How to Run an NCAA Pool
Most people will tell you that running an NCAA basketball pool during the tournament is nothing but a headache. You try to get as many people as you can signed up so that you can have a large, fun pool at work or with your family. The problem is you don't get to have fun, since you are the one stuck scoring the pick sheets and communicating the results to the pool participants each day of the tournament. It becomes taxing for you and is not worth the time. You'd like to simply enjoy the March Madness for once.
There are more options for managing a pool. In the late 90's, the spreadsheet was king. Complex sheets with macros galore that took days to setup and you hoped nothing would ever go wrong. Then the brilliance of the internet gave birth to sites such as TourneyTime.com which took the NCAA pool to the next level. This article will explain how to setup and run your NCAA pool online.
The first thing you need to do is find a site that matches your needs. I've found that there are lots to choose from. Just do a Google for "ncaa pool" and you'll see what I mean. There are very expensive ones that charge over a dollar per participant, and there are also free ones that allow you to run a limited number of scoring options and participants. The free ones are very tempting, but from my experience, you get what you pay for. Busy times during the tournament can take down a "free" server in a snap, and you probably don't want your reputation based on a free site that had bugs, ads, or that went down right before your participants could make their picks.
I've found that TourneyTime (www.TourneyTime.com [http://www.TourneyTime.com]) has the best mix of cost, features, and stability. I've run my pool there for several years now, and have been very pleased. One of the best things that TourneyTime offers over other sites is that it is ad-free. That means no inappropriate Viagra ads on your screen at work, and I think we can all agree that's a good thing.
So you've got your pool host picked out, what do you need to do now? For the sake of this article, I'll take you through the setup and management steps of a pool using TourneyTime features specifically, but the general framework is still the same.
Step 1 - Setup Your Online Pool
This can be done usually in just a couple quick screens. Create your id, login, and then create a new pool. You will then have to make decisions on the scoring for your pool. The most common scoring options for an NCAA pool is awarding points for each game that is picked correctly, with increasing points per round. In an exponential pattern, usually one point for the first round, two points for round two, four points for round three, eight points for round four, etc. This is based on the fact that it is increasingly difficult to pick a succession of game winners in a row. Some sites like TourneyTime offer bonus scoring for underdog picks (example a 12 seed beats a 5 seed) and regional perfect rounds. These options can add some flare to your straight pickem pool.
Step 2 - Invite Your Participants
Most sites will have a tool that allows you to send out an email invite to the people you want to participate. Remember who you are inviting. If you are mixing business and pleasure, please be aware of how the interaction between your customers and business could be effected if they win or lose. It can be a great thing though, and I've had friends who are marketing reps use an NCAA pool to have a touch point with their business. Invite more people than you expect to have in your pool, because most likely all won't accept the invite.
Step 3 - Communicate with your Users
It is always a good idea to have a guiding presence with your users. They should know that you are the person to come to if they have questions or disputes, and that you will be keeping them in line. Especially if your pool site offers message boards and trash talking forums. As a pool manager, you also want to remind your users of key dates, like when the brackets are released, and when their picks have to be submitted by. TourneyTime offers a contact manager to send notes to your users.
Step 4 - Make Picks
It's always nice to participate yourself in the pool, so don't be afraid to join in as a manager. There are usually integrity checks in the online sites that ensure integrity of picks by users and pool managers. Get educated on the teams, the matchups, the locations, and the injuries before you make your picks. Upsets are usually great for bonus points, but where the big points come are in the later rounds, so be cautious about who you knock out early.
Step 5 - Enjoy the Games and Track Progress
This is the easy part and why you need to run your pool online. You don't have to do anything but watch the games. Just sit back, relax, and the scoring and reporting is all done for you automatically.
Step 6 - Close the Loops
After the tournament is complete, it's always nice as a pool manager to close the loop on the pool. Send out a congrats letter to the pool members and award any prizes that may have been up for grabs. This puts a nice finishing touch on the tournament and gives closure to the experience.
Overall, running an NCAA pool can be an easy task, putting you back on the couch in front of the TV where you belong during March Madness.
There are more options for managing a pool. In the late 90's, the spreadsheet was king. Complex sheets with macros galore that took days to setup and you hoped nothing would ever go wrong. Then the brilliance of the internet gave birth to sites such as TourneyTime.com which took the NCAA pool to the next level. This article will explain how to setup and run your NCAA pool online.
The first thing you need to do is find a site that matches your needs. I've found that there are lots to choose from. Just do a Google for "ncaa pool" and you'll see what I mean. There are very expensive ones that charge over a dollar per participant, and there are also free ones that allow you to run a limited number of scoring options and participants. The free ones are very tempting, but from my experience, you get what you pay for. Busy times during the tournament can take down a "free" server in a snap, and you probably don't want your reputation based on a free site that had bugs, ads, or that went down right before your participants could make their picks.
I've found that TourneyTime (www.TourneyTime.com [http://www.TourneyTime.com]) has the best mix of cost, features, and stability. I've run my pool there for several years now, and have been very pleased. One of the best things that TourneyTime offers over other sites is that it is ad-free. That means no inappropriate Viagra ads on your screen at work, and I think we can all agree that's a good thing.
So you've got your pool host picked out, what do you need to do now? For the sake of this article, I'll take you through the setup and management steps of a pool using TourneyTime features specifically, but the general framework is still the same.
Step 1 - Setup Your Online Pool
This can be done usually in just a couple quick screens. Create your id, login, and then create a new pool. You will then have to make decisions on the scoring for your pool. The most common scoring options for an NCAA pool is awarding points for each game that is picked correctly, with increasing points per round. In an exponential pattern, usually one point for the first round, two points for round two, four points for round three, eight points for round four, etc. This is based on the fact that it is increasingly difficult to pick a succession of game winners in a row. Some sites like TourneyTime offer bonus scoring for underdog picks (example a 12 seed beats a 5 seed) and regional perfect rounds. These options can add some flare to your straight pickem pool.
Step 2 - Invite Your Participants
Most sites will have a tool that allows you to send out an email invite to the people you want to participate. Remember who you are inviting. If you are mixing business and pleasure, please be aware of how the interaction between your customers and business could be effected if they win or lose. It can be a great thing though, and I've had friends who are marketing reps use an NCAA pool to have a touch point with their business. Invite more people than you expect to have in your pool, because most likely all won't accept the invite.
Step 3 - Communicate with your Users
It is always a good idea to have a guiding presence with your users. They should know that you are the person to come to if they have questions or disputes, and that you will be keeping them in line. Especially if your pool site offers message boards and trash talking forums. As a pool manager, you also want to remind your users of key dates, like when the brackets are released, and when their picks have to be submitted by. TourneyTime offers a contact manager to send notes to your users.
Step 4 - Make Picks
It's always nice to participate yourself in the pool, so don't be afraid to join in as a manager. There are usually integrity checks in the online sites that ensure integrity of picks by users and pool managers. Get educated on the teams, the matchups, the locations, and the injuries before you make your picks. Upsets are usually great for bonus points, but where the big points come are in the later rounds, so be cautious about who you knock out early.
Step 5 - Enjoy the Games and Track Progress
This is the easy part and why you need to run your pool online. You don't have to do anything but watch the games. Just sit back, relax, and the scoring and reporting is all done for you automatically.
Step 6 - Close the Loops
After the tournament is complete, it's always nice as a pool manager to close the loop on the pool. Send out a congrats letter to the pool members and award any prizes that may have been up for grabs. This puts a nice finishing touch on the tournament and gives closure to the experience.
Overall, running an NCAA pool can be an easy task, putting you back on the couch in front of the TV where you belong during March Madness.