Survivor Contests
A thrilling twist to the traditional bracket contests. Keeps your fans on the edge of their seat and actively engaged with your product.
How a Survivor Contest Works
Survivor Contests are among the most exciting and accessible formats in sports-based gaming and fan engagement. They’re simple in concept but filled with strategic depth, making them perfect for both casual fans and seasoned sports enthusiasts.
The Basic Concept
In a Survivor Contest, players aim to pick one team each round (typically each week) that they believe will win their game. If the team wins, the player "survives" to the next round. If the team loses (or sometimes even ties), the player is eliminated.
The contest continues until only one player remains—the ultimate survivor—or until all remaining players are eliminated in the same round, leading to a shared victory or tiebreaker.
Game Variations
Survivor Contests can be customized in a few different ways. The core mechanics stay the same, but different rule sets can drastically change the strategy.
Pick Against the Spread
- Objective: Choose one team each week that will cover the pointspread.
- Risk: More difficult and strategic, as even a winning team can fail to cover and eliminate you. Pointspread ties are treated as loses.
This variation increases difficulty and skill level, often making it more suitable for experienced bettors or fans familiar with line movements.
Pick to Win (Straight Up)
- Objective: Choose one team each week to win outright, regardless of the pointspread. A tie will be counted as a win.
- Risk: Easier to survive early on (by picking heavy favorites), but tough later as fewer teams are available to pick.
Can You Reuse Teams?
One of the most important rules in any Survivor Contest is whether or not you can reuse teams. There are two main types:
A. No Reuse (Traditional Survivor Format)
- Once a team has been picked, you cannot select them again for the rest of the contest.
- Encourages careful planning—burning top teams early may hurt you later.
B. Team Reuse Allowed
- Players can pick the same team multiple times, even in consecutive weeks.
- This format is often used in shorter contests or casual/entry-level contests to reduce complexity.
- When using pointspreads, teams can be reused.
Each format appeals to different player types—traditional no-reuse is more strategic, while team reuse makes for a more forgiving, fast-paced game.
What Happens When You’re Eliminated?
Survivor Contests are thrilling, but once you're out, you’re out... or are you?
Consolation Survivor Contests
Many contest operators offer consolation brackets or secondary Survivor Contests for eliminated players. These serve several purposes:
- Second Chance Brackets: Players knocked out early get to start fresh in a side contest.
- Restart Contests: All eliminated players begin a new survivor format starting from Week 3, 4, etc.
- Loyalty or Points-Based Consolation: Players who get eliminated earn points or tokens they can use in a separate, lower-stakes survivor-style game.
Consolation contests help retain engagement throughout the season and offer another opportunity for prizes or bragging rights, especially in larger pools.
Ideal for Groups & Brands
Survivor Contests work great as standalone games or as part of broader fan engagement strategies for:
- Sportsbooks and fantasy sites
- Brands and promotions
- Office pools and friend groups
The format is easy to understand but allows room for deeper strategies based on the chosen rules (spread vs win-only, reuse vs no reuse).
Element | Options
Pick Type | Win Only or Against the Spread
Team Reuse | Allowed or Not Allowed
Elimination Rule| Lose and You're Out
Consolation | Secondary contests or restart
Option | Pools
Whether you’re a contest operator, a fan organizing a group pool,
or a player diving in for the first time, understanding these rules
will help you navigate the game—and maybe even survive to the end. Contact Us to learn more.