NFL Pick’em Rules
NFL pick’em rules are simple at heart, but the details decide most arguments: when picks lock, what a tie is worth, how the tiebreaker works and what happens when a game is postponed. This page is a complete, copy-ready rule set. Use it as written for your office or group pool, or trim it to the parts you need. Every rule below is also a setting in a free online pool on this site, so you never have to enforce it by hand.
Standard NFL pick’em rules
- Object. Pick the winner of every NFL game each week. The player with the most correct picks wins the week. The player with the most correct picks over the season wins the pool.
- Games. All regular-season games count, Week 1 through Week 18. Teams on a bye are skipped.
- Submitting picks. Picks must be submitted before the game starts. Picks made after kickoff do not count, no exceptions.
- Missing picks. A game with no pick scores zero. There are no automatic picks unless the commissioner turns autofill on.
- Scoring. One point for each correct pick. A tie game scores zero for everyone unless the pool uses spreads.
- Tiebreaker. Each week, players guess the total points scored in the final game of the week. If players tie on correct picks, the closest guess wins. If still tied, the players share the rank.
- Postponed games. If a game moves within the same week, picks stand. If it moves to another week or is cancelled, it is removed from that week and does not count.
- Commissioner. The commissioner runs the pool, settles disputes and can correct obvious errors before a game locks. Rule changes must be announced before the week they apply to.
Lock rules
Decide this before Week 1 and write it down.
- Per game (rolling lock). Each game locks at its own kickoff. Thursday locks Thursday, Sunday games lock Sunday, Monday locks Monday. Best for online pools.
- Per week. All picks lock at the first kickoff of the week, usually Thursday night. Best for paper pools and for groups that want everyone picking with the same information.
Scoring variations
Confidence points
Rank every game from most to least confident. With 16 games, assign 16 down to 1, each number once. A correct pick scores its assigned number. Ties in the standings break on the total points tiebreaker, then on the number of correct picks. Read the full confidence pool rules.
Against the spread
Picks are graded against the point spread. The favorite must win by more than the spread; the underdog covers by winning outright or losing by less than the spread. A result exactly on the spread is a push and scores half a point. State which spread the pool uses: the line at the time of the pick, or one line frozen for everyone at the week’s first kickoff. Read the full against the spread rules.
Custom points
Some pools award two or three points per correct pick, or bonus points for a perfect week. Keep the multiplier constant so the standings stay simple.
Pick five or pick ten
Players choose only a set number of games each week. Good for casual groups. State whether the number is fixed or a maximum.
Weekly and season winners
Most pools recognize a weekly winner and a season winner. Weekly winners keep players who fall behind interested. If your pool has prizes, publish the split before Week 1 and keep money outside the pool software; this site never handles entries or payouts.
Late entries and dropouts
- New members may join mid-season. Their season total starts from the week they join; earlier weeks count as zero.
- Members who stop picking stay in the standings with zeros. The commissioner may remove them.
- A commissioner who leaves hands the role to another member before leaving.
Rules for paper pools
Sheets are handed in before the first game of the week. Unsigned or illegible sheets are void. The commissioner keeps all sheets until the week is scored. Free weekly sheets are on the printable pick’em sheets page.
Run these rules automatically
Every rule on this page is a setting when you start a free pool: pick type, scoring, lock rule, tiebreaker, start week and which spread to grade on. Picks lock by themselves, the standings score themselves, and the commissioner can fix a member’s picks before kickoff or export the week to a spreadsheet. See this week’s games on the weekly pages.
NFL pick’em rules questions
What if two players tie for the season?
Use total correct picks, then the number of weekly wins, then the most recent week’s tiebreaker. Announce the order in advance.
Does a tie game count as a loss?
In a straight-up pool a tie scores zero for everyone. In a spread pool the spread almost always decides it.
Can the commissioner change a pick?
Only before the game locks, and only to fix a clear mistake such as a pick entered on the wrong game.
What is the tiebreaker if there is no Monday game?
Use the last game of the week, whatever day it is on. Online pools pick it automatically.
Do playoff games count?
Not in a regular-season pool. Many groups start a separate playoff pick’em in January.
How many people can be in a pool?
Any number. Pools on this site have no member limit.