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How to Play – Official Rules

PICKS POOLS:  HOW TO PLAY / OFFICIAL RULES 2023

Picks Pools Basics

• Choose a contest from the Picks Pools main lobby page and click [JOIN].
• You may join a contest up until ten minutes before the first game of the regular season kicks off.  This year the first game kicks off at 8:20pm Eastern Time on Thursday, September 7^th.
• Each week, starting the first week of the contest, you should select a team from each matchup that will win their game outright; point spread is irrelevant and not used.
• For each winning team you pick correctly, you earn one point in both the weekly and season-long contest.
• A TIE game result is counted as a loss for both teams in this contest.  If you selected a team from the game that tied, you will not earn a point in the weekly or season-long contest.
• If you do not make a selection for one or more games before the cutoff time, you will not earn a point for that matchup.  Try to make selections in time for all game matchups.  Remember, games are often played on Thursdays and sometimes Saturdays.

How to win

Your goal is to pick as many winning teams each week as you can. You may win weekly prizes as well as prizes based on your season-long finish:

1. One or more weekly prizes may be offered for your contest.  Check the rules for your specific contest.  If more than one entry is tied for a prize amount or amounts, those awards will be added up and split amongst the tied finishers.
2. Several season long prizes will be offered for your contest. Check the rules for your specific contest.  If more than one entry is tied for a prize amount or amounts, those awards will be added up and split amongst the tied finishers.

Game results

A team must win outright (no point spreads) in an officially completed game to be considered a win. A tied, officially completed game is considered a loss for both teams in our contests.

• If a game is canceled or postponed for any reason and the game is not officially completed before 3am Eastern time on Wednesday of the current NFL week, both teams scheduled to play in that game will be graded as losers. If you selected either of those teams your selection will not earn a point for that week.
• If the NFL season is cancelled any time before the completion of Week 8 games, the contest will cancel and all entry fees will be refunded, regardless of the results of any previous games played.
• If the NFL season is canceled any time after the completion of NFL Week 8, the contest will conclude at that time and the current season-long rankings will finalize and winning entries shall be paid.

This contest can be modified at any time. Management decision is final.

Registration & Eligibility

• Choose a contest from the Picks Pools lobby and click [JOIN] or [JOIN AGAIN] if you have already entered and want to enter again.
• Some contests allow only one entry per customer, some allow multiple or even unlimited entries.  This is specified on the contest lobby page.
• Free / Bonus money balance may not be used to enter a contest.
• Once you enter a contest you will have an opportunity to make your first week’s picks.  You may make the picks right away or wait until later to make your pick.  You can always edit your pick up until 10 minutes before each scheduled games start.
• Week 18 of the NFL regular season (or the last week of the NFL regular season if beyond Week 18) is the final week of all contests, the contests do not extend into the NFL playoffs.
• You cannot make a team “nickname” for your entries.  Your entries will be identified by your username followed by an auto-generated entry ID#.
• Only eligible, registered users of the website may join contests.  Customers who make entries must meet general eligibility requirements as outlined in the website Terms and Conditions page.
• Entries made from customers who do not meet eligibility requirements are not eligible to win or withdraw contest prize winnings.
• In general, free-entry contests pay out in site bonus cash, and paid-entry contests pay out in real cash balance.  Check your specific contest rules for details.
• Any and all winnings are subject to the website withdrawal policies and restrictions.

Submitting Picks

• When you join a contest, you will be taken to the Make Picks page for that entry and can click on teams to pick. Remember to click the SAVE button.  You can make your picks later on if you like, but we suggest you put initial picks in early in case you forget later on.
• To make or edit picks for your entries), go to the Picks Pools main webpage by clicking Picks Pools from the left-side sports menu or the Picks Pools item on the top menu bar of the site.
• On the main page you will see a list of contests. Contests you have entries in will have a VIEW ENTRIES button.  Click VIEW ENTRIES, then click the MAKE PICKS button to make or edit your pick.
• On the Make Picks page, simply click on the teams you wish to select, and click the SAVE button on the page. If you don’t SAVE your picks, it will not register and you will have no picks for the week until you make and save your picks.  If you had previously made and saved picks for the week you will still have those picks in action if you didn’t save the new picks.
• Some selections may be displayed in gray color and be unclickable. You cannot select any of these gray / disabled teams.  Teams will be disabled from selecting if that game’s cutoff time for selecting has passed.  Cutoff occurs 10 mins prior to each game’s scheduled start time.
• Teams are marked as HOME and AWAY. Please keep in mind some games are played at sites other than a HOME team’s home stadium.  Sometimes games are played in London or Mexico or other venues.  The actual location of the game site is not indicated on the picks page.  We use NFL designations for HOME and AWAY teams only.
• Once your picks have been submitted, a confirmation will appear on your screen informing you that your entry was submitted successfully.
• If you have additional entries in the contest, or in other contests, you will have to make picks for each of those entries separately.  There is no way to make selections and “export” to another entry.
• You cannot make picks weeks in advance.  You may pick for the current / upcoming NFL week only.

Standings Page

• You may click the CHECK STANDINGS button next to your entry in a contest to see the contest standings.
• On this page you will find a list of all entries in the contest, as well as information on the scores and rankings of all entries.
• You may click on Season Standings to sort by season-long standings, or click on each week to sort by week standings.
• You may click on entry scores for a week to see the picks made by that entry for that particular week.
• When a contest is completed, results and payouts will be published on the standings page of that contest.
• Payouts to winning entries in paid-entry contests are made automatically by the contest system at the end of each contest, paid to the real cash balance of the customer account that made the entry.  You do not need to contact customer service to request payout.

When do I need to join by?

You may join a contest up until ten minutes before the first game of the regular season kicks off.  This year the first game kicks off at 8:20pm Eastern Time on Thursday, September 8^th, 2022.

What is the picking cutoff deadline?

Pick cutoffs occur 10 minutes before the scheduled start time of each game.  You can always edit your picks after making them, as long as the pick cutoff for the original picks have not passed.  We suggest you make picks early in the week, and you can always edit them later on if you like.  It is your responsibility to edit or switch your own picks, we do not auto-switch your picks in case of game postponements or cancellations or player injuries.

Do TIES win or lose?

A TIE game result is counted as a loss for both teams in this contest.  If you selected a team from the game that tied, you will not earn a point in the weekly or season-long contest.

The games are over but I can’t pick for next week yet. Why?

Games become open for picking at approximately 5am Eastern time each Tuesday (or Wednesday, if there was a Tuesday game) of the NFL regular season.

I forgot to make my picks this week. What happens?

If you forgot to make some or all of your picks for a week, you will not earn any points from any of the games you did not make a pick for.  We suggest you make picks early in the week, and you can always edit them later on if you like.

Are point spreads used?

No point spreads are used in our Picks Pools contests.  Games are graded “straight up” with no spreads.

I’m not near my computer now. Can I call in or email you my picks?

No.  We only accept entries made by you on our website.  If you are not near a computer you can make your picks on our website via your phone browser.  We do not accept email picks.  We do not accept call-in picks.  Customer service staff have no method of making your pick for you, and cannot do so if asked.

One of my selections this week had their game postponed. What happens?

If a game is canceled or postponed for any reason and the game is not officially completed before 3am Eastern time on Wednesday of the current NFL week, both teams scheduled to play in that game will be graded as losing selections. Remember you can edit your picks before their cutoff times if you suspect or hear that a game may be postponed or canceled.

Games re-scheduled to a future NFL regular–season week will be included as part of that (future) week’s contest slate, provided it is completed before 3am Eastern time on Wednesday of that week.

I did not get an email reminder to make my pick. Why?

At this time, our contests do not send out any email reminders or updates.  It is the customer’s responsibility to access the site and make their selections for their entries each week of the contest.  Email reminders may be a future feature of the contests.

How do I win?

Your goal is to pick as many winning teams each week as you can. You may win weekly prizes as well as prizes based on your season-long finish:

1. One or more weekly prizes may be offered for your contest.  Check the rules for your specific contest.  If more than one entry is tied for a prize amount or amounts, those awards will be added up and split amongst the tied finishers.
2. Several season long prizes will be offered for your contest. Check the rules for your specific contest.  If more than one entry is tied for a prize amount or amounts, those awards will be added up and split amongst the tied finishers.

The TopBet $50,000 FREE NFL Picks Pool contest 2023 - Rules*

There are TWO ways to win:

1 – Predict the most winning teams in any given week and you will win the weekly prize of $1000!  If multiple entries are tied for the most wins in a week, the prize amount will be split and paid equally to each of the tied entries*.

2 – For the season-long contest, the payouts are as follows*:

1^st place:  $10,000

2^nd place:  $5,000

3^rd place:  $4,000

4^th place:  $2,500

5^th place:  $1000

6^th place:  $950

7^th place:  $900

8^th place:  $850

9^th place:  $800

10^th place:  $750

11^th place:  $700

12^th place:  $650

13^th place:  $600

14^th place:  $550

15^th place:  $500

16^th place:  $450

17^th place:  $400

18^th place:  $300

19^th place:  $300

20^th place:  $200

21^st place:  $200

22^nd place:  $100

23^rd place:  $100

24^th place:  $100

25^th place:  $100

Enter up to 3 times.  That’s THREE FREE CHANCES to win your share of $50,000 in bonus cash site credits!*

For instructions on how to play Picks Pools, and the general rules that apply to Picks Pools contests, see the How to play - Official Rules section.

*The $50,000 prize pool and all payouts from this free entry contest are comprised solely of  bonus cash balance credits, and subject to a 20x playthrough requirement. Website eligibility requirements and site terms and conditions apply to contest entries.