Pool Rules

2026 season · every time on this page is US Eastern

1 How it works

Every week you pick exactly 5 games against the spread.
One of those 5 must be flagged as your Best Bet. If it wins it counts double; if it pushes it is worth the same 0.5 as any other push.
Only Saturday, Sunday and Monday games are on the board. Thursday and Friday games are never part of this pool.
Spreads are pulled from the market consensus at 10:00 AM Friday and frozen. The number you see is the number you are graded on, no matter where it moves after.
The consensus line is the median spread across roughly 30 sportsbooks — not an average. A median ignores a single book quoting a stale number, so the pool always plays the line the market is actually using.
You never see next week's board. Games appear only when that week's lines post.
You can change your picks as many times as you like until the deadline. Only your last submission counts.

2 The weekly clock all times ET

Fri 10:00 AM

Lines post & lock. Board opens, email goes out.

Fri 5:00 PM

Reminder email to anyone who has not picked.

Fri 10:00 PM

Picks close. No entries, no edits after this.

Sat – Mon

Games play. Everyone's picks become visible.

Miss the 10:00 PM deadline and you score zero for that week. There are no late entries and no exceptions — the board locks itself.

3 Scoring

1 Win 2 Best Bet win 0.5 Push — Best Bet or not 0 Loss

A push is when the final margin lands exactly on the spread. The Best Bet doubles wins only — a push is 0.5 whether or not you starred it, so there is no extra credit for backing a push. A perfect week is 6 points.

4 Entry fee & how to pay

Entry: $500 for the season

Venmo @Nick-Riccelli (last 4 of your phone: 0394)

Your team is not activated until payment is received. Register first, then pay — you will get an email the moment your team goes live.

5 Payouts

Season: 1st place 50%, 2nd 30%, 3rd 20% of the season pot.

6 House rules

Team names are 1–16 letters and numbers, no spaces or symbols, and they are case sensitive when you log in.
One entry per person. Sharing a login is grounds for removal with no refund.
Picks stay hidden from everyone until the Friday 10:00 PM deadline passes.
If a game is postponed or cancelled, every pick on it is graded as a push.
A line typo caught before kickoff is corrected by the commissioner and everyone affected is notified. After kickoff the posted line stands.
The commissioner's ruling on a scoring dispute is final.

Questions, a bad line, or a scoring dispute? Call or text the commissioner - do not wait until Sunday morning. Email: NMRPicksPool@gmail.com