BracketContest Frequently Asked Questions

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Formats, entries, scoring, BCP, prizes, private contests and odds, in plain language.

BracketContest offers several ways to compete, from tournament brackets and weekly picks to Survivor, Squares, Calcutta and PickSpinWin. These answers explain the platform in plain language. The rules on an individual contest page always control that contest.

About BracketContest

What is BracketContest?

BracketContest is a contest platform where players join sports contests, follow results and compete for prizes. Formats include Bracket Contests, Pick'em, Survivor, Squares, Calcutta and PickSpinWin.

Is BracketContest free to use?

Creating an account is free. BracketContest offers contests that are free to enter, contests that take BCP and, where permitted, paid contests. The contest page shows the entry cost, prize details, deadlines and rules before you enter.

Do I need an account to view BracketContest?

No. Public pages such as contest guides, rules, odds and this FAQ are open to everyone. You need an eligible account to enter contests, manage entries, earn or use BCP and claim prizes.

Which contest types are available?

BracketContest offers Bracket Contests, Pick'em, Survivor, Squares and PickSpinWin. Calcutta auctions are opening in stages. Availability also changes by sport, season, location and promotion.

Where can I find the official rules for a contest?

Open the contest page and review its rules before entering. The rules shown for that specific contest control if they differ from a general guide or this FAQ.

Accounts and Getting Started

How do I get started?

Create an account, complete any required verification, choose an available contest, review its rules and submit your entry before the deadline.

Can one person have more than one account?

No. Use one account unless BracketContest expressly permits otherwise. Multiple accounts may affect eligibility, entries, prizes or account access under the platform rules.

Can I enter more than once?

Entry limits are set separately for each contest. The contest page will show whether multiple entries are allowed and the maximum number permitted.

How large can a contest be?

A contest may accept up to 1,000 players. If a contest fills, BracketContest may open another contest with its own entry list and prize structure.

Why can I not enter a contest?

The contest may be full, closed, already started, unavailable in your location or subject to an eligibility requirement. Check the contest page and your account status for the reason.

Entries, Deadlines and Results

When does my entry lock?

Your entry locks at the deadline shown on the contest page. Submit and confirm all your selections before that time.

Can I change a selection after a contest starts?

No. Once the entry or selection deadline passes, locked selections cannot be changed by the player or by a contest commissioner.

What happens if an event is postponed or canceled?

It depends on the contest format and its rules. A contest may be rescheduled, scored using completed results, voided or refunded. For Squares, an officially postponed game cancels the contest and entries are refunded.

When are results final?

Results become final after the event results are official and BracketContest completes any needed scoring review. Corrections from an official data source may change preliminary standings.

How are ties handled?

Unless a contest states otherwise, tied players combine the prize percentages for the positions they share and split that amount equally. Contest-specific tiebreakers control when they are published.

BCP

What is BCP?

BCP stands for Bracket Contest Points, the points used to play on BracketContest. Players may earn, buy and use BCP under the published BCP and promotional terms. BCP have no cash value and cannot be redeemed.

How much does it cost to purchase BCP?

$1 USD purchases 100 BCP, where the cashier is available on your account. Purchased BCP are points to play with: they have no cash value and cannot be redeemed or exchanged for money.

How many BCP are needed to enter a contest?

Each contest sets its own entry cost, and the contest page shows the amount before you enter.

Can promotional BCP have different rules?

Yes. Promotional, referral, bonus or free BCP may come with eligibility, expiration or use conditions that differ from purchased BCP. The terms of each promotion control.

How can I earn referral BCP?

You earn 100 BCP when a friend you refer signs up and verifies their email, plus an additional 100 BCP if they also connect a verified Telegram account. Referral terms and eligibility apply.

Can I transfer BCP to another player?

No. BCP cannot be transferred between players.

XP and Levels

What is XP?

XP (experience points) measure how much you play on BracketContest. You earn XP automatically by joining contests, winning prizes, verifying your account and visiting each day. XP fills your level bar and moves you up through 30 levels and six tiers.

How do I earn XP?

Default amounts: 50 XP each for creating your account, verifying your email and linking Telegram (once each); 10 XP for your daily check-in when you open BracketContest while logged in (once a day); 15 XP for each free contest you join and 25 XP for each paid contest you join (up to 10 a day each); and 50 XP for each prize you win in a contest with at least 3 players (up to 5 a day). Paid entries give the same XP with BCP or with cash. The current list is always on the How Levels Work page.

Is there a limit on how much XP I can earn?

Yes. Each action has a daily limit, and daily limits reset at midnight Pacific Time. BCP purchases and bonuses never give XP. If a contest is canceled and your entry is refunded, the XP from that entry is removed, but your level never goes down.

What are levels and tiers?

There are 30 levels grouped into six tiers of five: Rookie (1–5), Starter (6–10), Pro (11–15), All-Star (16–20), MVP (21–25) and Hall of Fame (26–30). Each level needs a little more XP than the last: level 2 at 100 XP, level 10 at 2,340 XP and level 30 at 19,140 XP.

What do I unlock with XP?

You get an exclusive avatar each time you reach a new tier (Pro at level 11, All-Star at 16, MVP at 21 and Hall of Fame at 26) and automatic badges: First Contest, First Win, 10 Contests, 7-Day Streak, 30-Day Streak and Telegram Linked. Your level also shows on your avatar and next to your name on leaderboards. Any other level reward is announced on the How Levels Work page and paid as a promotion under its own terms.

Is XP money? Can I spend or redeem it?

No. XP has no cash value. It cannot be bought, spent on entries, transferred, exchanged for BCP or redeemed. It only measures your activity and sets your level.

What is the difference between BCP and XP?

BCP (Bracket Contest Points) is a balance: you use it to enter contests and win it as prizes. BCP have no cash value and cannot be redeemed. XP is not a balance: it is a score of how much you play, it only fills your level bar and it never turns into BCP. Entering a contest with BCP earns XP, and spending BCP never lowers your XP.

Where can I see my level and XP?

Your level shows on your avatar in the header and on your profile, where you can also open your XP history. The How Levels Work page lists every tier, the XP needed for each level and the current XP rules.

Paid Contests, Prizes and Fees

Does BracketContest offer paid contests?

BracketContest may offer paid-entry contests where permitted. Each contest page shows the entry amount, prize structure, fee, eligibility requirements and any restrictions.

Is there a management fee?

Fees are set contest by contest, and the contest page shows the fee before you enter. Formats such as Calcutta use their own fee and payout model, which is shown on the auction page.

How are prizes split?

Every contest has its own payout table, shown on the contest page. That table is what applies to the contest.

How do I claim a prize?

BCP prizes are credited to your account automatically once the contest is graded.

Are prizes guaranteed?

Only the prize terms shown for the specific contest apply. Prize amounts or structures may depend on the number of entries, squares sold, auction proceeds or other published conditions.

Private Contests and Commissioners

Can I create a private contest?

Yes, for eligible formats. You create a private group, share its invite code with the people you want to play with, and they join with that code. The available formats, settings and entry costs are shown during setup.

What does a contest commissioner control?

A commissioner can set the permitted options, invite players and manage the group within the platform rules. A commissioner cannot change locked player selections after the contest starts.

Can a commissioner change the rules after entries are submitted?

Material contest terms should not change after players enter unless a correction or an event change requires it and the platform rules allow it. Any approved change should be disclosed to the affected players.

Bracket Contests

What is a Bracket Contest?

A Bracket Contest asks players to predict how teams or players advance through a tournament. Correct picks earn points, and the highest-scoring entries rank on the leaderboard.

How does bracket scoring work?

Bracket contests generally use graduated scoring, so correct picks in later rounds are worth more than correct picks in early rounds. The exact points by round are in the contest rules.

Can I edit my bracket after the tournament begins?

No. Your bracket locks at the published deadline and cannot be changed afterward.

What happens when a team I picked loses?

That pick stops advancing in your bracket. Later picks that depended on that team can no longer score, while the rest of your picks stay active.

Pick'em Contests

What is a Pick'em contest?

A Pick'em contest asks players to choose the winners of a set of games. Rankings are based on the scoring method published for that contest.

How are Pick'em picks scored?

Today our Pick'em contests are scored on picking the result of each game straight up, with no point spread. The contest rules describe exactly how picks are scored, so always check them before you enter.

What happens if I do not submit every pick?

A missing pick earns no points and can affect your rank. Submit and confirm every pick before the deadline.

Survivor Contests

What is a Survivor contest?

A Survivor contest asks players to make one pick for each round or week and stay alive by picking correctly under the contest rules.

Can I pick the same team more than once?

It depends on the format. Some Survivor contests allow each team only once, while others allow repeat teams. The contest page says which rule applies.

Do Survivor contests use point spreads?

Some do. BracketContest offers straight-up and against-the-spread Survivor contests, mainly for the NFL and selected college football conferences.

What happens after an incorrect or missed Survivor pick?

An incorrect or missed pick may eliminate the entry or apply another published consequence. The contest rules control.

Squares Contests

What is a Squares contest?

A Squares contest uses a grid of 100 squares. One team is assigned to each axis, and players pick or receive squares according to the contest settings.

When are the numbers assigned to the Squares grid?

The numbers are assigned at random after the game starts, as described in the Squares rules.

How is a winning square determined?

Winning squares are based on each team's cumulative score at the published checkpoints, using the last digit of each team's score on its axis.

What is the Squares payout?

The standard Squares payout is 20% after the first quarter, 20% at halftime, 20% after the third quarter and 40% for the final score, including overtime. The payout shown on the contest page is the one that applies to that grid.

What happens to unclaimed squares?

Squares nobody claims belong to the house. If one of them matches a winning score, that checkpoint prize goes to the house.

Calcutta Contests

What is a Calcutta contest?

A Calcutta is an auction-style contest where participants bid for the contest rights tied to a team, athlete or entry. Those rights exist only inside the contest and do not mean ownership of the real team, athlete or organization.

What is proxy bidding?

Proxy bidding lets you set a maximum amount so the system bids for you up to that limit. By default, proxy bidding stops two minutes before a lot closes. The auction page shows the exact setting.

When does a Calcutta auction close?

Each lot has a scheduled close. By default, a bid in the final five minutes pushes the close back to five minutes after that bid, so a lot only closes once five minutes pass without a new bid. The contest rules show the exact timing.

How are Calcutta payments and payouts handled?

Payment timing, fees, settlement and payouts are set by each Calcutta contest. Review its auction and prize terms before bidding.

PickSpinWin

What is PickSpinWin?

PickSpinWin is a contest in which players reveal required daily player cards, accumulate the players' applicable statistics, and use a wheel multiplier to determine the final contest score.

Do I need to participate every day?

To spin the wheel, yes: reveal every daily player card. If you miss a day, you can keep revealing the cards for the days that remain, but you are not eligible for the spin. Your revealed cards then score at 1X, and the cards you missed do not score.

How is the PickSpinWin score calculated?

The applicable statistics from your revealed player cards are combined and multiplied by the result of your wheel spin, subject to the contest's scoring rules.

Odds and Responsible Participation

Where do the odds on BracketContest come from?

Odds come from third-party sports data providers. When an odds page is presented by a sponsor, the sponsor is named on that page.

Are displayed odds a prediction or guarantee?

No. Odds are shown for research and information only. They do not guarantee a result, a prize or a successful pick.

Are odds sponsors part of BracketContest?

No. Sponsors and odds providers are separate companies. Their own terms, eligibility rules, age requirements and location limits apply when you visit or use their services.

Who is eligible to participate?

You must be at least 18, or the age of majority where you live if that is higher. Eligibility also depends on the contest, your location, your account status and applicable law. Do not enter a contest if it is not allowed where you are located.

How can I participate responsibly?

Set personal limits on time and spending, review contest rules before entering, and never treat odds or contest results as guaranteed. Stop and look for support if play stops being fun or feels out of control.

How do I contact support?

Log in and open Support from the site footer to create a ticket. Include the contest name, your entry and a clear description of the issue, and never send a password or full payment details.