Pickwatch Pick'em Leagues are now live, here's our quick-start guide to getting your private pick'em pool up and running for you and your friends, family and colleagues to start playing in 2020!
Getting Started
What are Private Leagues?
Private leagues allow you to play pick'em on Pickwatch against anyone you share your league link with. You can go for a family league that nobody else sees, or you can create a public league with a limit on the number of people who can join.
Is there a limit to the number of players?
No, although if you need more than 1,000 spaces in your league, we'll prompt you to get in touch with us before you set it up so that we can ensure the best performance for everyone!
What types of games can I play?
The three main game types of Straight up, Against the Spread and Confidence.
How much does it cost?
The current features of Pickwatch private Leagues are __COMPLETELY FREE__. Yes, we know that other sites charge for these services, but we do not and for the basic league features currently in place, we do not intend to charge in future either, so you're safe to set up your free league knowing it will get better and better each year!
How do I start a league?
Easy - just click here, you can customize your league, invite your friends and start playing immediately!
I don't have friends/family/colleagues to play against, how can I play?
We understand! We've created the public leagues system where you can simply join any open league that has a free space. Check the public leagues list to join a league.
Settings
League Types
You can choose any of three game types to be active in your league if you wish.
Straight up - Just pick the winner of each game!
Against the Spread - Pick the winner vs the points spread set by Draftkings
Confidence - Rank your straight up picks in order of most confident (16pts) to least confident (1pt) and take home the points from every game you get right
You can only run a Confidence Pool in Straight up Leagues, so the option will be greyed out if you do not also have Straight Up selected.
League Visibility
Leagues can be set to 'Private' or 'Open'
'Private' leagues can only be accessed or viewed by those with the link you are given once your league is set up.
'Open' leagues appear in the 'Find a league' page and allow other Pickwatch players to join.
Player Limit
You can set the player limit as high as you wish, however if you require more than 1,000 players, please contact our support team when prompted, or via the intercom button.
This limit applies to both public and private leagues.
You may change the limit later if you would like to add more people to your league.
Maximum Stake
In 2020, Pickwatch Coins are a fun way of tracking your performance in real money terms. This 'play' money can be staked against each pick you make, with the return based on the live odds of our partners at Draftkings.
For more info on Pickwatch Coins, see our full FAQ here.
You can set the maximum stake per game in this part of the league settings. This cannot be changed once set.
If you are unsure, our advice is to allow $50 stakes, which is in line with the main site ran by Pickwatch.
If you set the threshold to $25 maximum, it will mean players will not be able to make bigger bets on each game.
The choice is entirely yours.
Inviting Other Players
How do I invite others to play in my Pick'em league?
When you have created your league, simply copy and paste the link provided and invite your friends by email, whatsapp, text or on social media.
