Why Shouldn’t You Tease Through 0 In NFL Betting?

Handicapping is rarely a topic that runs short on aggressive opinions. But even by the standards of online sports betting, there are a lot of opinions on how to correctly bet NFL teasers. 

Ultimately, every bettor is in control of their own betslip, and they can bet and strategize in whatever way they prefer. If you feel strongly about teasing a total, or carrying a number to the other side of zero, don’t let someone else talk you off your bet. 

That said, there are good reasons why teasing through zero is, in the aggregate, not a strong play. I’ll explain why below, but if you’re new to teasers, you might want to check out this introduction to NFL teasers first. 

Why Shouldn’t You Tease Through Zero In NFL Betting?

In NFL betting, a teaser that moves through zero is not an optimal play for expected value. In short, you’re paying for points you likely don’t need.

Whether you’re playing a standard six-point teaser, a sweetheart 10-pointer, or something else entirely, it doesn’t matter – you’re paying a price to move your teaser legs to more favorable point spreads. 

That price is reflected in the shorter odds on your betslip. A standard parlay would pay out much more aggressively, while a teaser gives a friendlier bet at reduced odds. 

So, if you’re going to buy points, which is effectively what a teaser does, you should make sure you’re getting the most out of those points. 

This is where critical thinking comes in. The numbers between -3 and +3 are low-leverage numbers in an NFL point spread market, which makes them poor buy options in a teaser market. 

Ask yourself: Given the key numbers in NFL betting, how many game outcomes are there where a team is going to cover +2 but not -2?

Thus, the optimal teaser strategy focuses on moving big favorites of greater than a touchdown down to small favorites of less than a field goal. 

Alternatively, you can also try to tease small underdogs of less than a field goal up to big underdogs catching greater than seven points.

These are called Wong teasers. You can read my complete guide to understanding and betting Wong teasers here.