A teaser is a sports bet that is similar to placing a parlay bet. Both types of wagers are made by selecting two or more events to occur. Like a traditional parlay, each event selected for a teaser must win in order for the player to win to win the bet.
All multi-event wagers have the potential for larger wins but teasers don’t pay as much as a parlay. The attraction to teasers might be that they appear easier to win.
Parlay card payouts. Instead of the parlay odds calculations shown above, parlay cards offer a set payout amount for point spread and Over/Under parlays: Three-team parlay - 5.5/1; Four-team.
The main item that separates a teaser from a traditional parlay is that a bettor may alter point spreads and over/under totals between 4 and 10 points depending on the sport and teaser. Changing the point spread and point total make the wagers appear to be easier to win.
Winning multiple bets, no matter the point spread is never easy. However, the adjusted lines should help bettors find a little more confidence in their bets. The payout from the sportsbook for a teaser is lower than a parlay since these are anecdotally easier to win.
How a teaser works
A teaser isn’t too difficult to understand after seeing how the point moving works. The easiest way to comprehend a teaser is to see an example. For simplicity, we’ll use a six-point teaser for football games:
- Jan 21, 2019 The Caesars Super Parlay Special pays 1,400 for catching 12, 60 for 11, and 6 for 10. The MGM pick-12 Premium Payout parlay card pays 3,000 for catching 12, and a 'bad beat' pay of 50 for catching 11. More on those below.
- A 10-team parlay can make for a huge payout, by the way. A payout of 825 to 1 wouldn’t be unusual for such a bet, but the probability of winning that bet are bigger than that—1023 to 1. Bet $100 on a 10-parlay, and you’re looking at winnings of $82,500. This is a profitable parlay for the sportsbook, too, if you look at it statistically.
Original wager options:
- New England Patriots +3 (-110) at Kansas City Chiefs
- Los Angeles Rams +3 (even) at New Orleans Saints
A two-team six-point teaser on the underdogs would change the point spreads to the following:
- New England Patriots +9 at Kansas City Chiefs
- Los Angeles Rams +9 at New Orleans Saints
A two-team six-point teaser on the favorites would change the point spreads to the following:
- New England Patriots at Kansas City Chiefs +3
- Los Angeles Rams at New Orleans Saints +3
A $10 parlay with the original point spreads would pay approximately $27.70. A $10 six-point teaser would pay $8.35. The same teaser will pay less if the point spreads or totals are teased by 6.5 or 7 points.
The process for selecting totals on a teaser is similar.
All sportsbooks offer a variety of teaser cards for football season. Football games can be teased by 6, 6.5, or 7 points. Some casinos offer 10 point teasers but only for a total of three sides and/or totals.
College Football Parlay Cards
Sportsbooks offer teasers for basketball as well. However, they offer fewer basketball teaser cards than football. Basketball games can be teased by 4, 4.5, 5, 5.5, or 6 points.
Placing a teaser in person
A teaser in a land-based casino can be done in two ways. A player simply can tell the ticket writer how much they’d like to wager, how many points they’d like to tease and the point spread and totals that they would like to tease. It’s rare to see a person bet a teaser in person like this.
The in-person process can be confusing and time-consuming. Most teaser bets in land-based casinos are placed using a teaser card. Filling out a card in advance of visiting the sportsbook desk is a quick way to complete the transaction since all of the information is already filled in.
Casinos offer a variety of parlay and teaser cards. Make sure to read the rules and payout before choosing a card.
Betting teaser cards
Casino operators have different computer systems for parlays and teasers so the process might be different at certain casinos. Most teaser cards have fixed point spreads and Over/Under totals. In this case, the information on the card won’t change when a teaser bet is placed.
Some sportsbook operators might use a “live line” even though a teaser card lists a specific line from the morning. This allows the casino to change the point spread or point total based on what the current line is when the teaser is placed.
The ticket writer will ask the player if they’re okay with the changes before finalizing the bet. This process can be intimidating for new bettors when a sportsbook is busy and the lines are long. Bettors don’t have to accept the new lines and shouldn’t be afraid to decline the line changes.
Placing a teaser at an online sportsbook
Football Parlay Card Payouts
Placing a teaser at an online sportsbook might be the easiest way to make this kind of wager. A teaser can be made simply by selecting the teams and totals, selecting “teaser,” and choose how many points to tease.
Online teaser cards make the process even more simple. The teaser card will show the adjusted point spreads and totals for each card. The player simply chooses between two and eight sides or totals then selects how much they’d like to wager. Just enter “submit” and confirm the bet. That’s all it takes to bet a teaser online.
Teaser Payouts
Football Parlay Card Payouts
Once a bet is placed, the odds paid remain fixed no matter what computer system a sportsbook uses. Teaser payouts are smaller than traditional parlays.
For example, a two-team point spread parlay might pay 2 to 1 odds if both events are winners for the player. Meanwhile, a two-team teaser might pay -110 if both events are winners.
The more points used to tease lines, the less the payout will be. A six-point teaser might return 10-11, while a 6.5-point teaser only returns 10-12, and a seven-point teaser returns 10-13.
Actual pay schedules vary by teaser type and sportsbook. Check the pay schedule before placing a teaser or any other bet.