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How to play NFL Pick'Em Pool

There are three types of pools: a Weekly Pool, a Survivor Pool and a Playoff Pool. Your pool administrator decides whether to play one, two or all three, and what you're playing for.

Create a pool – it's free Sign in

Joining a pool

Invited by your pool admin? You don't need an account first. Open the email invitation from NFL Pick'Em (subject NFL PickEm - Invitation) and click Click Here to Join. Your pool and email are already filled in. Choose a username (12 characters max) and a password, then click Join. There's no separate sign-up and no confirmation email: you're logged in and ready to make your picks.

Already have an account that isn't in a pool? Your invitation email has a login link instead. Log in and the pool is added automatically. If you're logged in and see Click Here to Join at the top of the page, click it, then click Join in the box that opens.

The invitation only works for the email address it was sent to, and one email can only be in one pool. Can't find it? Check your spam folder, or ask your pool admin to send it again.

No invitation email?

Sign up, confirm your email and log in.
Choose Join A Pool.
Enter the pool name and invitation code from your pool admin and click Join.

Weekly Pool

Each week is a new pool. You may play as many or as few weeks as you like, but you're allowed only one entry per week. Your pool administrator decides what you're playing for each week.

When you make an entry, you assign confidence points to each game. The values range from 1 up to however many games there are that week, and you can use each number only once. Give the highest values to the picks you're most confident about.

Your score is the total confidence points of the games you picked correctly. The player with the highest score wins the week. If there's a tie, the amount is split between the players with the highest score.

Weekly pool at a glance

One entry per week; play as many weeks as you like.
Pick a winner for each game.
Confidence points from 1 to the number of games; each number once.
Score = points from your correct picks.
Highest score wins; ties split.

Weekly entry form: a radio button next to each team to pick the winner, and a confidence points dropdown at the end of each game row — The weekly entry form. Click the radio button next to the team you think will win, then choose that game's confidence points from the dropdown.

Making your weekly picks

Pick the winner. Click the radio button next to the team you think will win each game.
Choose confidence points. Use the dropdown at the end of the row. Put your biggest numbers on your surest picks. Each number can be used only once.
Come back any time before the lock. You can change your picks until that day's games lock at the first game of the day.

You don't have to pick every game at once. That helps when there are early games in a week (Thursday or Saturday): make those picks beforehand and complete the rest later.

Tip: turn on pick reminders in My Account > Edit Your Profile (Weekly Pick Reminder and Survivor Pick Reminder).

Locked games

Games lock automatically at the first game of the day. If there are games at 9:30am, 1:00pm, 4:00pm and 8:30pm, all games for that day lock at 9:30am.

You may change your picks until that day's games lock. Once they're locked, you can't change them.
Entries must be completed on time. A game you didn't pick counts as a loss.
If you submit a partial entry and can't complete it, you're still responsible for the entry fee.

Good to know

The site runs on Eastern time. Lock times are Eastern.

Trouble accessing the site, logging in or completing your entry? Contact your pool admin for help.

Survivor Pool

The survivor pool is separate from the weekly pool. If you choose to play, you must enter during the first week, or whichever week your pool administrator has chosen to start the pool. The pool runs over the regular season, and the admin sets the start week, so it can start at any time in the season. What you play for is set by your pool administrator.

Each week, pick one team you think will win its game. You can use each team only once for the season. If your team wins, you survive to the next week. If your team loses, it counts as a miss; if you don't make a pick, that's a miss too. Your pool administrator decides how many misses you get before you're out.

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 split the pot equally.

Survivor picks and locks

Make or change your survivor pick before the first game of the day starts.
At that time every game for the day locks, and so does your pick.

Playoff Pool

The playoff pool works like a weekly pool, confidence points included, with a few differences. All postseason games are included and scoring is the same as the weekly pool. Players who tie for the winning score split the pot equally. The entry fee is set by your pool administrator.

Wild Cardfour games

Divisionalfour games

Conference Championshipstwo games

Super Bowlone game

Once the website sets the matchups for a round, you can make your picks for those games, and change them until they lock.
All games in a round lock at the start time of the first game that day.
After every game in the round is decided, the website sets the next round. Go back to the entry form and make your picks for it.

Your pool admin

Every time your pool admin logs in, they're logged in as a user just like you. The admin can switch to admin mode to change players' picks and confidence points for locked games, see players' hidden picks for upcoming games, and manage all user settings. Contact your pool admin for any setting you need changed.

The administrator may make exceptions for any circumstances on an individual basis. By participating you agree to abide by these rules and accept any decisions made by your pool admin.

Running a pool?

Our admin guide walks through the real screens: creating your pool, every Pool Settings field and inviting your players one email at a time.

How to get your pool started

Full rules: Pool Rules

Ready to make your picks?

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