Betting on the NFL is all about risk and reward. When a line comes out, maybe something like New England Patriots –7.5 (-110) during the 2019-2020 season, you’re being given a chance to win a reward of $100 by risking $110, but only if the Patriots win by more than 7.5 points. Winning by 8 points in the NFL isn’t easy, even if the Super Bowl winning Patriots make it look easy sometimes.
But what if you could change those odds and make it easier for New England to cover? You can when you bet at Bovada Sportsbook, and you can do it a few different ways. If you’d rather bet Patriots –7, you can buy that half-point for a small price, lowering both your risk and your reward. Or if you want to put New England in a parlay, you can change the odds for all your teams by as many as 13 points. It’s called a teaser, and it’s one of the more exciting bet types you’ll find on the NFL odds list.
Buying Points
You can actually buy points for basketball lines as well as NFL and college football lines, but things work a bit differently on the gridiron. The standard price for that half-point when you bet on football is 10 cents of vigorish, also known as the juice; for example, if you’re buying your way from Patriots –2.5 to Patriots –2, the juice on this bet is now –120 instead of the usual –110. That means you’re now risking $120 to win $100.
Because this is football, you’ll have to pay more in juice if you want to move onto one of the magic numbers: 3 and 7. These are the most common winning margins in the NFL, so you’re getting more value for your half-point. Moving from Patriots –7.5 to Patriots –7 will cost you 15 cents in juice, while moving from Patriots –3.5 to Patriots –3 will cost 25 cents. You can check out our Help section for more information on buying points and how it works.
Teasers (and Sweetheart Teasers)
With the teaser, you’re taking a parlay of up to 10 teams and moving the odds for every single line. Your typical teaser can be moved by 6, 6.5 or 7 points, and your potential payout decreases the more points you move. For example, a 2-team parlay of Patriots –7.5 and over 48 can be turned into Patriots –1.5 and over 42 with a 6-point teaser, but you’ll be paid out at –120 if you win instead of the usual 2.6-to-1. Nailing a 6.5-point teaser would pay –130, and a 7-point teaser –140.
You can also place a sweetheart teaser and move the NFL odds by 10 or even 13 points. In this case, you have to have at least three teams in your 10-point teaser, or four teams in your 13-point teaser. You’ll find the full range of options and payouts in our Help section. Take a moment to figure out how these bets work and when to use them; you might even find a bargain or two the next time you’re making your NFL picks.
For more info on how wagers work, check out our NFL Betting Guide for tips on the single bets, parlays, props and even live betting!