Understand the scoring.
Check the value of each selection and whether the contest uses straight-up winners, a spread or a sport-specific scoring method.
Contest Guide
Pick’em Contest Rules and Guide
Make Your Picks. Follow the Games.
What is a Pick’em contest?
A Pick’em contest is a sports prediction competition in which players choose outcomes for a group of games, races or other events. Players earn points according to the contest’s scoring rules, and their scores are compared with other entries on a leaderboard.
Each contest identifies the events to pick, the selection deadline, how points are awarded and the available prizes. At BracketContest, Pick’em formats may differ by sport and event, so review the contest details before entering.
How do Pick’em contests work?
Choose a contest.
Select an available Pick’em contest and review the eligible events, entry requirements, deadlines, scoring, prizes and rules.
Make your picks.
Choose an outcome for each required game, race or event. The contest specifies the type of selection required.
Submit before the deadline.
Review your selections and submit them before the applicable contest deadline or event lock time.
Follow the results.
As results become official, your picks are graded according to the contest’s rules.
Track the leaderboard.
Compare your score with other entries as the contest progresses.
See the final standings.
After the contest concludes and results are official, final standings and prizes are determined under the published rules.
How are Pick’em contests scored?
Each correct sports Pick’em selection earns one point. Soccer awards one additional point for a correct exact-score prediction. In hockey and soccer, players may select either team or a draw. Horse racing uses a separate scoring method based on the official payouts of the selected horses. Hockey is graded on regulation time only, excluding overtime and shootouts. Soccer is graded on regulation time including injury or stoppage time, excluding extra time and penalty shootouts.
If you make 10 sports picks and eight are correct, you earn eight base points. Soccer exact-score bonuses add to those base points. Horse racing scores are calculated separately under the race contest rules.
You do not necessarily need to pick every outcome correctly to win. Your finishing position depends on your score, the scoring system and the performance of the other entries.
What types of Pick’em contests are available?
Sports Pick’em
BracketContest offers straight-up and Against the Spread sports Pick’em. Straight-up selections are based on the game winner. ATS selections must cover the contest’s designated spread. Each correct sports selection has the same base value, with the soccer exact-score bonus described below.
Horse racing Pick’em
In horse racing Pick’em, players select horses in designated races. Scores are based on the official payouts of the selected horses, and the entry with the highest total score wins. This differs from sports Pick’em, where each correct selection has the same base value. Review the race contest rules for its payout calculation, eligible races and scratches.
Straight-up and against-the-spread picks
Straight-up picks select the game outcome. Hockey and soccer allow either team or a draw to be selected. Against-the-spread picks must cover the contest’s designated spread. For example, a team favored by 7½ points must win by at least eight points to cover. A correct selection earns one point; an ATS push earns zero.
Not every Pick’em contest uses both formats. Review the listing to see which selections are required, how the applicable line is established and how pushes are treated.
How are ties and prizes handled?
When entries tie, the prize percentages for the finishing positions they occupy are combined and divided equally among the tied entries. There is no separate tiebreaker. Review the individual contest for its prize structure.
For example, if a contest awards 50%, 30%, 15% and 5% to the top four positions and three entries tie for first, the first three allocations total 95%. The tied entries each receive one-third of that amount, or approximately 31.67% of the prize pool.
What happens if a game is postponed or a pick is missed?
Missed picks, cancelled games and ATS pushes score zero. A game postponed outside the contest period is no action and scores zero. In hockey and soccer, a draw is an available selection: choosing the draw correctly earns one point. An incorrect team selection earns zero when the game is graded as a draw. Players may change each pick until its game starts.
Weekly Pick’em prizes
BracketContest offers weekly Pick’em prizes for most sports with no entry cost. Winners are determined by the points accumulated during the contest week. Correct sports picks earn one point, with the soccer exact-score bonus adding one point when earned. The highest accumulated weekly scores determine the standings. Weekly contests generally run Monday through Sunday. Time-zone differences may create exceptions; check the individual contest listing for its applicable dates and deadlines.
Weekly contests generally run Monday through Sunday, with possible exceptions due to time-zone differences. Review the individual contest listing for eligible games, applicable dates and deadlines, available prizes and participation requirements. Each pick can be changed until its game starts. Tied entries share the applicable prize allocations under the tie rules explained above.
Free-to-play Pick’em contests
Weekly Pick’em contests for most sports have no entry cost. Other Pick’em contests may use Bracket Contest Points (BCP) for entry, with the applicable cost shown in the listing. BCP program rules explain how points are earned, purchased and redeemed.
BracketContest.ag offers free-to-play contests. Review the listing for its BCP entry requirements, prizes, eligibility and contest rules. Availability varies by event and location.
Pick’em rules at BracketContest
Make selections from the events listed in the contest. Sports contests offer straight-up and ATS formats. Correct sports picks earn one point, and ATS pushes score zero. Hockey and soccer offer three selections: either team or a draw. Soccer also offers one additional point for the correct exact score. Review the contest listing for eligible events, BCP entry requirements and prizes.
Game-by-game deadlines
Each pick can be changed until its own game starts. For example, after an early game begins, its pick is locked, but a later game’s selection can still be changed until that later game starts. Check start times and confirm that changes have been saved.
Zero-point results
Missed picks, cancelled games and ATS pushes earn zero points. A game postponed beyond the contest period is no action and earns zero. In hockey and soccer, correctly selecting a draw earns one point. These results affect the entry’s score rather than eliminating it.
Soccer exact-score bonus
Soccer awards one point for the correct outcome and one additional point for the exact score. A draw is a valid outcome selection. For example, picking a draw and a 1–1 score earns two points if the official result used for grading is 1–1. A correct draw pick with an incorrect exact score earns one point. Soccer is graded on regulation time including injury or stoppage time. Extra time and penalty shootouts do not count.
Example of equal-value scoring
An entry with eight correct sports picks earns eight base points. If one of those selections is a soccer draw with a correctly predicted 1–1 score, its exact-score bonus adds one point, bringing the entry’s total to nine. A correct hockey draw pick earns one point; the exact-score bonus described here applies to soccer.
Horse racing payout scoring
Horse racing Pick’em rewards the official payouts generated by selected horses. A selection with a larger qualifying payout can contribute more to the score than a selection with a smaller payout. The total depends on the race contest’s scoring method, so simply counting winners does not explain the standings.
The Breeders’ Cup format previously established by BracketContest uses the equivalent of a $2 Win, Place and Show calculation for points: a winning selection receives Win plus Place plus Show credit, a second-place selection receives Place plus Show, and a third-place selection receives Show. Fourth or lower receives zero. These amounts are scoring inputs, not cash prizes paid to players. Consult that event’s rules for its full terms and current availability.
Default prizes and tied entries
The default prize allocation is 50% for first, 30% for second, 15% for third and 5% for fourth. Prizes are those listed in the contest; BracketContest.ag does not offer paid-entry contests or cash winnings. There is no separate tiebreaker: combine the prize percentages for the positions occupied by tied entries and divide them equally.
For example, two entries tied for first share the first- and second-place allocations: 50% + 30% = 80%. Each receives 40% of the applicable prize pool. Three entries tied for first share 95%, receiving approximately 31.667% each. Check the listing for the actual prize pool and any event-specific allocation.
Pick’em contest strategy
Research each event.
Consider recent performance, injuries, player availability, matchup details, weather and other factors relevant to the event.
Consider the whole contest.
Review all required picks and the scoring system before deciding where you want to take risks.
Use odds as one research tool.
Odds can provide context about a matchup, but they do not guarantee an outcome. Check the contest’s own rules for the line used to grade a pick.
Review before the deadline.
Confirm that required selections are complete and submitted before they lock.
No strategy guarantees a winning entry. Sports and racing results are uncertain.
Pick’em compared with Survivor and bracket contests
Pick’em: Make selections from a group of games or events and earn points under the contest rules. Picks are generally scored individually.
Survivor: Make a qualifying selection each contest period and try to remain eligible. An unsuccessful pick can eliminate an entry.
Bracket contest: Predict how competitors advance through an interconnected tournament, usually completing your bracket through the championship before the contest locks.
Frequently asked questions
How do I enter a Pick’em contest?
Choose an available contest, review its rules and entry requirements, make the required selections and submit them before the applicable deadline.
Do I need to pick every game correctly to win?
No. Your score is compared with other entries under the contest scoring system. You can make incorrect selections and still finish in a prize position.
Can I change my picks?
Yes. You can change a pick until its game starts. Other games that have not started remain available for changes until their own start times.
What is an against-the-spread pick?
It is a selection graded using the contest’s designated point spread. A correct ATS pick earns one point and an ATS push earns zero.
What happens if players tie?
Prize percentages for the positions occupied by tied entries are combined and divided equally. The individual contest displays its prize structure.
Are Pick’em contests free?
Yes. Weekly Pick’em contests for most sports have no entry cost. Other contests may use BCP for entry; check the listing for its terms and eligibility.
Can Pick’em contests include horse racing?
Yes. Horse racing Pick’em contests can ask players to select horses in designated races, with scoring and scratch rules specified for the event.
Where can I find available Pick’em contests?
Visit the Pick’em contest listings for available events, entry requirements and deadlines.
Ready to make your picks?
Choose a contest, review its rules and scoring, and submit your selections before the deadline. Then follow the results and see where you stand.