This is the time of the NFL Season that the SportsBooks get hit with their heaviest volume...Because not only do many bettors tend to go heavier during these type of marquee games, but there is also a huge influx of money being wagered by those who only bet the Playoffs and Super Bowl...So although one would assume that this would be the time the oddsmakers are at their sharpest, Pro's get the benefit of having them adjust for "Public Perception"...
There are tons of different proposition wagers that you can make on each match-up, and after years of results at their disposal...the sportsbooks welcome it all, knowing that they definately have the best of it...which is of course what the goal is for every casino wager that is offered...
So we can all agree that the just like the rest of the casino, the sportsbooks only want to offer their players the opportunity to wager...when they have the edge...And there is a huge MISCONCEPTION that they have the edge when it comes to TEASERS...And before I was shown how to employ them as a means to move "Steam", I too was under the very same impression...
Now we have all heard many times that TEASERS are sucker bets...and the house welcomes all the Teasers they can because unlike having to lay -110 on a Straight Bet, where the house edge is 4.5%...on a TEASER, you are aksed to lay between -120 & -130, depending on the amount of points you wish to grab...
I have spoken about this many time before, both in the Forums and in the Pod-Casts about how Oddsmakers are now forced to put more of an emphasis on TEASERS when creating their lines since many Pro's are using them to gain an edge...And although we would think that the goal for them is to also have the final score fall closely to the point-spread...there is actually no worse result for the house, than when ALL sides of the TEASER win...
I am one who truely believes that the "TEASER IS NOT A SUCKER BET"...and have always lived by the motto that it's the person and not the wager, that determines if the wager is "square"...
Now you may be thinking that how can that be, when all we hear about is how Parlays and Teasers are house bets...So let me back this up with some facts which will not only support my opinion...but also show that it's the respected opinion of some of the sharpest bettors and bookmakers here in Vegas and Off-Shore...
For starters, the Station Casino's last year during the Playoffs LOWERED their TEASER Limits from $5,000 (5 Dimes)...down to only $500 (Nickel), and when their Sportsbook Manager, in charge of all their properties was asked why...His response was that in the Playoffs, especially as they get closer and closer to the Super Bowl...he felt that the "TRUE ODDS" should be closer to -180, than -120...and even higher on a 7Pt Teaser...
Then just last week, when I had plans to watch the games with a friend...we decided to go down to a sportsbook so that he can put a little more action down on Arizona....Since we were going to watch them at my home on the West Side, we decided to go to a locals shop which is owned by the Stratosphere, by the name of Arizona Charlies...
It was about 30 min before the 1st Game was going to go off...Between Baltimore and Tennessee, and he felt it would be a close game so he decided that he would go ahead and put 2 Teasers in...which would have Both Teams from the 1st Game, tied into Arizona...So he wanted to have TENN +4 & ARZ +17 on one ticket...and BALT +10 & ARZ +17 on the second ticket...And I agreed that I believed they were excellent bets, and with the Total set at 33.5 for the Balt/Tenn Matchup...I really felt he was getting a lot of value and decided to go in on the tickets with him as well...
We finally get to the window and were ready to make a sizable TEASER Wager...and I had told him that if they weren't willing to take it all, we could hit about 3 more "Outs" between there and my home, well before kick-off...Because I had assumed that being a locals spot, and dealing with Pro's on many occassions, they probably went ahead and lowered their limits also...But we had hoped to at least get a Dime down at this shop before moving on, and at the very least a nickel...
Well to my surprise...they hadn't lowered their TEASER Limits...Instead, they went one step further and decided that they would NOT Book Any Teasers...NONE...When I asked to see the sportsbook manager, since I've known her forever...she came over smiling and said "Ace, I don't mind seeing a nice young man like yourself winning money...but I have a responsibility to my employers, so I can't just hand it out either"...
I had known that over the last few years, many of the Vegas Books were getting hammered with TEASER work from many Pro Bettors out here...But it was at that instant that I realized just how big this actually was...I mean, here were are looking to get down a bet...in a casino...at odds of -130...and they weren't willing to book it...Instead they said we can fill out those Teaser Cards where you only get 5pts, must use at least 3 teams, and I believe Ties Lose...Now that's what I call a Sucker Bet...
As I stated at the very beginning...it's no secret that the casino's/sportsbooks are in business to make money...And it's even no secret that they are willing to take wagers on games that they believe they definately have an edge over the player...While anyone who may have figured out a way to lower their edge, or even bring it to their favor are asked to leave...which they have a right to do...Or they impose such tight limits, in an attempt to make it not worth it to the Pro, to apply his/her skill there...
The Bottom Line, anyway you look at it is that the Books are telling us loud and clear...from those actions, that the Players have an EDGE OVER the SPORTSBOOKS on TEASERS DURING THE NFL PLAYOFFS...And I am not just talking about us Pro's, who usually get limits imposed on them anyway...I'm talking about your recreational bettor, whose only agenda is to have a little action on the game...with the hopes of hopefully winning a little, or breaking even...Not to make a living off their errors...
When we look at how this season's Playoffs have gone so far...it becomes even more obvious why they fear the TEASER bet so much...
During the Wild-Card Weekend, on Saturday you could have TEASED either of the 4 Teams, and 3 of the 4 Totals...any which way on a 7Pt'er...and walked away with the dough...So whether you are a sophisticated handicapper/pro bettor, or someone who chooses their wagers by the colors of the teams uniforms, chances were...you BEAT the BOOKS...
That was also the case for the Divisional Round of the Playoffs as well...Where we saw that on Saturday, no matter how you TEASED the Side of the Balt/Tenn Game, you WON...No matter how you TEASER the Total of the Arz/Car Game, you WON...And then on Sunday, no matter how you TEASED the SD/Pitt Side, you WON...or how you TEASED the Phi/NYG Total, you WON...
So you can see that so far, during this year's NFL Playoffs...the TEASER has been anything but a "Sucker Bet"...And it's easy to understand why the Sportsbooks really don't want TEASER action at all...
This is why you really have to be careful with many of what I refer to as the "Sports Betting Misconceptions", that we have all heard during our sports betting careers...and many times just believed it to be true...This is why I have always been the kind of bettor who needs to see the data which supports these misconceptions, before I allow myself to simply believe them to be fact...
Finally, although we may find that in the upcoming Conference Championships, the TEASER bet don't cash a ticket as easily as in the previous weeks...I am still a firm believer that they are a wager, which should be in the arsenal of every serious, and even recreational sports bettor...especially when the Post-Season begins...and many times, for a lot of other big games as well....Just take a look at this year's Fiesta Bowl and BCS Championship, where ALL 4 SIDES covered the TEASER...and it will be just as obvious to you, why the books continue to be reluctant to take large wagers from fellas looking to bet a TEASER...or any at all...
Best of Luck this weekend, and beyond...Vegas-Runner