Frequently Asked Questions
Find quick answers about joining, saving picks, locks, scoring, roles, privacy, and archived Pools.
Joining
Does opening a Pool Invite enroll me?
No. Sign in, preview the Pool, acknowledge contact visibility, and choose Accept invite. Opening a link alone never enrolls you.
Why is my invite unavailable?
It may be invalid, expired, rotated, already used when person-specific, or past the Pool’s admission cutoff. Ask the Pool Owner or Admin for the current link. Admission does not reopen after the earliest Start Week game’s scheduled kickoff has passed.
Why do I need verified email and phone details?
Both are required at signup and each new sign-in. After you join, the Pool Owner and Admins can see them for Pool administration; ordinary Members cannot.
Can I join an Archived or Completed Pool?
No. Invite acceptance is closed while a Pool is Archived or after it is Completed.
Picks and locks
Where is the submit button?
There is none. Changes autosave. Wait for Saved after selecting a team, winner, confidence value, or tiebreaker. An error means the change was not accepted.
Can I change a saved pick?
Yes, while the affected Pick Lock remains open. Choose a different team or prediction and wait for Saved.
When do picks lock?
Game Kickoff mode locks the affected choice when its game starts. Weekly Cutoff mode also locks early games when they start, then locks everything remaining Sunday at 1:00 p.m. Eastern.
Does a rescheduled game reopen my pick?
No. A schedule change can move a lock that has not happened, but it never reopens a lock already reached.
Can the Pool Owner or Admin see my Hidden Pick?
No. Before its Pick Lock, an accepted choice is visible through normal Pool access only to its author. Administrators can see completion status, not the choice.
Why can’t I choose a Survivor team?
The team may already be used or reserved in another Pool Week, the pick may be locked, or you may already be Eliminated. The Board’s save or status message explains the applicable reason.
What happens if I miss a Survivor Pick?
Missing the required pick at its lock eliminates you.
What happens if I never touch a Confidence Pick Set?
When the first game locks, Only Pools creates an Automatic Confidence Pick Set using home-team predictions and the Default Confidence Ranking. Later unlocked parts remain editable.
What if I start a Confidence set but leave predictions blank?
Each blank prediction earns zero when it locks. Your other valid picks still score, and you remain in the Weekly Standing.
Scoring
Why didn’t a live score change the standings?
Live game data is projected and non-official. Official standings change only when a Verified Result is successfully scored.
How do Confidence points work?
A correct prediction earns its assigned confidence value. An incorrect, missing, or canceled-game prediction earns zero.
How does the Weekly Tiebreaker Prediction work?
It is your 0–200 prediction for combined points in the designated last Pick Sheet game. Among equal weekly point totals, smaller error ranks ahead; an equal-distance tie favors the lower prediction. It never adds points or breaks a Season Standing tie.
Why did an official standing change later?
An authoritative corrected result can replace a prior Verified Result. Only Pools recalculates every affected outcome and standing in order.
Pool management
Why is Create Pool disabled?
Creation waits for an Available Season whose Week 1 slate has not kicked off yet. You can still join through a valid invite.
Can I change the Pool type or Start Week?
The Pool type, Pool Season, and Start Week (always Week 1) do not change. The shared Pool Ruleset freezes at the first competitive edit or first included Pick Lock, whichever happens earlier.
What is the difference between Completed and Archived?
Completed describes a terminal competitive outcome. Archived is a reversible read-only state chosen by the Owner. A Pool can be both.
Can an Admin transfer ownership or promote another Admin?
No. Only the Pool Owner manages administrative roles and offers ownership, and ownership can be offered only to a current Pool Admin.
Can a removed Participant rejoin with the ordinary invite?
No. The Pool Owner must explicitly reinstate a removed Participant. A person who left voluntarily may return through a valid invite while admission remains open.
Accounts and privacy
Who can see my contact details?
The Pool Owner and Pool Admins can see the verified email address and phone number of current Participants. Ordinary Members cannot. Leaving or removal ends that administrative visibility immediately.
Does archiving stop locks or scoring?
No. Archive is a read-only overlay. NFL data, Pick Locks, result verification, and scoring continue.
Where can I see administrative changes?
Open Pool and review Pool Audit. It shows sanitized role, membership, invite, ownership, archive, and restore events without exposing raw invite credentials or contact fields.