With the NFL season starting soon, millions of football fans are preparing to play in NFL survivor pools. In this guide, we’re going to share tips for winning your NFL survivor pool.
NFL survivor pools are simple to understand. The goal is to predict one team to win each week during the season and be the last man standing. However, you can’t pick the same team twice.
In data released by PoolGenius, their team estimates that half of NFL survivor pool entries are eliminated in the first four weeks of the NFL season. It’s a lot harder to survive than people assume.
Here are the best tips for winning your NFL survivor pool (Learn how to play NFL survivor pools):
Win Odds – There Are No Locks
There are never any guarantees in NFL survivor pools. The worst team in the NFL can realistically defeat the best team in the league despite being unlikely. NFL survivor pool players still want to target teams that have a high probability of winning. However, you need to dig deeper than taking the team with the highest win odds every week, as you’ll end up leaving yourself with tough decisions as the season progresses.
Future Value
You need to analyze a team’s future value. Picking a team in Week 1 that’s expected to dominate is fine, as you’ll likely advance to the following week, but is it the best option? You need to analyze the schedule and map out where you should target the best teams. For example, a team could be a great option in the first week, but they could be a better option in Week 5 when there are tougher games on the schedule.
Pick Popularity
While the majority of NFL survivor pool entries will look to lock in the “safest” team each week, the best players will analyze pick popularity before making their pick. If 90% of entries are on Team A, it’s a good idea to be a contrarian that week and focus on finding another team. The last man standing wins, so it’s imperative to consider pick popularity when making your selections each week.
Understand Your NFL Survivor Pool’s Rules
NFL survivor pools use varying rules that can have a huge impact on how you play. If you want to have the best shot at winning your NFL survivor pool, you need to first learn the rules. Does your pool offer players multiple entries or use a strike system where you can lose once or twice before being eliminated? Pool size will also impact your strategy, as you need to take more chances in bigger survivor pools.
Take Some Risks Early
In NFL survivor pools, it pays to take some risks early on. For one, if any of the popular favorites end up losing, a big chunk of the pool will be eliminated. At the same time, saving the best teams for the middle and end of the season will give you an edge over the entries that have used all of the good teams.
America’s Bookie runs a $5000 NFL survivor pool annually that depositors can join for free.