Fairness and anti-cheat

A free game is only fun if it is fair. These are the rules that keep it fair. We describe what they do, not how to test them.

The same queue for everyone

• Orders fill in price order, then in time order. Nobody, including the house, can skip the line.
• The house has no hidden orders and no early look at your order.
• Every order is signed by the player who placed it. The system can check each fill against what the player signed.

Picks lock at kickoff

There are no live picks, so nobody can pick on a play they already saw. A short delay close to kickoff also protects people who post prices from stale-price sniping.

Fake accounts don't pay

The most common trick in free games is making many accounts and moving their free points into one main account. Here, free PICK can only be played against the house, never against another player. A fake account has nobody to lose its points to, so a ring of fake accounts gains nothing.

Trades between linked accounts also count for nothing: no XP, no reputation, no maker credit.

Your record has to be earned

• Reputation scores your pick against the line a short time after you pick, not at the moment you pick. A fast feed alone does not build reputation.
• Volume alone never raises reputation. Picking without skill lowers it.

One person, one account

Normal sign-up is enough to play. Contests ask for more proof that you are a real, unique person. See Identity and privacy.

Results we can check

Each final score comes from two sources and has a public review window. See How results work.