Picking The Right Contest Type Is Key To Winning
If you’ve ever played Daily Fantasy Sport (DFS) on either DraftKings or FanDuel, the 2nd major decision you are forced to make is picking a contest type (and picking your game slate is first). Even though this might seem like a trivial step, most new users click the first button presented to them so they can quickly start creating their winning lineup. Therefore, the DK Legends pro’s know you can easily set yourself up for failure if you choose the wrong contest type. So, let’s break down what our DFS Pros suggest.
The Two Main Contest Types
Of the 8+ contest types you can choose from on both DraftKings and FanDuel, we break them down into two main categories. These categories are 50/50 contests or tournament contests. Now, let’s break these two contest types down for you.
DraftKings (DKNG) has been one of 2020’s success stories. Although the online sports betting (OSB) player has had to contend with the coronavirus’ disruption of sports schedules, OSB is a secular. DraftKings Virginia Bet $1, Win $100 on NFL Conference Championships Bettors have spent most of the week sizing up how to play what appear to be two closely matched contests. The 2020 fantasy football season has come to a close, but we can still get our fix in over the next few weeks with these condensed playoff slates. The overarching theme of this article will be GPP focused. On a short slate, one or two players can decide the entire slate. When that's the case, I like to play strictly tournaments with a portfolio of players, rather than one cash game lineup that. Sorry for the ‘newbie’ question, but I have recently started using your awesome lineup tool to create and upload multiple lineups to Draftkings. I find this so easy and smooth! My problem is, once I have my lineups on the site, I cannot figure out how to easily enter all of these lineups into the SAME CONTEST.
50/50 Contest (Also Known as Double Ups)
Who Is Draftkings Competition
These contests give you the best odds of winning. In double up contests, players who finish in the top 45% of the field double their money. In 50/50 games, players who finish in the top half of the field win 90% of their entry fee.
These contests might not have huge payouts, but any payout is good if you’re trying to increase your bankroll. Minimizing your risk is the key to winning in DFS, and 50/50 games are the safest contests to play.
Grouped in with the 50/50 contest is the Head to Head contest. These contests are essentially 50/50 because you go up against only one other player at a time. Therefore, this gives you a 50% chance of winning. Personally, we all love to go head-to-head and walk away with a win. So, if you have the itch to take 1st place, we recommend you enter a few head-to-head contest so you can feed your inner competitive sole.
New To DFS Tip:If you are a brand new user to DraftKings, they have special contests that are only available to new users. We recommend you only play these ‘Beginner Contests’ until you have used up your max number of entries. You are essentially going up against other “new to DraftKings” users and we have noticed that the typical 50/50 winners’ money line is 10-25 points less than the standard 50/50 contest. This is a huge edge! So, take advantage of it!
Tournaments, Qualifiers, & Multipliers
These contests are high-risk, high-reward and they need to be treated as such. Tournaments, Qualifiers (where you qualify for a larger tournament or trip) and Multipliers vary in size and structure. But they usually only pay out to the top 10-15% finishers. To win big in a tournament, you usually need to finish in the top 1%. And finishing in the top 1% of a contest with hundreds of thousands of participants is very difficult to do. If you feel the need to win more than you invest, we suggest you start with Multipliers. Also, get into a few Tripple Up’s to test the waters.
So, What Contest Is Best For Me?
I’m New: If you are new to DFS and you’re getting your feet wet, there is ZERO doubt in our Pro’s minds that you need to stick to 50/50 contests. Granted you will not become a millionaire overnight or win $50k off a $5-25 investment. But what you will do is stack the cards in your favor to win week-after-week. The ultimate goal is to start the season with a certain $ amount and double or triple your investment as the weeks go on. And cash out your winnings!
The cold, hard truth is most of you reading this article will simply not follow this advice and will end up losing. We have heard it countless times, “I’ve placed $300 in these million dollar tournaments only to place 40,000 out of 200,000. I didn’t win anything!” If you followed our advice and stuck to the 50/50 contests, you would cash out your winnings. Trust us!
Experienced DFS Player: Ok, so you are an experienced DFS player and want to step up your game for this season. Our strategy for you is to follow our 80/20 rule. This rule is fairly simple, 80% of your contest entry investment dollars should stay in the 50/50 contests and the remaining 20% will be played in tournament contests. Once again, this rule is easier to state than it is to follow. Furthermore, people get sucked into the allure of winning the BIG million dollar tournament. As a result, they devote too much of their bankroll to the flashy tournaments instead of playing the long game.
Remember, the goal here is to have fun! So, play within your means. Do your best. Don’t get greedy!
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