LVASports.com moderator and handicapper extraordinaire Fezzik answers the latest sports-betting-related reader query, as part of the ongoing "Fezzik Fridays" feature.
Teasers were conceived to appeal to suckers by offering the allure of adding or subtracting points from a chosen team's posted line, but reducing payouts more than accordingly to create a bigger bookie edge than on straight wagers. Hence, they have the (somewhat deserved) reputation for being bad bets. But NFL teasers can be one of the best wagering options in the book when bet properly. Basic strategy is pretty simple:
1. Play only NFL sides in 6-point teasers (no totals).
2. Start out playing only 2-team teasers laying -110 to win 100 or better. Do not play 2-teamers where you have to lay more than -110.
3. Verify that if your teams go 1-0-1, the teaser will be treated as a push, not a loss. Some shops grade 0-1-1 teasers as pushes also, which is the most favorable treatment. But bottom line, make sure it isn't a "ties lose" situation.
4. Play only +1.5, +2, and +2.5 DOGS (teased up) or -7.5, -8, and -8.5 FAVORITES (teased down). This assures that your teaser "captures" the key numbers in the corridor 3 though 7 (for example, teasing +1.5 to +7.5 goes through the important 3 and 7 in the process). Do not tease anything else.
5. Look to tease teams you already like that also fall into category #4.
6. Look to tease teams in games with lower totals, which slightly reduces variance in the results.
There are many advanced concepts when it comes to playing teasers. For example, teasers of 3, 4, and more teams (all under the same conditions as above) are certainly playable, especially when you integrate hedging considerations, but it gets more complicated and takes a lot of experience to become expert. Beginners should stick with the 2-team strategy outlined here.
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