Let’s have a look-see. It may just be that it is up to something that you could get into.
We have explored the Parlay bet, with its possible payouts that look good in a gigantic size and its risks that are well... kind of risky. The Teaser is a kind of Parlay bet. It is exactly like a regular Parlay bet in that the bettor is required to bet on 2 games or more. It is exactly unlike a regular Parlay bet in that the bettor gets to move the spread around. That’s right. The bettor can change the odds. This may seem a tad formidable to the newbie, though it is a straight forward process. Let’s get into it.
An example will prove useful here. Team Super Awesome and Team Not So Super Awesome are taking the field on Sunday. The bookmakers have set the odds like so: Team Super Awesome -10 and Team No So Super Awesome +10. As we have reviewed in our article on how to bet on college football, Team Super Awesome is the favorite.
The Teaser allows you to move the spread 6, 6.5, 7 or, occasionally, 10 points. So you could changes things up so that the odds for Team Super Awesome are -4 or the odds for Not So Super Awesome are +16. Of course, as you move the odds where you want them, your potential payout is adjusted.
The odds taken on a Teaser are generally much lower than those of a regular parlay. The idea is, after all, that the bettor increases his chances of coming out with some coin. Let’s look at an illustrative example:
A 7-point Teaser on, say, six teams would usually have odds of 5/1. If we compare these odds to those which would be offered on a regular parlay of 6 teams, we see the light – those odds would be 40/1. 5/1 is much lower than 40/1. Yes? The Teaser can bring some goodness to the bettor who takes it up.
One more. A 6.5 Teaser on three teams would usually have odds of 8/5. A regular Parlay on three teams would offer odds of 6/1. We can see a pattern developing here. The Teaser offers better odds at a reduced risk than does it bold cousin the original Parlay. Of course, we should keep in mind that Parlay odds are higher than most.
Know that with the Teaser, you are putting up more than you win. So, to win $100, you may have to put up $130. Of course, if all goes well, if the planets are aligned, you get your original investment back and your winnings to boot. If the planets are slightly out of synch and you go down...well.
The Teaser is a bet with a name that gets attention. It sounds like it is up to something – something filled with goodness with a touch of gratifying badness.