The NFL season is once again upon us and that means it’s time to finalize your entries into various season-long contests. Many people are involved in traditional pick ‘em contests, where you pick the result of every game each week. It might be straight-up or against the spread, but it’s a volume game.
If you’re looking for something involving more strategy but fewer picks, why not try out a NFL Survivor pool?
DraftKings Sportsbook is offering multiple Survivor pools for the 2023 season. We’ll get into the details of how to play Survivor, and then you can sign up for this contest if you reside in AZ, CO, IA, KS, LA, MA, MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, PA, TN, VA, WV, and WY.
The basics of Survivor are simple. You pick a different team each week and barring unique rules in a contest, cannot pick the same team twice. If your team wins, you advance. If your team loses (and in some cases, ties), you are eliminated. The last person standing wins.
What is a Survivor pool?
You pick one team each week of the season that you think will win their game. If the team you pick wins in Week 1, you advance to Week 2 to make another pick. If the team you pick in Week 2 wins, you move on to Week 3, and so on. The catch is that you cannot pick the same team twice. You could use a heavy favorite in Week 1, but you would not be able to use that team later in the year. Ties usually count as losses for these pools, but the DK contest allows ties to advance.
How am I eliminated from the pool?
- The team you pick loses that week.
When are my picks due?
Generally you just need to make a pick before kickoff time of the game you want to choose. Some leagues require all picks in by a specific time, but otherwise, you just get your pick in ahead of the given game.
How is the winner determined in an NFL Survivor pool
- If at the end of any week, only one entry is alive, that entry is declared the winner.
- If at the end of Week 18, multiple entries are still alive, there are two options: 1) all of those entries will split the prize pool evenly, 2) participants advance to the playoffs and continue making picks.
- If there are no entries remaining at the end of a day, each entry that was alive prior to the elimination day would split prizes and the contest would end.
What are the prizes for the DraftKings Sportsbook contests?
The DK contest features four two different entry levels.
Entry fee: $1
Guaranteed prizes: $25,000 (if entries exceed 25,000, the prize amount will increase)
Entry fee: $10
Guaranteed prizes: $100,000 (if entries exceed 10,000, the prize amount will increase)
Entry fee: $100
Guaranteed prizes: $1,000,000 (if entries exceed 10,000, the prize amount will increase)
Entry fee: $1,000
Guaranteed prizes: $100,000 (if entries exceed 100, the prize amount will increase)