Paigow Football rules
Start here. Open the detailed rules whenever you need them.
Level 1
About one minute
Two players · points
Choose a team. Earn the points shown if they win. A harder pick earns more.
Choose a team from another game. Earn 50 if their head start puts them ahead. A win adds extra points.
Both players submit to show their picks. Up to 220 points each. Same points is a tie.
A whole field · weekly standings
Choose a team. Earn the points shown if they win.
Choose a team from another game. Earn 50 if their head start puts them ahead. A win adds extra points.
Add both teams’ points together. If players tie in the pool, the closest guess wins.
Level 2
These rules control when the quick explanation does not cover a situation.
H2H uses the Pick 1 and Pick 2 grids shown in the Pool section below. The picker highlights the selected scoring band before submission.
The higher card total wins. A 100-point card against an 85-point card records a 15-point win. Equal totals are a push. Only completed matchups with two submitted cards count toward wins, losses, pushes, and the rivalry point balance.
H2H and Pool picks contribute to one season record. Repeating the same team, league and pick type within a week counts once across all contests. Winner and underdog-cover selections are separate pick types. When saved spreads differ, the first submitted line determines the record result. Existing saved submissions are included, and new weeks never reset your totals.
Rankings use correct picks divided by decided picks, with 20 decided picks needed to rank. Each pick counts when its game is final. Pushes are shown but excluded from accuracy. Winners tracks outright wins; Underdogs covered tracks successful covers. Equal percentages share rank. Corrected game scores update your record automatically.
Unfinished selections stay private. Completed H2H pick history is visible to Paigow members; private Pool pick details keep their Pool access restrictions. Your sign-in email and private rivalry history are not included.
Season rankings →Matchups created before the 220-point upgrade keep their original point-stake rules, including the −10 favorite cap and half-stake bonuses. Historical results are never recalculated under the new grid.
Players may join through the private invitation while the pool is open and space remains. A ranked entry requires Pick 1, Pick 2 from a different game, and a whole-number prediction for the featured final game’s combined score. An incomplete card does not enter the standings.
Choose any eligible team. It scores only if it wins outright. The selected team’s saved spread sets its value.
A cover earns 50 points. A loss or push earns 0. If the underdog also wins outright, add the bonus below. The maximum Pick 2 score is 110 points.
Pick 1 can score up to 110. Pick 2 can score 50 for the cover plus a bonus of up to 60.
Cards rank by total points. If totals tie, the prediction closest to the featured final game’s combined score ranks higher. If both predictions are equally close, the entries remain tied and share the same rank.
After final ranking, each completed card receives one finish award. These points are separate from the card score and are used for season standings. A player receives only the highest category that applies.
Only current, scheduled games with a recent line may be selected. The spread, favorite orientation, and line source are saved when a card is submitted. Later market movement does not change that saved pick.
A player may update a complete card while the matchup is open and neither selected game has begun. The card locks when either selected game begins or when both players have submitted, whichever happens first.
Submitting locks both Pool picks and your total score guess immediately. You cannot change them afterward. Submit a complete card to unlock the Live field and see the other submitted picks. Joining alone does not unlock the field. New cards must be submitted before their selected games and the featured tiebreak game begin.
A postponed game remains pending until it becomes final. A canceled or unresolved game is not graded automatically and remains pending for review. PoolHouse grades from the result stored by its data provider; a later correction may require manual review if settlement has already been recorded.
Cash entry collection is not currently available. PoolHouse will activate it only after receiving the required authorization for the launch jurisdiction.
In the planned format, the commissioner chooses the entry amount, field size, paid places, and percentage for each place. The percentages must be positive and total exactly 100%. Setup freezes when the pool opens.
PoolHouse records a 5% operating fee from the gross entry ledger. The remaining 95% is the net prize pool. Points-only pools have no fee or payout ledger.
If fewer complete cards finish than the configured number of paid places, the active top-place percentages are proportionally normalized across the complete entries.
Tied entries combine the prizes for the positions they occupy and split that amount equally. If one cent remains after an even split, it is assigned by a consistent system order so the ledger always reconciles exactly.
Deposits, identity and age verification, geolocation, responsible-play controls, accounting, and withdrawals must operate through the approved regulated structure.