Pool Rules
These rules are enforced by the 21-Lines application.
Pick locks
Each game locks individually at its stored kickoff time. The server clock in UTC is authoritative; a browser clock cannot extend the deadline.
BYEs and team records
Teams on BYE require no selection and are not included in that week's game count, scoring denominator, or tiebreaker calculation. Team W-L-T records shown on the Picks page are informational only and reflect the latest record supplied by the NFL data feed; they do not affect scoring, eligibility, or results.
When picks become visible
You can always see your own submitted picks. Everyone can see another player's game pick once that specific game has kicked off; before kickoff it remains locked. Tiebreaker predictions remain private until the tiebreaker game begins for viewers with full results access. Administrators may view all picks for pool administration.
Weekly credits and official status
$5 buys 5 credits. Beginning with Week 3, a player who has at least 5 credits and at least one submitted pick at the first kickoff is official for that week, and 5 credits are automatically used. No pick means no charge. Credits added after first kickoff apply only to future weeks.
Results and ranking
Official players get the live competitive experience during the week: field scoring, standings, and the movement created as games resolve. They receive one point for each correctly picked game that produces a winner and are ordered by total correct picks, then by the smallest absolute tiebreaker difference once the tiebreaker is final. When the week is official, that score adds to their season total and rank. NFL games that finish tied are pushes and are excluded from the weekly scoring denominator; canceled games are also excluded. Unofficial players may see their completed-week performance in the same Results table, but receive no official weekly rank or win and their score is excluded from season standings.
Unofficial viewer access
An unofficial player can still make picks and follow the shared game-day board. Everyone's game picks reveal at each game's kickoff, and correct/incorrect markings update as games resolve. While the week is active, unofficial viewers do not see live totals, records, ranking, comparative positioning, tiebreaker summaries, or Paths to Win; their table remains in neutral alphabetical order so row position does not reveal ranking. Once every game is final or canceled, final scores unlock. Their week remains unofficial and does not add to their season total or rank.
Weekly tiebreaker
The tiebreaker is the predicted combined score of the designated final game and locks when that game starts. After that game is final, Results shows the prediction followed by signed prediction-minus-actual delta; for example, 47 (-3) means a prediction of 47 when the actual combined score was 50. If the designated tiebreaker game is canceled, the latest non-canceled game becomes the deterministic fallback; its kickoff becomes the lock deadline, and if it has already started the tiebreaker is immediately locked.
Live results
On game day the Results page refreshes automatically from the server. Live leaders and live records are provisional calculations only; viewing or refreshing Results does not write the official weekly score table. Official scores are calculated only after every game is final or canceled.
Schedule changes
Submitted picks are preserved when kickoff times or game metadata are updated from the live feed. A game postponed before it actually starts follows its updated kickoff and can become editable again. Once a game has started, including a later suspension, its picks remain locked. Canceled games are excluded from scoring.
Corrections
Every player pick and tiebreaker change is recorded with its prior value, new value, actor, and timestamp. At first kickoff the application creates an immutable SHA-256 lock receipt covering eligibility and the selections submitted at that moment. Once a commissioner closes a completed week, its games, eligibility, picks, tiebreakers, official scores, winners, and payout basis are frozen in an immutable closeout snapshot. A later score correction requires an explicit, audited reopen before the official record can change.