A teaser is a form of betting that allows you to move the point spread in your favor but requires more than one winning selection to cash your ticket. The most popular teaser for NFL bettors is a two-team, 6-point teaser, where you move the line on both legs of your bet 6 points while laying -120 vigorish. For example, a 12-point favorite becomes a 6-point favorite and a 3-point underdog becomes +9, and you’d have to hit both of those adjusted numbers in order to profit $100 on a $120 wager.
Teasers are appropriately named – they may look easy, but sportsbooks are not in the business of making things easy for their customers. Teasers generally do not offer good value for bettors.
There is an exception to this rule, courtesy of Stanford Wong, the pen name of an author of a series of books on betting strategy. He created what is known as the “Wong Teaser”, a concept that works 1) only in the NFL and 2) only when the teaser allows you to cross through the ‘3’ and the ‘7’ on both legs of the bet: in other words, favorites laying between 7.5 and 8.5 points and underdogs catching between 1.5 and 2.5 points.
The ‘3’ and ‘7’, of course, are the most important numbers when it comes to betting football point spreads.
Fortunately, the NFL’s 2021 Christmas Day doubleheader provides an excellent opportunity for a Wong Teaser:
Cleveland Browns at Green Bay Packers (-7.5)
Green Bay is laying 7.5 on most oddsboards, including BetMGM and Caesars. Playing the Pack in a two-team, 6-point teaser allows you to get them at -1.5, bypassing the two key numbers. Aaron Rodgers and Co. are a bodacious 11-3 against the spread this season, and their 31-30 win as 9-point favorites at Baltimore last week marked the first time they failed to cash in an outright win. Laying 1.5 points to the Browns, who will be playing on short rest at Lambeau Field, looks like the fruitful front end of a two-team teaser.
Indianapolis Colts at Arizona Cardinals (-1.5)
Careful on this one, because the Colts are just +1 on some oddsboards, so be sure to shop for the +1.5 if you’re into this teaser like we are. The half-point is huge, as teasing the +1 up gets you to — but not through — the 7. At some books, in fact, a push on one end of a teaser results in a loss. At +1 (or +7 on a teaser), the Colts are no longer a play.
The look-ahead line of Cardinals -4.5 gives us slight pause here, but that number seemed off even before Arizona’s loss to woeful Detroit last week. The Cards have looked pretty ordinary since their 7-0 start to the season, dropping four of their last seven. Also, their home field hasn’t been much of an advantage, as they’ve dropped three in a row at State Farm Stadium.
The Colts, on other hand, have gained momentum as the season has progressed. Indy started the season 1-4 but is 7-2 since, including a 27-17 win over the Patriots on Saturday.
NFL Teaser: Packers -1.5 And Colts +7.5
I am not in the habit of giving out picks because I am not a +EV handicapper. I make my living covering sports betting, not wagering on games. This Christmas Day Wong Teaser, however — while it may not hit — is a value play bettors should consider.
Also read: Bucs fall on Super Bowl oddsboards
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