Here’s the question of the day – what is a sports betting teaser? You may have stumbled across this term before, or have seen it listed at sports betting sites. And over the years, this type of wager has grown in popularity. With that said, the explanation of this market compared with others isn’t quite as straightforward as some might think.
Additionally, it’s one of the few types of bets that allow you to exert some form of control over the specific spread chosen. Of course, this gives you a brief indicator of what teaser bets involve, but a full explanation still needs to be provided.
So on that note, let’s move right into the explanation so that you can start making teaser bets if you wish!
What is a sports betting teaser? The basics of these markets
First and foremost, I’d like to clarify that a sports betting teaser is a specific type of bet that can be placed on sporting events. Adding to that, it’s a type of bet that consists of multiple legs, which puts it in the same category as ‘accumulator’ wagers, also known as ‘parlays’ in other parts of the world. Yet this simply outlines the fundamentals of what sports betting teaser wagers are.
However, as you can probably imagine, there is a little more to sports betting teasers than just the points mentioned so far. So let me break down each of the relevant sections to provide the most detailed explanation possible.
The formation of this accumulator style bet
As referenced above, teaser bets fit the category of accumulator bets. By nature, this means they must have two or more selections packaged together in order to satisfy the requirements of teasers. With that said, teaser bets can have many more selections involved – with some betting sites allowing a maximum of 10 or even 15 legs in a single teaser bet.
Of course, you can add as many legs as you like, but all must utilize a market where there is some form of marker that serves as the spread.
What you are actually betting on
This is where things get a little more complicated compared with other types of wagers. Take a classic accumulator as an example. These are totally unrestricted in terms of what markets you combine together to form one long bet slip. But with teaser bets, you are restricted concerning the markets that you can add, as referenced above.
So regarding what you are betting on, every market will be fixed on some form of spread for your chosen sport. This could be football, basketball, or something else. As for an example that explains things better, you could be betting on the final score in basketball in terms of a handicap.
Let’s say the original markets showed a -8.5 point spread for the Golden State Warriors in an NBA game, whereas their opponents had a +8.5 point spread on offer. This is the kind of market you can add to a teaser bet, but this is just the first thing to note.
Adjusting the spreads of your chosen markets
As far as explaining ‘what is a sports betting teaser’, this is the most important part. With teaser bets, the original spread offered by the bookmaker is subsequently adjusted to create a better chance of winning the wager. Using the NBA example above, you could adjust the point spread for the Golden State Warriors down to -5.5, if that’s what you are betting on.
The same could be done for the other team. And in doing so, you are improving your chances of winning the wager, as the required ‘spread’ to win isn’t as extreme. You can do this for as many markets involved in your teaser wager as you wish.
The impact explained – what is a sports betting teaser?
There is a positive and a negative side to teaser bets. Then again, this is pretty much the case with all sports betting adaptations. After all – the house always has the advantage, right? That’s just a fact of the gambling industry as a whole, and there’s no escaping it. But what is the impact of participating in a sports betting teaser wager?
Well, as you know from the explanation above, these bets allow you to increase the chances of bagging yourself a win by adjusting the required spread. However, there’s a catch! For each market where you choose to adjust the spread, the odds for that particular market are adapted accordingly. So while you are improving your chances of winning the bets overall, your potential returns are reduced for each market where you’ve adapted things in your favor.
In essence, this is similar to what bookmakers do when offering extra place payouts in horse racing. Sure, you’ve got a better chance of winning a wager if your horse simply needs to finish inside the top five or six instead of the top three. Yet the bookie then adjusts the odds to cater to their ‘generosity’.
