Circled Game | Live Scores, Standings, Pools, Squares and Sports Communities

Step 1: Choose Target Competition

Select the sports league and season schedule for your pool.

🏈 NFL Football Regular & Postseason 🏈 College Football Saturday Gauntlet ⚾ MLB Baseball Daily & Weekend Series 🏀 NBA Basketball Hoops Action 🏀 College Hoops Tournament & Regular 🏒 NHL Hockey Ice Showdowns

Pre-season Settings

Playoffs Settings

Exclude Early Games

Step 2: Choose Game Format

Select how players earn points and compete in your circle.

Straight-Up Pick'em

Pick the outright game winner each week without point spreads. Great for all skill levels.

Against The Spread (ATS)

Pick winners against official point spreads. Spreads lock automatically at game kickoff.

Confidence Points

Rank your weekly picks from highest confidence to lowest. Higher ranks award more points.

Survivor / Knockout

Pick 1 winning team per week. You cannot pick the same team twice. Last player standing wins.

10x10 or 5x5 Squares Board

Grid boxes randomized automatically. Winners determined by quarter and final digit scorelines.

Playoff / Tournament Bracket

Predict series winners or multi-round tournament progression tree.

Step 3: Pool Identity & Branding

Give your league a recognizable name and description.

Pool Name

Short Description & Commissioner Welcome Notes

Pool Logo Link URL (Optional)

Step 4: Visibility & Access Protection

Control who can discover and join your pool.

Public Pool

Listed in the open community lobby. Anyone on Circled Game can join freely.

Private by Invite Link

Hidden from public search and sitemaps. Only players with your unique invite token can enter.

Private with Password

Requires both the invite token and a secret passcode configured by the commissioner.

Hidden / Unsearchable

Strictly invisible across the site. Direct access only via commissioner verification.

Hide picks until deadline passes If checked, players cannot see which teams others have picked until the game's deadline passes.

Step 5: Entry & Membership Rules

Define member limits and entry allowances per participant.

Max Member Capacity Total number of players allowed inside your circle.

Entries Allowed Per User Allows players to submit multiple separate pick sheets.

Registration Lock & Deadline

Picks Required Per Week

Survivor Strikes / Elimination Allowance (Survivor Only)

Step 6: Scoring & Spread Policy

Customize point allocation and tiebreaker criteria.

Correct Pick Points

Tie / Push Points

Incorrect Pick Points

Official Point Spread Source

Official Tiebreaker Policy

Choose precisely how tied scores or weekly standings are resolved across your circle:

Step 7: Pick Submission Deadlines

Choose precisely when pick sheets lock each game week.

Rolling Game-by-Game Lock (Recommended)

Each individual matchup locks right at its official kickoff time. Players can edit later picks up until those specific games begin.

Lock All Picks at First Game of the Week

Entire weekly pick sheet locks the moment the Thursday/first game starts. No edits permitted afterwards.

Sunday at 12:55 PM ET Lock

All Sunday & Monday games lock 5 minutes prior to the Sunday 1:00 PM ET kickoff window.

Custom Deadline

Set a specific day and time each week for all remaining picks to lock.

Step 8: Review & Launch Pool

Verify your setup before creating your private circle.

NFL Football

New Circled Pool

Pick'em

Visibility Private by Invite

Deadline Lock Rolling Game-by-Game

Cost / Entry Fee Free Entertainment (No Real-Money)

Tiebreaker MNF Total Score

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Once created, you will be directed to your Pool Arena where you can copy your unique invite code, invite friends via email or text, and access full Commissioner Tools.

Launch Your Custom Sports Pool