Survivor pools, explained
One pick a week. One mistake and you're done.
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How does a survivor pool work?
Each week, every player picks one team to win its game — straight up, no spreads. If your team wins (or ties), you survive to next week. If it loses, you're eliminated. The catch that makes it a strategy game: you can never pick the same team twice all season. Burn the best teams early and you're left picking coin-flips in December.
What happens if I forget to pick?
A missed week counts as a loss — once the week's games are final, anyone without a pick is out. That's the standard rule everywhere, and it's the standard here, because the alternative (everyone "accidentally" forgetting during a tough week) breaks the pool. KickoffPools emails nobody's picks to anybody, so set a phone reminder for Thursday.
Can other players see my pick?
Not until kickoff. Picks stay hidden until each game starts, so nobody can copy the sharpest player in the pool. After kickoff, the pick shows on the pool page for everyone — and once your game has started, you can't swap off it.
Who wins a survivor pool?
The last player alive. If everyone left gets knocked out in the same week, those players share the crown — or your group can agree to keep going with "teams can repeat" as a house rule and settle it offline. If more than one player survives the whole season, they share it too.
How do you join?
Open the pool link your commissioner shared, type your name, and make your first pick. Add your email if you want your private pick link sent to you — otherwise bookmark it. No app, no account.
What do winners get?
Bragging rights and the crown. KickoffPools never collects, holds, or pays out money and never awards prizes — it keeps score, that's it.
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