Rules
How the pool works. Settled — not up for debate mid-season.
The short version
Every week you pick 4 teams against the spread, with the teaser already applied to the number you see. All of your picks must win. One loss and the week is gone.
This week
- Picks
- 4
- Teaser
- 13 points
- Stake
- $5
The teaser
A teaser moves the line in your favour on both sides of a game. With a 13-point teaser, Detroit −7 hosting New Orleans becomes DET +6 and NO +20. You are always adding points to whichever side you take.
That is why you may pick both sides of the same game — with a big enough teaser both can win. It is a real strategy, not a loophole.
Winning and losing
- All your picks win → you win the week.
- One pick loses → you lose the week.
- A push counts as a loss. Landing exactly on the number is not a refund here.
- Short of 4 picks when picks close → automatic loss.
When picks close
1:00 PM Eastern on Sunday. Everything from Sunday afternoon onwards locks at that moment — the late afternoon games, Sunday night, and Monday night. There is no picking a Monday game on Monday.
Games before that lock at their own kickoff. A Thursday game locks Thursday night; a Saturday game locks Saturday. Sunday morning games in London lock at their own kickoff too.
Your picks stay private until they lock, and each game unlocks on its own schedule. A Thursday game’s picks are on show Thursday night, as soon as it kicks off — everyone’s, including yours.
Everything still hidden reveals together at 1:00 PM Sunday, and an email goes out with the whole league’s slate.
Pick rules
- You cannot pick the same team twice in a week.
- You can pick both sides of one game.
- You can add, change or remove picks freely until they lock. Sitting below the required count is allowed right up until the deadline — it just loses you the week if you are still short when it passes.
Stake
This website tracks what is owed through the season. Each week the losers and winners are tallied and that determines the amount of stake that is owed. The balance is not settled until the end of the season.
Each loser pays the stake to each winner:
- A loser pays the stake × the number of winners.
- A winner receives the stake × the number of losers.
- The most a week can swing is the stake × (players − 1).
- After the last game of the season, the commissioner will collect the stake and distribute appropriately.
Sweep weeks
These are two separate levers with no caps and no floors.
- Everyone wins → no stake moves, and the teaser drops a point next week. It drops again on back-to-back sweeps, and resets once a week has both winners and losers.
- Everyone loses → no stake moves, and the stake doubles next week. It keeps doubling on consecutive all-lose weeks, and resets as soon as anyone wins.
Somebody missing their picks takes an automatic loss and counts as a loser for both of these.
The rounds
| Round | Picks | Teaser |
|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1–18 | 4 | Full |
| Wild Card | 3 | Base − 3 |
| Divisional | 3 | Base − 3 |
| Conference Championship | 2 | None · over/under allowed |
| The Big Game | 1 | None · over/under allowed · double stake |
The lines
Spreads are pulled Wednesday morning and frozen for the whole week. If you pick DET +6 on Wednesday you are graded against +6, even if the real line moves to −8.5 by Saturday. The number you picked is the number you get.
Every pick and every change is logged with a timestamp. If there is ever a disagreement about what somebody picked, there is a record.