Pool Rules

Weekly Pool

Each week constitutes a new pool. You may play as many or as few weeks as you like but you are allowed only one entry per week.To enter, fill in the entry form by making your pick for each game. The goal is to pick the winning team.

You will also be asked to guess the total points scored in the Monday Night Football game (or whatever the last scheduled game of that week is). This will be used as a tiebreaker.

The winner for each week will be the player with the highest score. In the event of a tie, the player who guessed closest to the actual point total of the tiebreaker game will win. Should any players still be tied after applying the tiebreaker, the pot will be divided equally among those players.

For the tiebreaker, it does not matter if your point total is over or under the actual score total. It is only the difference that counts.

Scoring

Your score is simply the number of games you correctly picked.

In the event a game ends in a tie, you will receive half a point for that game, provided you made a pick for it.

Making and Changing Weekly Entries

When filling in an entry form, you do not have to make a pick for each game. All that is required is that you enter a point total for the tiebreaker. This is helpful if there are early games scheduled for a given week (games played on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday). You may make your picks for these games beforehand and complete the rest later.

Locked Games

Games are automatically locked out on the entry form according to their scheduled date and time. Early games are locked at the start of the individual game. All remaining games (including any Monday night games) are locked at the scheduled start time of the first Sunday game.

Times displayed on the schedule are Eastern.

You may change your pick for any game up until the time that game is locked. You may also change your tiebreaker point total up until the time that all entries are locked on Sunday.

You can delete your entry, if desired, provided no games for that week have been locked.

Entries must be completed on time. Once a game is locked, you may not change your pick for it. If you did not make a pick for a particular game, it is counted as a loss. If you submit a partial entry and either forget or are unable to complete it, you are still responsible for the entry fee.

The Administrator may make exceptions for extenuating circumstances on an individual basis. By participating you agree to abide by the above rules and accept any decisions made by the Administrator.

If you have trouble accessing the site, logging in or otherwise completing your entry, please contact the Administrator for help.

Overall Award

After all weekly pools are concluded, the overall award will be given to the player who made the most correct picks over the entire regular season.

Note that it is the total number of correct picks that counts, not the percentage. This is done to favor players who play more rather than ones who score well but only play a few weeks.

The size of the overall award will depend on the total number of weekly entries made. If there is a tie between two or more players, the award will be split equally among them.

Survivor/Margin Pool

This pool is separate from the weekly picks pool. If you choose to participate, you must enter during the first week (or whichever week the Administrator has chosen to start the pool).

The pool runs over the entire regular season. Each week, you must pick one team among those playing that you think will win its game. You can use each team only once.

This pool is actually a combination of two similar yet distinct pool formats described below. You make only one pick each week, that pick applies to both the survivor pool and the margin pool.

Survivor Pool

The goal of the survivor pool is to outlast your fellow players. If your team wins, you survive and continue on to the next week. If your team loses, you are eliminated.

Note that if you do not make a pick for a given week, it counts as a loss. If the game ends in a tie, it is considered a loss. In the event all active players are eliminated in a single week, those players will be reinstated and continue to the next week.

When only one player remains, he or she wins the pot. If more than one player survives to the end of the regular season, they will split the pot equally.

Buybacks

If you are eliminated from the survivor pool, you have the option to buyback in for a fee. You are allowed up to two buybacks during the course of the season. Each buyback will cost you $25.00. If you choose to use a buyback, you must do so the week following your elimination. No buybacks are permitted after Week 6. All buyback fees go into the survivor pool pot.

Keep in mind that the tiebreaker for the survivor pool is the number of correct picks. If, for example, you and one other player both survive the entire season but you used a buyback while the other player did not, that player would win by virtue of having made more correct picks. Also note that buybacks cannot be used after the pool has been won.

Margin Pool

The goal of the margin pool is to pick the team you think will win it's game by the greatest scoring margin. If your team wins, the point difference is added to your total. If your team loses, the point difference is subtracted from your total.

If you do not make a pick for a given week, it counts as a loss and your point total will be deducted using the greatest losing margin among all games for that week.

Whichever player scores the most points at the end of the regular season wins the pool. In the event of a tie, the number of correct picks will be used as a tiebreaker. Should two or more players still be tied, those players will split the pot equally.

Additional Notes

Even if you are eliminated from the survivor pool, no one is ever eliminated from the margin pool so don't forget to make a pick each week.

The pot will be distributed between the two pools as follows: 50% will be awarded to the winner(s) of the survivor pool while the remainder will be awarded to the winner(s) of the margin pool.

Making and Changing Survivor/Margin Picks

As with the weekly pool, you may make or change your pick for the survivor/margin pool up until all games for that particular week are locked. If you pick a team playing an early game, you cannot change that pick once that game is locked. Likewise, you cannot pick a team whose game has been locked.

You can make your picks in advance for upcoming weeks. Note, however, that when you make a pick, that team is no longer available for use in other weeks. So if you later decide you want to use that team in a different week, you'll first need to change or delete the existing entry for it.

To make picks, view results and find additional information, see the site map.