers that cross the key numbers 3 and 7 at the best odds. Such teaser bets are often called moneymakers. Perhaps many of our readers are now wondering why the key numbers are 3 and 7. The reason is that approximately 15% of the NFL games in the regular season are determined by 3 points and over 9% of the games are determined by 7 points. Almost 40% of the NFL games are decided by 3 to 7 points.
Other Useful Tips to Remember
Another crucial rule sports fans should remember is that teaser bets should never cross zero. Keep in mind that teasing totals is a bad idea because the NFL games that end up totaling the key numbers 41, 43, 44, and 51 are not many.
In his book, Mr. Wong advises punters to place 2-team, 6-point teasers. Furthermore, bettors should only tease favorites of -7.5 to -8.5 and underdogs of +1.5 to 2.5.
We will use an example to illustrate a teaser bet that crosses the key numbers 7 and 3. Let’s assume the point spread for team A is -8.5, for team B – +1.5, and the odds are -110. If you decide to place a 2-team 6-point teaser bet, the point spreads for team A will be -2.5 and for team B – +7.5. In both cases, the point spreads cross the key numbers 3 (-2.5) and 7 (+7.5).
Bookies are well-aware of the teaser basic betting strategy and changed the payouts to protect themselves from substantial losses. Punters should keep their eyes peeled for line shades. Some bookmakers shade the lines to overprice favorites and overs because many punters like to bet on them.
