The Book

How odds work

American odds. A minus number is what you stake to win 100: at −110 you stake 110 coins to win 100 (you get 210 back). A plus number is what a 100 stake wins: at +250 a 100-coin stake wins 250 (you get 350 back). Smaller stakes scale the same way. The slip always shows "To win" and the full payout before you bet.

Lines. "O 150.5" means over 150.5 weekly fantasy points; "U" is under. A spread like "−2.5" means that person must beat the other by 3 or more; "+2.5" wins if they lose by 2 or less, or win. Lines end in .5, so there are no pushes. A tie in a head-to-head moneyline is void and the stake comes back.

Parlays. Combine 2 to 4 picks from different events. The odds multiply, and every pick must win. A void pick drops out and the rest still count. The most any bet can pay back is 10,000 coins.

Where the odds come from. Each person's daily fantasy points are modeled from their recent news, insider buys and how much their holdings usually move. The fair chance of each result is then turned into odds.

The house margin. The fair chances add up to 100%, but the prices add up to more: 104.5% on two-way bets (−110 on both sides of a coin flip) and 120% on top scorer and top sector. That margin is how any book works. With play money it just keeps the leaderboard honest.

Play money only. Coins have no value. You can't buy, sell, cash out or send them. Stakes are 1 to 500 coins, up to 50 bets a day. Betting locks Monday at 9:30 AM New York time and bets settle after Friday's scores are in (usually Saturday). The odds you see when you place a bet are the odds you get; if they moved, the slip asks you to review. Nothing here is investment advice. Full rules.