Guides

How to play, and how to play well

New to pick'em, or setting up a league for your group? These guides walk through how the game works on Pickem League, with examples. For the complete scoring reference, see the rules.

How confidence pick'em works

The basics of a confidence pool: picking winners, rating how sure you are, and how points add up over a season.

How to assign confidence points

A practical way to decide which picks get a 10 and which get a 1 — and the common mistakes that cost points.

Point spreads explained

What a spread like −7 means, what it means to cover, and how spreads are used in Pickem League's bonus picks and calls.

How to run a pick'em league with friends

Setting up a private league, choosing its sports and scoring, inviting people, and keeping everyone playing all season.

NBA pick'em: featured games and the Game of the Night

How NBA weeks work on Pickem League, why featured games count double, and how the nightly Game of the Night vote works.

College football pick'em: Power 4, Group of 5, and big slates

How college football weeks are scored, why Power 4 games count double, and how to handle a 60-game Saturday.