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Every year, millions of people across the globe spend countless hours researching NFL teams, player stats, and previous game results in hopes of winning their office’s NFL pool. The NFL season is officially here, and with it has come a devastating start for over half of the participants who are partaking in survivor pools.
Also known as a Suicide, Eliminator, Knockout, Last Man Standing, or King of the Hill pool, a Survivor pool adds an extra level of competition and intrigue. Each week, players make a pick and try to survive for as long as possible. If the team they pick loses, they are eliminated from the pool. The last person, the survivor, standing wins the prize.
With so many teams and variables, knowing who to pick in your survivor pool can be challenging. The key is to find a team that you feel is good enough to win this week but not good enough to be a favorite to win every week. This way, you can survive the early part of the season and have a better chance of winning when the field narrows later on.
Survivor Pools Are Hard
Survivor pools are notoriously tricky and attract avid NFL fans for a reason. Between the Steelers’ upset against the Bengals and the Giants barely scraping over the Titans, survivors everywhere were thrown off their islands.
This week the Broncos failed to deliver. RunYourPool is looking at a record high of 60% failure to survive into Week 2. Never fear, your commissioner can invite you to try again if they feel kind this week.
There are traps in Week 1 that you can get caught in, and it is essential to remember not to if you want a chance at being the Survivor this season.
The Thinking You Know What to Do Trap
You may think you can strategize your way through, but that’s bullshit, and you know it. You have no idea what might happen, and it’s anyone’s guess how your season will turn out. There are some things you can try to avoid, but honestly, you just have to strap in and pray.
The Wasteful Pick Trap
Picking a team that you know is a for sure win seems like a no-brainer. But beware: it could be a waste of a valuable pick. Why? Because the teams that are most likely to win are often the ones that make it to the end of the season. So if you pick one of those teams, you won’t be able to use them again later on when you need a win.
The Home Team Trap
The home team is almost always favored to win. This makes sense, as home teams have a significant advantage over their opponents. But just because a team is favored doesn’t mean they will win. The home team trap is all about picking the favorite when you shouldn’t, and it’s a trap that can quickly eliminate you from your Survivor pool.
The Divisional Rivalry Trap
Beware of divisional rivalry games. These games are always tough to predict because divisional rivals know each other so well. They tend to be close calls, making it even more challenging to pick correctly. If you’re not careful, a divisional rivalry game can quickly knock you out of your survivor pool.
So What’s a Would-Be Survivor to do?
The answer is simple: play it safe and take the sure thing. After all, isn’t that what Survivor is all about? Outlasting your opponents? You have plenty of time to take risks later in the season when you are duking it out against your pool mates who have lasted as long as you have.
Survive With RunYourPool
Survivor pools are a great way to spice up your NFL viewing experience. And there’s no better place to run your pool than RunYourPool.com. We’ve been helping NFL fans run their pools for over 15 years, so you can rest assured that we know what we’re doing. Plus, our website is super easy to use. Create an account, set up your pool, and invite your friends. Then sit back and watch the drama unfold as your friends scramble to pick the winning team each week. Trust us; it’s a lot more fun than just watching the games by yourself. So what are you waiting for? Start your pool today at RunYourPool.com.
