Teaser vs Parlay

If a bettor has $100, they face a choice: put it on a parlay or a teaser. The odds say a parlay is more profitable. But a teaser is worth it if the extra points it buys cross the NFL's key numbers.

Wongs and NFL Key Numbers

A score of 3 is often a problem in football betting. The same goes for 7. The distance between 3 and 7 is only 4. A Wong teaser could be the way to go in this situation.

That distance crosses the NFL’s main key numbers. A Wong teaser is a pairwise teaser that spans 3 and -7 on either side of the line. The classic version is a two-team, 6-point teaser.

If you're facing 7s and 3s at playable prices, OddsShopper advises using a Wong strategy to move the lines.

Competing With Parlay

A two-team -110 parlay means getting a win on each leg about 52.4% of the time.

So a regular two-team NFL parlay at -110 should win about 27% of the time and pay about +264. That means they lose more often than they win.

Each leg must win 72.4% of the time to break even.

A regular NFL teaser gives six extra points to each leg. Teams favored by 7 become 1-point favorites, while 3-point underdogs become 9-point underdogs.

A push shows up in many sportsbooks as "cancelled" or a refund. But if you’re betting NFL totals, some books handle pushes differently.

Simple Teaser vs. Parlays

Pushes matter. A push on a leg reduces the number of bets in a three-team teaser.

But remember, pushes are graded differently from book to book. This difference may seem like a nuanced bookkeeping rule, but real money is on the line.

OddsShopper calls for the Wong rule: cross 3 and 7 from the opening line. That way you are moving the line in your favor.

If you are going to bet NFL in 2026 be sure you know the rules on push outcomes first.

Worked example

What each leg has to hit

Bet	Price	Break-even per leg
Two-team parlay, -110 legs	+264	52.4%
Two-team 6-point teaser at -110	-110	72.4%
Two-team 6-point teaser at -120	-120	73.9%

Break-even per leg = square root of the break-even rate of the whole two-leg ticket.

How 6 teaser points move an NFL spread

Original line	Teased line	Key numbers
-7 favorite	-1	crosses 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2
-8.5 favorite	-2.5	crosses 7 and 3
+1.5 underdog	+7.5	crosses 3 and 7
+3 underdog	+9	moves off 3 and through 7