How to Bet NBA Basketball Teasers
By Loot, NCAA Basketball Handicapper, Lootmeister.com
As we explore the different bets available to the NBA betting man, we arrive at the teaser. It’s a popular bet among the general betting public and continues to grow, as books have expanded the variety of teasers we can play. In this article, we will discuss what teasers are and the pros and cons of making this play a part of your wagering profile.
A teaser is a single bet, but with multiple games on it. You pick at least two teams and they all must cover the number for you to win. It’s just like a parlay in that sense. But where it differs from a parlay is that you receive extra points in which you can move the line/point spread in your favor. In return, you get less-favorable odds than what you would receive by winning a parlay.
To make a teaser, you look at the games and their point-spreads or totals. You then choose which teams/games to play. That is the number of teams that will be in your teaser. Then you choose what kind of a teaser you want to play, with the three most common being of the 4, 4.5, and 5-point variety. You get that amount of points in your favor from the normal point-spread. For example, you want to play these three teams:
San Antonio -11
Golden State +4.5
Memphis +2
If you made a 3-team/4-point teaser, the lines would move 4 points in your favor for each team you choose. That would make the new lines look like this:
San Antonio -7
Golden State +8.5
Memphis +6
You see that the point-spread moved 4 points in your favor on each game you placed on your teaser. If you win, you would get 9-5, meaning you win $180 for every $100 you wager. Remember, while catching a break on the spread, you must win all of the games for your teaser to be a success. If you hit 5 out of 6, it’s the same as if you went 0 for 6. Another drawback is that you pay somewhat dearly for your extra points. Here are the payouts for the 4, 4.5, and 5-point favorites.
4-Point Teasers
2-Team: 1-1
3-Team: 9-5
4-Team: 3-1
5-Team: 5-1
6-Team: 7-1
7-Team: 10-1
8-Team: 15-1
9-Team: 20-1
10-Team: 25-1
4.5-Point Teasers
2-Team: 10-11
3-Team: 8-5
4-Team: 5-2
5-Team: 4-1
6-Team: 6-1
7-Team: 9-1
8-Team: 12-1
9-Team: 15-1
10-Team: 20-1
5-Team Teasers
2-Team: 5-6
3-Team: 3-2
4-Team: 2-1
5-Team: 7-2
6-Team: 5-1
7-Team: 8-1
8-Team: 10-1
9-Team: 12-1
10-Team: 15-1
These amounts seem rather small compared to parlays. On 5-point-teasers, you need to hit 8 teams without fail just for 10-1 odds, when a parlay could achieve the same odds with only 4 teams. It just seems like there are easier ways to get 10-1 odds than hitting an 8-team teaser, which is exceedingly difficult to do.
We might notice how close the spreads are when we wager on the NBA. And they are. But there are many games daily that completely buck the point-spread and 4-5 points isn’t going to cover the discrepancy.
If serious about NBA wagering, you are not in the habit of paying even steeper juice than what you are normally subjected to by just making straight bets. That’s where the teaser becomes, by in large, a ”sucker play.” The extra points you receive in relation to the percentage of games you must pick correctly does not favor the bettor. And the more extravagant your teaser is--the more juice you will have to pay.
There may be situations that arise where a two-team teaser is not the worst move. If you have two teams where you are feeling very good about it, a teaser could seem like a positive bet to place, since you get a little extra cushion. Then again, if they were such good picks, you could just play them straight and not have the success of one wager depend on the other.
Teasers are fun. If you almost never bet on NBA and are looking to have some fun with it, it’s fine to make a teaser. Over the long-run, however, they are generally bets that should be avoided. We should generally be looking for point-spreads we can beat, not ones we need a lot of help with to beat at the expense of our potential payout. By in large, the real sharps in this business treat teasers with an air of at least extreme caution, if not total avoidance.
Lastly, due to teasers odds being more expensive to bet than straight wagers, you will need to win a higher percentage of these bets to break even. It's super important that you're betting at the best possible odds. After all, why would you want to lay -130 odds when you could be laying -120 elsewhere? Many think that all sportsbooks offer the same vanilla lines and are created equal. However, this is not the case! If you're a teaser bettor, it's imperative that you're placing your wagers at 5Dimes Sportsbook as they offer the lowest priced teaser odds on the planet. This will in turn save you money and lower the percentage of bets you need to win to break even and generate profits. Don't overpay for odds! Get hooked up with Island TODAY!
