About PickSixtyFour

PickSixtyFour is a free March Madness game that isn't a bracket: each weekend of the NCAA men's tournament you wager points on teams, and a winning pick pays your wager times the team's seed, so upsets pay the most.

PickSixtyFour is free to play. STDs are the game's points, not money. You can't buy them.

Not a bracket

PickSixtyFour isn't a bracket. You don't predict the whole tournament before it starts. Instead you make new picks before each weekend of the tournament, wagering your STDs on any teams you like, and the teams still playing decide what you can pick next.

How scoring works

A winning pick pays the amount wagered times the seed of the team you picked, so 100 STDs on a 13 seed that wins returns 1,300 STDs. A winning 1 seed pays 1.5 times the wager. A losing pick pays nothing. The player with the most STDs after the National Championship wins.

• Daily Double. Each round, one pick is your Daily Double, which pays twice the normal payout if that team wins.
• Vegas pick. Each round, one pick is your Vegas pick, which only has to beat the point spread, and the spread equals its seed: a 14 seed wins the pick if it wins the game or loses by less than 14 points.
• Turbo Team. Your Turbo Team, picked once before the tournament, pays 25% more every time you wager on it and it wins, including Daily Double and Vegas picks.
• In the Championship you make either a Daily Double or a Vegas pick, not both.
• You can't wager on both teams in the same game.

The NCAA men's tournament game

The tournament is picked in three windows, one per weekend - the First and Second Rounds, the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight, then the Final Four and Championship. All picks for a weekend are due before the first game of that weekend tips off.

• Each player starts with 2,000 STDs and must wager 1,000 in the First Round and 1,000 in the Second Round, on as many or as few games as they like.
• For the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight you wager all the STDs you have left, half on each round. For the Final Four and Championship you wager everything you have, half on each.
• A player who has run out of STDs still gets 100 STDs for each later round, so nobody is knocked out.
• Max single pick: no one pick can be more than 25% of a round's STDs on the first weekend, 40% on the second weekend and 80% in the Final Four.
• Before the first game, each player picks one Turbo Team for the whole tournament.

College Football Saturday

The same game for one Saturday of college football. The Committee picks the games, usually every Power Four matchup, and each game is seeded 1 to 16 from its Vegas moneyline, like an NCAA tournament matchup. Each player wagers all 1,000 STDs, no more than 25% on any one pick, before the first game kicks off. There's no Turbo Team.

Private leagues

Any player can start a private league and invite friends, an office or a family with a link. Leagues are ranked against each other by the average finish of their members, lowest first, once they have at least four members.

Who it's for

• People who want a March Madness game that isn't a bracket, or something to play alongside their bracket.
• Office pools, friends and families who want a free game with private leagues.
• Fans who like picking upsets, since an underdog's seed is its payout.
• Players whose bracket is busted after the first weekend, because PickSixtyFour has new picks every weekend.

Questions

What is PickSixtyFour?

PickSixtyFour is a free March Madness game that isn't a bracket. Each weekend of the NCAA men's tournament you wager points, called STDs, on teams, and a winning pick pays your wager times the team's seed.

How does PickSixtyFour scoring work?

A winning pick pays the amount wagered times the seed of the team you picked, so 100 STDs on a 13 seed that wins returns 1,300 STDs. A winning 1 seed pays 1.5 times. Each round you also make a Daily Double, which pays twice, and a Vegas pick, which wins if the team wins or loses by less than its seed. Your Turbo Team pays 25% more whenever it wins for you.

Is PickSixtyFour a bracket?

No. You don't fill out a bracket before the tournament. You make new picks before each weekend, on any teams still playing, and the player with the most STDs after the National Championship wins.

Is PickSixtyFour free?

Yes. PickSixtyFour is free to play. STDs are the game's points, not money, and you can't buy them.

Can I keep playing if my picks go badly in the first weekend?

Yes. There are new picks every weekend, and a player who runs out of STDs still gets 100 STDs for each later round.

When are picks due?

There are three pick windows, one per weekend of the tournament. Picks for each weekend are due before its first game tips off.

Can I play with my office or friends?

Yes. Start a private league and share its invite link. Leagues are ranked by the average finish of their members.

Is there a college football version?

Yes. College Football Saturday uses the same scoring for one Saturday's games, each seeded 1 to 16 from its Vegas moneyline.

Playing and contact

Sign up with an email address. PickSixtyFour emails a six-digit code to sign in; there's no password. Runs in the browser at new.picksixtyfour.com on phones and computers.

The game is run by "The Committee", which writes the rules and the emails. Questions go to [email protected].