How to Play
Everything you need to know about Pick8.
The Basics
Pick8 is a March Madness fantasy game built around a snake draft. Instead of filling out a bracket alone, you and 7 friends draft actual NCAA tournament teams, then compete as those teams play through the tournament.
- 8 players per league
- 8 teams per player (64 teams drafted total)
- 6 rounds of tournament play
- Most points when the championship ends wins
Forming a League
One person creates the league and becomes the Commissioner. The commissioner names the league, sets the scoring, and shares an invite link with 7 friends.
Once all 8 seats are filled, the commissioner sets the draft order and starts the draft. The league must be full before the draft can begin.
The Snake Draft
The draft uses a snake format across 8 rounds. In odd rounds, the order goes 1 → 8. In even rounds, it reverses to 8 → 1.
...continues for 8 rounds. Highlighted = first pick in each round.
There are 64 teams in the tournament, so every team gets drafted. No leftovers.
Scoring
The commissioner chooses one of four scoring modes when setting up the league. Once the draft starts, the scoring mode is locked in.
Traditional
Every win is worth 1 point, no matter the round or seed.
| Round | Points per Win |
|---|---|
| R64Round of 64 | 1 |
| R32Round of 32 | 1 |
| S16Sweet 16 | 1 |
| E8Elite 8 | 1 |
| F4Final Four | 1 |
| CHAMPChampionship | 1 |
Round Based
Points escalate each round — later wins are worth more.
| Round | Points per Win |
|---|---|
| R64Round of 64 | 1 |
| R32Round of 32 | 2 |
| S16Sweet 16 | 3 |
| E8Elite 8 | 4 |
| F4Final Four | 5 |
| CHAMPChampionship | 6 |
Seed Based
Points equal the winning team's seed number. Upsets pay off big — lower-seeded teams are worth more when they win.
| If a team seeded... | Wins, you earn |
|---|---|
| #11-seed | 1 pt |
| #44-seed | 4 pts |
| #88-seed | 8 pts |
| #1212-seed | 12 pts |
| #1616-seed | 16 pts |
How it works: Your 12-seed wins in R1 → 12 pts. Then wins in R2 → another 12 pts. Same points every round — it's the seed that matters, not the round.
Seed + Round
Round points plus the winning team's seed. Upsets in late rounds are massive — a 12-seed Championship win = 6 + 12 = 18 pts.
| Round | Points per Win |
|---|---|
| R64Round of 64 | 1 + seed |
| R32Round of 32 | 2 + seed |
| S16Sweet 16 | 3 + seed |
| E8Elite 8 | 4 + seed |
| F4Final Four | 5 + seed |
| CHAMPChampionship | 6 + seed |
How it works: A 1-seed winning every round: (1+1) + (2+1) + (3+1) + (4+1) + (5+1) + (6+1) = 27 pts. A 12-seed Cinderella run: (1+12) + (2+12) + (3+12) + (4+12) + (5+12) + (6+12) = 93 pts.
Elimination & Alive Teams
The NCAA tournament is single elimination. When a team loses, they're done for the season and stop earning points. Your dashboard shows which of your 8 teams are still alive and which have been eliminated.
Winning the League
When the championship game ends, the player with the most total points is crowned champion. There's no bracket to bust. It's cumulative scoring across all 6 rounds.
In the event of a tie, the commissioner decides the tiebreaker.