The contest ladder
| Format | Field | Payout shape | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free entry | Any | ₹0 entry; any prizes are listed on the card | Learning the loop |
| Head-to-head | 2 | Winner takes the pot minus fee | Testing a team read |
| Small league | 3 to 100 | Top slice paid, steep at the top | Regular play |
| Mega pool | Thousands | Long tail, small minimum prizes, huge top | Small fee, lottery-shaped upside |
Reading a prize structure
- Every contest card lists entry fee, total pool, field size and the payout table. Read the payout table, not the headline pool.
- Check what rank pays back the entry fee (the break-even line). In mega pools that line often sits inside the top 30%, meaning most entries lose by design.
- Multiple entries are allowed in many leagues; they raise exposure, not odds per team. One good team beats three rushed ones.
Pool sizes actually seen
Typical side-board pools: ₹1.54M on a Nepal Premier League evening match, ₹1.02M and ₹976.8K on Abu Dhabi T10 night games. IPL windows run far larger; the IPL guide covers that season shift. Pools scale with entries, so the number on the card moves until the lock.
Behind those pools, the headline contest on each fixture has cost ₹49 an entry: 19,000 spots on an Abu Dhabi T10 night, 90,000 on a WBBL game and 270,000 on an India ODI, where that one contest's pool read ₹1.06 Crore. Every fixture on the board also carried free-entry contests.
Picking your size
Head-to-heads convert skill edges most reliably; mega pools pay the dream but mostly pay the field. A sane split for a regular week: most entries in head-to-heads and small leagues, one small mega ticket for the upside, never the reverse.
Whatever the size, the same team rules and scoring apply; only the payout shape changes.
Entry, cancellation, settlement
- Entry deducts from the wallet at join; no further charges follow.
- Guaranteed contests run regardless of how many spots fill. Each contest card labels its pool type, such as Guaranteed Prize Pool or Flexible Prize Pool, so check which kind you are joining.
- Settlement lands shortly after the match result is official; rain rules follow the real fixture's outcome.
Contest questions
What does a guaranteed pool mean?
The pool pays in full even if the contest does not fill. Short-filled guaranteed pools are the best value entries on the board, when you find them.
Should I enter one contest with many teams or many contests with one?
One researched team across a few right-sized contests beats many variants in one pool for most players. Mega pools are where multiple teams make some sense, and even there, budget first.