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Saturday, February 15th
Daily fantasy sports contests have a lot in common with redraft and dynasty leagues. As a general rule, the goal is to draft a team that outscores your opponents during the duration of the event. As the name implies, the key difference is that most contests last for several hours as opposed to several weeks, months or years. Let's take a closer look at the three most common daily fantasy formats that you can play, and how you can take part in your first game.
Play a Traditional Head-to-Head Game Against a Single Opponent
If your chosen event uses a head-to-head (H2H) format, your goal will simply be to outscore your opponent. This format is ideal for when you want to gain bragging rights over a friend or simply want to show someone how fantasy games are played.
The Guaranteed Prize Pool Format Ensures a Payout After Every Game
A guaranteed prize pool (GPP) game is one in which the entity that runs it guarantees a minimum payout regardless of how many people participate. In most cases, payouts are made to those who finish in the top three, but it's also possible for prizes to be awarded to a greater number of people depending on how many get involved in a given contest. As with an H2H game, your objective is to score more points than the other players. However, in a GPP game, your competition is everyone else who is participating in the event with you.
A 50/50 Format Divides the Prize Pool Among the Top Finishers
If you decide to participate in a 50/50 game, you'll be participating in an event that pays out to anyone who finishes in the top half of the standings. The amount that you win is generally based on the size of the wager that you make when entering the game. In some cases, the platform providing the game will add additional money to the prize pool.
Almost Every Major Sport Has a Daily Fantasy Game
Ideally, you'll play daily fantasy games associated with sports that you understand the most. This is especially important if you are playing for money as you can't rely on luck alone to help you finish atop the standings in a chosen game. The good news is that almost every sport has a daily fantasy game associated with it, so there is likely a contest that you have a chance of doing well in.
In addition to sports such as hockey, football or baseball, you can also participate in fantasy auto racing, golf and rugby. There are even daily fantasy sumo wrestling, cricket and horse racing games that you can enter either for free or for a fee. It's also worth noting that you can play college football daily fantasy games through most major game providers.
It may be amusing to learn that the fantasy sports format has even made its way to the Supreme Court. If you are an attorney, practice law or enjoy learning more about how our government works, you can participate in a free Supreme Court fantasy game that allows you to win prizes for predicting the outcome of various cases.
How Do You Get Started Playing Daily Fantasy Sports?
The first thing that you'll need to do is create an account with your preferred daily fantasy sports game provider if you don't already have one. This process should only take a few minutes and will only require you to enter basic information about yourself. If you are playing for money, you will need to connect a funding source to your daily fantasy account, and you will also likely need to submit tax documents before you can transfer any winnings to a bank account or prepaid card.
Once your account has been created, the next step is to choose the type of game that you want to play. You will also have the option to choose the type of opponent or opponents that you play against. For instance, you may be able to specify that you want to play against someone who has a similar player rating or experience level.
If you enter a GPP or 50/50 contest, it may be possible to choose one that is designed for those who don't consider themselves to be professional players. Those events typically feature lower entry fees and a ban on multiple entries per game.
The last steps are to pick your roster, pay the entry fee and submit your roster before the deadline to do so expires. Once you have done that, you can keep track of how your team is doing on your phone, tablet or other devices. If you win money, it will automatically be sent to your account.
What You Need to Know About Setting a Daily Fantasy Roster
Typically, all active players are available to be drafted by anyone who enters a daily fantasy contest. Therefore, you could be playing against an opponent who has the same players on his or her roster that you have on yours. This is relatively common when you play in GPP or 50/50 contests as most people will include at least a few big names on their teams.
In most daily fantasy games, you have to stay below a predetermined salary cap when choosing your rosters. Each player is given a dollar value based on how well they are expected to perform on a given day. For example, if you were playing daily fantasy football, you might be given a salary cap of $10,000.
Players such as Josh Allen or Tom Brady might cost $1,000 while players such as Jalen Hurts or Mac Jones might only cost $500. Ultimately, you'll need to know how to find players who you think can outperform their cost to acquire to have a chance to do well in a given game.
There are a number of websites, blogs and other sources of information that you might be able to use to properly evaluate these individuals. The internet is also filled with information about various fantasy formats and how to create a roster based on the format that you've chosen to play.
What Happens if a Contest Fails to Attract Enough Players?
In many cases, a daily fantasy contest will take place regardless of how many people participate. However, the rules of some contests state that it will not take place unless there are a minimum number of participants. This is often done when a game uses a GPP format because the funds for the payout are often raised through entry fees. If there are insufficient funds to make a payment, the game is usually cancelled.
In such a scenario, your entry fee will be refunded, and you can start looking for a new event to participate in. It's worth noting that this generally won't be a problem if you are playing in a private game as payouts in those games tend to be based solely on how much entrants put into the prize pool.
Daily fantasy sports games provide you with an incredible opportunity to have fun with your friends, test your sports knowledge and win money at the same time. Furthermore, daily games are ideal for those who don't have the time or desire to manage a roster for several weeks or months. You can check with your preferred platform to learn more about how to enter a contest, the specific rules of a given contest and any other information that might help you have a positive experience while playing.
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