Teasers and Pleasers

Let's set the stage. With a title and lead off like that, I know what you're thinking. Unfortunately, this stage doesn’t have a pole or low ambient lighting, just a six-team +5000 parlay, one leg away from cashing. You can't believe it. The two most difficult parts of the parlay are over. The Giants' moneyline hit against Seattle, and the Browns absolutely decimated the Titans. All that’s left is to sweat out the Sunday night game. The Chiefs have to cover the spread against the Broncos. Considering Patrick Mahomes is the best QB in the game, it should be easy right? Wrong. The Chiefs choked and they missed the spread by just 1 point. Don’t beat yourself up, the majority of bettors are also watching their parlays fall short. What if I told you there was a way to continue to bet these multi-team tickets but at the same time, limit the amount of risk? They're called teasers.

Teasers

A teaser is a type of bet that allows you to move the original spread line in your favor. The amount of extra points a teaser provides is an additional 6 but depending on your bookie, your choices could go higher. There are a minimum and a maximum number of selections required in order to play them as a teaser. The ticket payout odds increase as you add more selections but it also becomes more unlikely all of them will win. Here’s an example of a teaser being applied to different spreads.

Traditional Parlay

6-Point Teaser

As you can see, the chances of losing is less likely when you are able to manipulate the line to benefit you. Although a teaser is a safer bet, the downside is the odds are not nearly as good as a traditional parlay. The spread isn't the only thing that can be moved with a teaser. The over/under is another line you are able to apply a teaser to. If you're looking at a game that has a very large total due to both teams having great offenses, you can move the total points down or up to allow yourself some wiggle room.

The only other way you can change an original spread or over/under line is to buy individual points for each selection. This isn't a good strategy because the odds are horrible and you can only buy a couple points.

Teaser Strategy

A common strategy among bettors using teasers are moving spreads down on multiple favorites to get better value for a moneyline bet. Take this situation for an example, again using a 6-point teaser:

Parlay

6-Point Teaser

By teasing these three teams down to 1 or lower, you are virtually betting on the moneyline of all three but with better odds.

It's important to remember that teasers are still risky bets. Don't go crazy with these wagers. Even though they allow you some cushion when betting on the spreads and totals, it only takes one leg to make the entire bet void, just like a parlay.

Pleasers

If you are pretty confident in your handicapping skills and want a way to boost your profit, you might want to try a pleaser. The best way to describe pleasers is that they are parlays but on steroids. I’m talking about the MLB circa 1990s-2000s-type of steroids. A pleaser moves the line the opposite way, making it even more difficult to hit. Let's take the example from the above teaser but construct a pleaser instead.

Traditional Parlay

6-Point Pleaser

As you can see, manipulating the line in this direction affects both the favorites and underdogs. Pleasers require the favorites to win by a larger margin and the underdogs to keep it closer. Pleasers basically supercharge your parlay, offering you an amazing return but at a much lower chance of hitting. A pleaser of five teams could result in a great return with just a $10 bet. With that being said, the more selections you add to a pleaser, the more unlikely that it hits.

If you are bored with the three basic bets and also tired of constantly losing by one leg in a parlay, the perfect substitute could be the teaser bet. If you are some sort of masochist and the parlay isn't high risk enough for you, then you might want to go please yourself. Wait. No. You might want to go wager on a pleaser bet. Much better. For more information on sports betting, visit our other guides.