How to Run a March Madness Pick'Em Pool That People Actually Finish
A March Madness Pick'em pool is dead simple: your crew picks the winner of each game, right picks score points, most points wins. The trick to keeping people in past the first weekend is scoring the later rounds higher and keeping the leaderboard live so nobody feels out of it.
Everybody starts a March Madness bracket. Almost nobody finishes one. By the time a couple of top seeds get bounced in the first weekend, half your crew has a busted bracket and stops checking in. A Pick'em pool fixes that — instead of locking in all 63 games up front, your group picks each round as it comes. One bad upset doesn't kill your whole month. Here's how to run one that stays fun all the way to the title game.
How a March Madness Pick'em pool works
It's straightforward. Before each round, everyone in your group picks who wins each game. Get it right, you score. Get it wrong, you don't. Points stack up on a leaderboard, and whoever has the most chips at the end of the tournament takes the pot. No bracket to bust, no math for you to do — the picks get graded automatically as games go final.
Score the later rounds higher
This is the one setting that keeps people from quitting. If every game is worth the same, somebody can build a big lead in the first weekend and run away with it — and everyone behind them checks out. Instead, make the Sweet 16 worth more than the first round, the Elite 8 worth more than that, and so on. The Final Four and the championship should be worth the most. That way somebody who started slow can still win it in the back half, and your whole crew stays glued in.
Set a clear pick deadline
Picks lock when the first game of each round tips off. Make that obvious so nobody whines about missing the window. The app locks picks for you automatically, so you're not chasing people down or arguing about who got their picks in late. Set it, post the deadline in your group chat, done.
→ Want the full playbook on running a pick'em group that doesn't fall apart? Here's the host guide.Keep the leaderboard in front of them
The leaderboard is the whole game. After every round, drop the standings in your group chat with a little trash talk. Who's leading, who choked, who's making a run. When people can see they're only a couple games back, they stay in. When the board goes quiet, the pool dies. A live leaderboard that updates the second games end does that work for you.
Why run it on ValueBet
You could do this on a spreadsheet, but then you're the one grading every game by hand and chasing picks. ValueBet runs the whole March Madness Pick'em for free — auto-graded games, custom scoring so you can weight the later rounds, a live leaderboard, and an invite-only club so it's just your crew. It's chip-based, not real money, so there's nothing to collect and no license to worry about.
Start a free March Madness Pick'em pool on ValueBet and keep your crew locked in from the First Four to One Shining Moment.
Create your free club →FAQ
What's the difference between a bracket and a Pick'em pool?
A bracket makes you predict all 63 games up front, so one early upset can wreck your whole month. A Pick'em pool lets you pick round by round, so you're never fully out — you just pick the next set of games when they're set.
Is a March Madness Pick'em pool free to run?
On ValueBet, yes. There are no per-player fees and no subscription. It runs on chips instead of real money, so there's nothing to collect from your group.
How do I keep people from quitting after the first weekend?
Weight the later rounds higher so the pool can be won in the back half, and keep the leaderboard live and in your group chat after every round. When people can see they're still close, they stay in.
Do I have to grade the games myself?
No. ValueBet auto-grades every pick as games go final and updates the leaderboard automatically, so you're not doing math by hand.