Which NFL spreads cross both 3 and 7 on a six-point teaser

On a six-point NFL teaser, the legs that move through both 3 and 7 are favourites at -7.5, -8 and -8.5 (teased to -1.5, -2 and -2.5) and underdogs at +1.5, +2 and +2.5 (teased to +7.5, +8 and +8.5). In each, the final margins 3 and 7 turn from losses into wins. Spreads next to these cross only one number.

The teaser calculator shows how many points each leg gains and the break-even for the ticket.

What crossing means

A spread of -7.5 is lost when the favourite wins by 7 or fewer. Teased six points to -1.5, it wins when the favourite wins by 2 or more. The margins 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 changed from losses to wins. That set contains 3 and 7, the two most common winning margins in the NFL, so the bet has moved through both. The underdog side works the same way from the other direction: +1.5 is lost when the favourite wins by 2 or more, and +7.5 loses only on 8 or more.

Favourites: margins that change from a loss to a win

• -6.5 to -0.5: margins 1 to 6 (crosses 3 only)
• -7 to -1: margins 2 to 6, and 7 changes from a push to a win
• -7.5 to -1.5: margins 2 to 7 (crosses 3 and 7)
• -8 to -2: margins 3 to 7, and 8 changes from a push to a win, while 2 becomes a push (crosses 3 and 7)
• -8.5 to -2.5: margins 3 to 8 (crosses 3 and 7)
• -9 to -3: margins 4 to 8, and 9 changes from a push to a win, while 3 becomes a push (crosses 7 only)
• -9.5 to -3.5: margins 4 to 9 (crosses 7 only)

Underdogs: final margins that change from a loss to a win

• +1 to +7: margins 2 to 6, and 1 changes from a push to a win, while 7 becomes a push (crosses 3 only)
• +1.5 to +7.5: margins 2 to 7 (crosses 3 and 7)
• +2 to +8: margins 3 to 7, and 2 changes from a push to a win, while 8 becomes a push (crosses 3 and 7)
• +2.5 to +8.5: margins 3 to 8 (crosses 3 and 7)
• +3 to +9: margins 4 to 8, and 3 changes from a push to a win (crosses 7 only)

Why it matters

A teaser is priced as a unit, and the price does not change with where the legs sit. A leg that crosses both numbers and one that crosses neither carry the same hurdle, as shown in the break-even article. The legs listed above are the ones that change the most outcomes for the same price. That is a statement about which results the bet adds. It is not a statement that the bet is a good one, because the price may still ask for more than the added margins deliver.

Limits of this list

• Frequency changes. How often 3 and 7 occur can differ between seasons and rule changes. The article on what key numbers are in the NFL explains why they matter without a fixed frequency to rely on.
• Moves in the line. The spread you are offered is the spread that counts. A game at -7 at one time and -8.5 at another sits in different rows above.
• Totals. Teased totals move through other numbers, and the key numbers for totals are not 3 and 7.
• Pushes. A teased line that lands on a whole number can push, and the rules on a push differ, as in the push article.

Check each leg. Enter your spread and the teaser points into the teaser calculator to see the original and teased lines and the ticket break-even.