So if you’re keeping up with the flow of all things DraftKings around here, you’re well aware that I touched briefly on league types in our intro post for this years MLB kickoff. Also, if you’re keeping up with said things, you wouldn’t have to click that hyperlink highlighting DK because that’s the portal that says ‘Hey, I wanna play DraftKings and get a free $3 ticket cuz Razzball sent me’. I mean, you’ve already done that, right? Right?!? Well, if not there’s your second chance to do so. Much like life, these chances are fleeting. Be sure to take advantage before the start of the season so you can get in on the big Moonshot tourney to kick off your season. Moonshot tourney? Ugh, that’s right, I’m getting ahead of myself. You see, the scary cool thing about DraftKings is that it’s very much like the Gummi Bears from Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Minus the laying naked next to the Berlin Wall and finding yourself a Sugar Daddy part. Nope, no links, you’re just gonna have to figure what I mean out all by your google lonesome. Just saying that the choices are seemingly infinite and also can be overwhelming so with that, lets discuss what DK can offer you for 2015 Fantasy Baseball and what leagues suit you best…
Guaranteed Prize Pools (GPPs) – These really aren’t a type of ‘league’ per se but it’s important to know what a GPP is. The most important thing to note about GPPs is said in their name: the money is guaranteed. For example, the Moonshot tourney I referenced in the opening can house up to 38,300 players but it doesn’t have to fill with that many in order for players to cash in. So if the tourney only gets, say, 25K to play, the prizes denoted don’t change and the tourney still stays live. Keep this in mind when you’re looking for what leagues to jump into. It never hurts to have a little overlay. Also important to note, these types of leagues usually allow for multiple entries. The bigger tourneys can allow for you to put in 50+ lineups while some of the smaller ones keep you capped under five but it’s important to note if you feel you have a couple of strong lineups, you aren’t hampered to just choosing one every time.
Qualifiers – These are tourneys, both big and small, whose prize pool isn’t money but tickets to bigger tourneys. To be fair, I don’t play many of these mainly because I feel it’s better to build cash elsewhere and just buy the ticket outright. The prize pool in these are very small but hey, if you dig them, I ain’t mad atcha.
Head To Head (H2H) – It’s the opposite of that scene with Jennifer Connelly from Requiem For A Dream…I keed…well, it really is opposite but more like nothing like it. It’s just what it sounds like. You line up a team and take on another guy or girl or thing. To the victor goes the spoils. Well, most of it. DK gets a 10% cut of the money pool thrown in so if you go with a $1 H2H and win, you only get $1.80 back. This is a good place to start if you’re a novice (and if you’re reading about league types, ya probably are). Not that logic wouldn’t direct you here, but H2H are never GPPs cuz like…yeah, you’re only playing yourself if the league doesn’t fill.
50/50s – The next step in your DK education/revolution after H2H is playing a bigger pool but still seeing half of said pool come out in the money. These are basically tournaments but instead of the top 17-19% winning, 50% of those who play win. These can be GPPs so they’re a really nice place to scout for overlay. Wanna know what’s better than 50% of those playing winning? How about 65%?
Leagues – Hrm, yeah, that’s not a cryptic name. Everything could technically be called a ‘league’ when it all boils down. This pool you’ll see the same H2H offers you’d see in that tab but you’ll also see 50/50s or tourneys created by individuals rather than DK themselves. For example, over the course of the season we will be creating 10 team leagues for each day of the year. If we made them public, they’d be seen in this section. The prize pools can vary but there’s one thing that can’t: these leagues have to fill in order to cash. You won’t find GPPs here. These are a great middle ground for guys who don’t want to do huge tourneys but want something different from the 50/50 and H2H crowd.
Multipliers – Upping the stakes from just seeing 50/50s, the Multipliers leagues give out money to a certain percentage of the prize pool. In 50/50s, you double up when you win and up to 50% of the league can win. Meanwhile, there are triple ups that mean 33% of the league can win and you triple up your cash. Let’s not belabor this stuff any further or else I’m just explaining to you algebra and neither of us want that.
Steps – These leagues are similar to qualifiers in that you put down money to win tickets for an eventual chance at a prize. For example, throw down $2 on the step 1 game with nine other opponents. Win out, you get a ticket for a $7 ticket for step 2 league. Win again, $25 ticket for a step 3 league. Win there and you’re on to step 4 where you can win a cool $200 as just one example. Obviously, you’ll need a win streak for four days to get that. Personally, not an area I play.
Beginner – Hey, don’t feel bad going to the kiddie pool to start off. When you initially begin playing on DK, they don’t want to throw you like chum out to the sharks. This beginner pool is filled with people just like yourself: cold, naked and afraid of the vast new world they’re seeing. You get beginners leagues for each sport you play. For example, they still offer me beginners leagues for hockey but my question is, does Wayne Gretzky still play? Needless to say, this is a great place as a novice to play multipliers since you’re playing with a similar pool of guys. Sometimes it pays to be a n00b.
As mentioned in the previous post, Razzball doesn’t just throw you out in the deep end alone. Besides our daily articles in season, if you want some help in dominating your Daily Fantasy experience you can sign up for a Razzball Tools Subscription. That’s all I have to say about that, though, cuz this is a DK thang. Just know it’s there if ya need it!
