With the number of NFL games that are decided so close to the point spread each weekend, many bettors prefer to play teaser tickets instead.

Teasers, in case you don’t know, allow you to move a point spread or total in your direction (a standard NFL teaser means moving the line six points). In exchange for the extra points you receive on your bet, you’ll need to parlay at least two games on your teaser ticket and win them all to cash in.

For example, this weekend in the NFL sees the Bills as 3-point underdogs to the Giants and the Ravens as 7.5-point favourites over the Texans. If you liked the Bills and Ravens this week but were a bit nervous about the point spreads, you could move the Bills to +9 and the Ravens to -1.5 by playing a six-point teaser. You would need to win them both to cash your bet, generally getting back the same return on your wager that you would on one regular point-spread bet.

These two games are perfect examples of ideal games to tease. Why? Well, when you move a line six points in your favour, it’s ideal to tease the line across as many key numbers as possible. By moving the Bills to +9, you will still win if Buffalo loses by four, six or seven points — margins of defeat that are quite common in the NFL. It’s the same with the Ravens. By teasing them down to -1.5, you still win if the Ravens win by just three, four, six or seven points. That extra insurance can come in nice and handy when the game is tied in the late going and the Ravens are just playing for a field goal to win by three.

When teasing NFL or any other sport, however, it’s still important to line shop for a couple of reasons.

First, not all sportsbooks pay the same on teaser bets. 5Dimes is the best we use for teasers, since they offer +100 (even money) on six-point teasers in the NFL. Pinnacle aren’t far behind, paying at -110 odds. Sports Interaction is probably a book you don’t want to use when betting teasers, since they pay at -120 odds.

But secondly, not all sportsbooks will offer the same teaser lines. On the example we used above, sportsbooks like Pinnacle and 5Dimes had listed the Ravens as 9-point favourites with plus juice (+110). It’s basically the same price as Ravens -7.5 -110, but by listing the Ravens as 9-point favourites, they ensure that you can only tease Baltimore down to a three-point favourite on a six-point teaser. That’s a big deal, since you’re no longer crossing the key number of three with your teaser. You’d be better off betting your Baltimore teaser at other sportsbooks that listed the Ravens as 7.5-point favourites.

Sportsbooks also offer teasers of 6.5 points, 7 points and even as high as 14 points in NFL. But the number of games you’ll have to win, and the return you’ll get on your bet, makes it a bad idea to play those higher teasers. Your best strategy with NFL teasers is to find a couple teams you like, bet them on 6-point teasers and make sure that your bet crosses as many key numbers as possible. It doesn’t make that much sense to tease a team from a 14-point favourite to an eight-point favourite, but it makes a whole lot of sense to tease them down from a seven-point favourite to a one-point favourite.

If you use teasers to your advantage, they can be an excellent way to make a profit this NFL season. And remember, you won’t find Proline offering teasers or anything else that will help you make money. The only way to bet teasers — well, unless you want to fly to Nevada — is with online sportsbooks.