NBA Teasers

Written by: Joseph Falchetti, Editor-in-Chief, Pro Sports Bettor and Casino Expert
Last updated:
6 minute read
NBA Teasers

NBA teasers are a combination of two to ten selections. The idea is to adjust the bets with the advantage of points or the totals in your favor in exchange for a lower payout.

Many handicappers and betting websites will advise you to avoid basketball teasers. However, there is money to be made if you shop odds and understand the spots that make them interesting.

Like parlay bets, you can only profit if you win all your selections or bets in the teaser, but it’s definitely worth the shot.

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How Do Teasers Work In Basketball?

The parameters for NBA basketball teasers are ultimately up to the oddsmakers. Instead of the 6-pt teasers that are standard for football, most basketball teasers begin at 4 points and end at around 5 points.

Basketball teasers that are 8 or 10 points may also be called “sweetheart teasers”.

However, some sites, offer basketball teasers as high as 16 points. The most commonly wagered basketball teaser is 5 points. Most bettors typically bet basketball teasers between 4 and 6 points.

Nonetheless, there still may be wagers that offer a positive return on investment for players at 5.5-point and above. It all depends on the odds offered.

Common Basketball Teaser Bets

The most frequent teaser bet you’ll find is between 4 to 6 points. Some basketball betting sites will allow you to buy several points; however, you may not want to focus your energy on that, because that increases the house edge.

As a general rule, the house edge will grow as you add more games to your teaser bet. Some betting sites love offering a lot of teaser options.

Your basic strategy betting on NBA teasers is to find the sportsbook with the best odds.

NBA Basketball Teaser Odds Explained

NBA teasers can be utilized on both sides and NBA totals. Here’s a two-team teaser 5-pt teaser in action for a typical NBA game:

NBA Odds BEFORE Teaser

  • Chicago Bulls +2.5
  • Atlanta Hawks -7

NBA Odds AFTER Teaser

  • Chicago Bulls +2.5
  • Atlanta Hawks -2

For those that have experience with teasers and the basics, there shouldn’t be any issues with understanding the above example.

Basketball teasers work the same way as football teasers and also have similar rules when deciding pushes or bets that are no action.

For example, most basketball teasers will typically reduce when a game pushes, is canceled or is graded no action.

If you bet a three-team teaser, and one of the bets is a tie, the teaser is reduced to two teams and adjusted accordingly.

Some betting sites will offer “ties win” teasers, where if one or both legs push on a two-team teaser, the bet will be graded as a winner.

How To Bet On NBA Teasers Online

Everything begins with you picking the right basketball betting site. There are lots of options out there, but a few sites are a lot more trustworthy than others. Selecting a top-tier sportsbook is important to make sure you get paid if you win.

If you are new to NBA betting, follow this quick step by step guide and you will be ready to bet on the next NBA slate of games.

  1. Choose A Sportsbook

    Some sites are scams that you should avoid completely. At Safest Betting Sites, we have many reviews of trusted NBA betting websites.

  2. Signup Bonuses

    You’ll get bonuses for your first time deposit. Use your NBA teaser bets to rollover the bonus and keep growing your bankroll. You need to make a set amount of wagers to take full advantage of these NBA signup bonuses.

  3. Making A Deposit

    Once you have your NBA sports betting site, deposit your wagering money. Use credit and debit cards deposits, PayPal or the new popular deposit method via cryptocurrencies.

  4. Checking Teasers Odds

    Shop at other sportsbooks. If you really like the teaser odds as your sportsbook, check other sportsbooks for better prices, to be sure you’re getting the best. Once you are confident with your selections, you can move onto the next step.

  5. Placing Your NBA Teasers Bet

    Review your selection and bet amount before clicking the bet confirmation button on your teaser. After that, sit back and watch the game!

NBA Teaser Betting Strategy – Make Profitable Teaser Bets

Betting NBA teasers profitably requires some patience from bettors and is dependent on online shopping.

As far as calculating past results from NBA games, we went back all the way to 1995 to analyze all the NBA games since then to see what situations offered the most profitable teaser opportunities for bettors.

There was more than enough of a sample size and valuable data to find some interesting conclusions about NBA teasers:

1. Avoid teasing home favorites

Teasing home favorites isn’t typically profitable and should generally be avoided due to the fact they are heavy public bets.

2. Home underdogs are rare wins

Home underdogs also show plenty of value but are too infrequent. Home underdogs of 10-13 points show a nice win rate, but these are simply too rare to count on throughout an NBA season.

3. Avoid the underdogs

Road underdogs and teasers aren’t especially profitable. These teams are expected to lose and adding points to their total don’t help improve their win rate much.

4. Road favorites are the most profitable

Road favorites offer the most profitable situations for bettors. Teams that are favored between 9-14 points have an excellent winning percentage with 4 to 5 point teasers.

The most frequent margin of victory in the NBA lies between 5-7 points. By using teasers on numbers that get us into this range, we’ll have a much better chance at profitability.

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Read Our Complete Review Of The Best NBA Betting Sites

NBA Teaser Betting Odds

Online NBA Teaser Odds

Opportunities may exist outside of this range depending on the odds offered. When we specifically look at road favorites, teams favored by 9-14 points consistently provide a distinct advantage.

If you look at the data available at Boyd’s, you will see that in these situations, the results trump the breakeven percentages.

Though the margin between breakeven and profitability is small, that’s all we need to make these bets profitable.

Because of these slim margins, it’s important to line shop and only bet NBA teasers with the best prices. If you’re always betting with the best teaser odds and prices, you will always be paying the least for each of your wagers and maximizing your upside.

Online Sportsbook Teaser Odds & Win Percentage

Home Favorites

Line 4 Point Win % 4.5 Point Win % 5 Point Win %
-1 67.92% 57.85% 62.53%
-1.5 65.56% 59.38% 59.38%
-2 68.61% 59.38% 62.07%
-2.5 64.19% 66.51% 66.51%
-3 69.89% 56.83% 60.70%
-3.5 63.96% 63.96% 63.96%
-4 69.43% 60.65% 63.06%
-4.5 64.73% 64.51% 64.51%
-5 67.13% 63.10% 63.10%
-5.5 68.72% 66.63% 66.63%
-6 69.66% 66.35% 68.83%
-6.5 65.52% 68.59% 68.59%
-7 68.07% 69.09% 72.16%
-7.5 65.60% 69.33% 69.33%
-8 67.69% 69.29% 72.76%
-8.5 66.56% 70.99% 70.99%
-9 67.05% 70.92% 74.79%
-9.5 64.81% 72.89% 72.89%
-10 66.73% 71.35% 74.49%
-10.5 66.89% 75.66% 75.66%
-11 67.49% 69.51% 72.87%
-11.5 68.50% 68.50% 68.50%
-12 69.18% 69.79% 73.72%
-12.5 68.89% 65.19% 65.19%
-13 67.93% 61.03% 65.52%
-13.5 68.75% 69.27% 69.27%
-14 68.25% 63.98% 67.77%
-14.5 69.05% 68.25% 68.25%
-15 67.52% 69.23% 70.94%
% Needed 69.84% 70.53% 73.14%
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Home Underdogs

Line 4 Point Win % 4.5 Point Win % 5 Point Win %
+1 68.32% 68.32% 72.05%
+1.5 64.63% 68.54% 68.54%
+2 65.10% 65.10% 69.63%
+2.5 63.73% 68.94% 68.94%
+3 67.05% 67.05% 71.55%
+3.5 68.08% 71.92% 71.92%
+4 70.96% 70.96% 74.23%
+4.5 65.97% 69.31% 69.31%
+5 67.30% 67.30% 71.31%
+5.5 63.48% 68.01% 68.01%
+6 66.10% 66.10% 71.91%
+6.5 65.58% 67.95% 67.95%
+7 70.50% 70.50% 73.60%
+7.5 65.40% 70.89% 70.89%
+8 62.44% 62.44% 65.16%
+8.5 69.54% 70.69% 70.69%
+9 62.43% 62.43% 64.16%
+9.5 53.39% 60.17% 60.17%
+10 66.36% 66.36% 70.91%
% Needed 69.84% 70.53% 73.14%
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Road Favorites

Line 4 Point Win % 4.5 Point Win % 5 Point Win %
-1 62.53% 62.53% 67.29%
-1.5 59.51% 63.17% 63.17%
-2 61.95% 61.95% 65.27%
-2.5 62.12% 63.73% 63.73%
-3 61.90% 61.90% 64.89%
-3.5 63.64% 65.45% 65.45%
-4 62.88% 62.88% 64.04%
-4.5 64.51% 64.51% 64.51%
-5 67.72% 67.72% 67.72%
-5.5 65.99% 69.52% 69.52%
-6 70.94% 70.94% 73.61%
-6.5 67.95% 71.51% 71.51%
-7 68.63% 68.63% 72.05%
-7.5 68.35% 72.57% 72.57%
-8 71.04% 71.04% 73.76%
-8.5 66.67% 68.97% 68.97%
-9 73.99% 73.99% 77.46%
-9.5 72.88% 74.58% 74.58%
-10 73.64% 73.64% 74.55%
% Needed 69.84% 70.53% 73.14%
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Road Underdogs

Line 4 Point Win % 4.5 Point Win % 5 Point Win %
+1 67.92% 67.92% 72.60%
+1.5 65.56% 69.09% 69.09%
+2 68.61% 68.61% 72.59%
+2.5 64.19% 69.15% 69.15%
+3 69.89% 69.89% 72.91%
+3.5 63.96% 67.42% 67.42%
+4 69.43% 69.43% 72.92%
+4.5 64.73% 68.26% 68.26%
+5 67.13% 67.13% 71.38%
+5.5 68.72% 72.78% 72.78%
+6 69.66% 69.66% 72.96%
+6.5 65.52% 69.45% 69.45%
+7 68.07% 68.07% 71.59%
+7.5 65.60% 68.67% 68.67%
+8 67.69% 67.69% 71.56%
+8.5 66.56% 70.69% 70.69%
+9 67.05% 67.05% 70.49%
+9.5 64.81% 69.30% 69.30%
+10 66.73% 66.73% 68.58%
+10.5 66.89% 70.39% 70.39%
+11 67.49% 67.49% 70.40%
+11.5 68.50% 71.97% 71.97%
+12 69.18% 69.18% 71.90%
+12.5 68.89% 71.85% 71.85%
+13 67.93% 67.93% 71.03%
+13.5 68.75% 69.79% 69.79%
+14 68.25% 68.25% 72.04%
+14.5 69.05% 69.84% 69.84%
+15 67.52% 67.52% 68.38%
% Needed 69.84% 70.53% 73.14%
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Betting On NBA Teasers Can Be Profitable If Done Right

NBA Basketball teasers

The majority of NBA teasers are unprofitable, don’t expect to make money, in the long run, wagering on lots of basketball teasers.

Not only do bettors have to pick the right range of numbers to target when betting teasers, but they also need to bet with the appropriate odds to make these small margin bets profitable.

Shopping odds relentlessly and utilizing the teaser markets of 5Dimes will put you into the category of a winner if you look to target road favorites and the rarely seen home underdogs of 10-13 points.

Without appropriate odds and an idea of which situations to target, NBA teasers are unprofitable markets.

Still, the masses continue to throw their money down the drain betting –EV teasers. Don’t make the same mistake. Instead, focus on more profitable betting markets.

If you don’t know where to put your money beside teasers, don’t miss our NBA betting page, where you’ll find a breakdown of all NBA betting markets and general basketball betting strategies. Just click the link below.

Read Our In-Depth NBA Betting Guide

About the Author

Joseph Falchetti

Joseph Falchetti

Editor-in-Chief, Pro Sports Bettor and Casino Expert

Joe is the author of the majority of sports betting pages on SBS and he serves as a gambling consultant to our content team. He's been mentioned on Forbes.com as a gaming analyst, and his articles have been linked by larger publications, such as the New York Times.

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