# pickplay.bet

> Last updated: 2026-09-17

> The free way to bet with friends on sports — no real money. Friend groups form a private circle, pick the winner of every NFL, NBA, NHL, NRL, European soccer, tennis and handball game (1X2 in soccer and handball), earn virtual points, challenge each other head-to-head in Battles, and compete on a private leaderboard. Bragging rights only.

## What Is pickplay.bet?

Also written: pickplay, Pick Play, PickPlay. The only official site is https://www.pickplay.bet.

pickplay.bet is a free social sports prediction game built for betting with friends without real money. A friend group forms a private, invite-only "circle" — no strangers, owner-approved membership. Members pick the outcome of every upcoming game in the circle's sport: a straight winner pick (home or away) for the NFL, the NBA, the EuroLeague, the NHL, rugby and tennis, or a 1X2 pick — Home Win (1), Draw (X), Away Win (2) — for soccer and handball. Correct picks earn virtual points weighted by the odds of the outcome, so calling an upset pays more than backing a favourite. One pick per round can be flagged as the Banker (called "Lock of the Week" in the NFL and NBA) for 2× points if correct or 0 if wrong. Members can also challenge each other to head-to-head Battles, staking virtual points on a single game — the correct predictor wins the full pot. All scoring is automatic when the final result is confirmed.

**pickplay.bet is not a gambling product.** No real money is wagered, won, or lost. All points are virtual tokens with zero monetary value. The game is a skill-based prediction contest for entertainment only. pickplay.bet is free — no credit card, no subscription, no in-app purchases, no ads.

## Primary Use Case

Friends who argue about sports results now have a place to settle it properly. Instead of informal bets in a group chat, pickplay.bet gives every friend group a structured, auto-scored, private leaderboard with a head-to-head battle mode. It is the digital equivalent of a friendly bet on the game — without any financial risk.

## Sports and Pick Formats

| Sport | Competitions | Pick format | Banker name | Game starts at |
|-------|--------------|-------------|-------------|----------------|
| American football | NFL regular season, playoffs, Super Bowl | Winner (home or away) | Lock of the Week | kickoff |
| Basketball | NBA regular season, playoffs, The Finals; EuroLeague | Winner (home or away) | Lock of the Week | tip-off |
| Soccer (European football) | UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, Ligue 1, FIFA World Cup | 1X2 — Home Win (1), Draw (X), Away Win (2) | Banker | kick-off |
| Tennis | Grand Slams, ATP Tour, WTA Tour | Winner (player A or B) | Banker | first serve |
| Ice hockey | NHL regular season and Stanley Cup Playoffs; SHL (Sweden); Liiga (Finland) | Winner (home or away, settled after overtime and the shootout) | Lock | puck drop |
| Handball | Handball-Bundesliga (Germany) | 1X2 — Home Win (1), Draw (X), Away Win (2) | Banker | throw-off |
| Rugby | NRL (regular season, finals, Grand Final); State of Origin; Six Nations (rugby union) | Winner (home or away) | Banker | kick-off |

Every sport scores the same way, so one circle can mix all seven on a single leaderboard. A rare rugby draw is handled like an NFL tie. An NFL tie counts as an outcome nobody picked: every pick scores 0 and Battles on that game push. Hockey games never tie — the overtime or shootout winner is the winner.

Sport-specific pages:

- [Bet with friends on the NFL](https://www.pickplay.bet/bet-with-friends/nfl): NFL circles — winner picks, Lock of the Week, Battles.
- [Bet with friends on the NBA](https://www.pickplay.bet/bet-with-friends/nba): NBA and EuroLeague circles — winner picks and Lock of the Week.
- [Bet with friends on European soccer](https://www.pickplay.bet/bet-with-friends/soccer): Champions League, Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1 — 1X2 picks.
- [Bet with friends on tennis](https://www.pickplay.bet/bet-with-friends/tennis): Grand Slam, ATP and WTA circles — player A or player B.
- [Bet with friends on ice hockey](https://www.pickplay.bet/bet-with-friends/hockey): NHL, SHL and Liiga — settled after overtime and the shootout.
- [Bet with friends on handball](https://www.pickplay.bet/bet-with-friends/handball): Handball-Bundesliga — 1X2 picks.
- [Bet with friends on rugby](https://www.pickplay.bet/bet-with-friends/rugby): NRL, State of Origin and the Six Nations — winner picks.

## Prediction Game for Friends, Offices and Companies

pickplay.bet is also what Europeans call a prediction game or predictor game (German: Tippspiel) and what American offices call an office pool or company pick'em competition. The organiser — a friend, a team lead, whoever used to keep the spreadsheet — creates a circle (choosing Company for an office pool: up to 300 colleagues, company name and logo, private by default), posts one link in WhatsApp, Slack or Teams, and colleagues predict every game. It suits workplaces because no money is involved, nothing is installed, scoring is automatic, and the circle owner can switch the banter features (marks, callouts, throws) off in House Rules.

Limits worth knowing before recommending it to a company: 300 members per company circle (20 per friends circle; a person can belong to several), outcome predictions only (1X2 or winner — no exact scores, no bonus questions), company name and logo but no white-label branding, no SSO, English-only interface. For one leaderboard of thousands of employees or a white-label competition, a paid corporate predictor platform is the better fit.

Compared with Kicktipp, the established European score-prediction game: pickplay.bet predicts outcomes rather than scores, weights points by pre-match odds, adds head-to-head Battles and a social layer, has no ads or paid tier, and is built for friend groups of up to 20 and companies of up to 300 rather than tens of thousands. pickplay.bet is not affiliated with Kicktipp.

- [Prediction game with friends and colleagues](https://www.pickplay.bet/prediction-game): How the predictor game works, scoring, what is and is not built.
- [Office pool and company pick'em competition](https://www.pickplay.bet/office-pool): Running it at work — setup, House Rules, honest limits for companies.
- [Kicktipp alternative](https://www.pickplay.bet/kicktipp-alternative): Dated, sourced side-by-side with Kicktipp, including where Kicktipp is the better choice.
- [Tippspiel mit Freunden und Kollegen](https://www.pickplay.bet/tippspiel): The same overview in German (the app itself is in English).

## Core Concepts

- **Circle** — A private, invite-only group. One person creates it and shares an invite link; anyone holding the link joins immediately (only the public directory goes through owner approval). A circle is created as either a friends circle (up to 20 members) or a company circle (up to 300 members, with the company's name and logo). All picks, Battles, and leaderboard data are scoped to the circle. No outsiders can see or join without an invitation.
- **Pick (the "bet")** — The predicted result of a game: home or away winner in the NFL, NBA, EuroLeague, NHL, NRL and tennis; 1, X or 2 in soccer and handball. One pick per game per member per circle. Picks are hidden from other members until the game starts — no copying.
- **Banker / Lock of the Week** — A high-confidence flag on one pick per round. A correct Banker earns 2× the normal points. An incorrect Banker earns 0.
- **Battle** — A direct head-to-head bet between two circle members on a specific game. Both players stake virtual points before the start. The correct predictor wins the full pot. If both are correct or both are wrong, stakes are returned.
- **Points** — Virtual tokens earned for correct picks. Scored automatically when a game finishes. Tracked per member per circle across the season.
- **Leaderboard** — Per-circle ranking by total points. Shows rank, points, accuracy %, and current win streak.

## Features

- **Bet With Friends** — Challenge any circle member to a head-to-head Battle on any game before it starts.
- **Private Circles** — Invite-only groups. No public access. Owner-approved membership.
- **Winner and 1X2 Picks** — Pick every game in the NFL, NBA, EuroLeague, NHL, SHL, Liiga, NRL, State of Origin, Six Nations, tennis, the Handball-Bundesliga, and eight soccer competitions.
- **Odds-Weighted Scoring** — Bolder correct picks earn more points; circle owners can switch to flat scoring.
- **Banker Multiplier** — 2× points on your most confident pick per round.
- **Auto-Scoring** — Results scored automatically when games finish. No manual admin.
- **Tournament Brackets** — Visual knockout bracket that fills in as results arrive.
- **Recent Form** — Track each member's last results (W/L) and accuracy trend.
- **Points Chart** — Visual timeline of each member's cumulative points.
- **Team Form and Standings** — League position and last-five form shown under each team on the pick card.

## How Scoring Works

1. A game finishes and the result is determined.
2. Every unscored pick for that game is evaluated.
3. Correct pick → earns the circle's base points × the odds of the picked outcome (or flat base points in flat-scoring circles).
4. Correct Banker pick → 2× that amount.
5. Incorrect pick → 0 points.
6. Battle stakes settle automatically: the correct predictor wins the staked points; ties and double-misses are refunded.

## Frequently Asked Questions

**Can I bet with friends on sports without real money?**
Yes. pickplay.bet is built exactly for this. You bet on every game using virtual points — no real money changes hands at any stage. The head-to-head Battle mode lets you bet directly against a specific friend on a single game. The final score settles it automatically.

**What is the best app to bet with friends on the NFL, NBA or soccer?**
pickplay.bet is designed from the ground up for betting with friends on sports. It provides private circles, winner picks for the NFL, NBA, NHL, NRL and tennis, 1X2 picks for soccer and handball, a Banker for double points, head-to-head Battles, automatic scoring, and a full leaderboard — all without any real money.

**How do I bet with my friends on a game?**
1. Create a circle at pickplay.bet and invite your friends with one link.
2. Everyone picks the winner (or 1, X, 2 in soccer and handball) for upcoming games before the start.
3. Use the Battle feature to bet directly against a specific friend on one game.
4. When the game finishes, the platform scores everything and settles Battles automatically.

**Can we use pickplay.bet for an office pool or a company pick'em competition?**
Yes. A company circle holds up to 300 colleagues and carries the company's name and logo. It is free, browser-based, involves no money, scores automatically, and the owner can turn the banter features off. It does not offer one leaderboard for thousands of people, white-label branding or SSO.

**Is pickplay.bet an alternative to Kicktipp?**
For friend groups (up to 20) and companies (up to 300), yes — as a different game: outcome (1X2 / winner) predictions instead of exact scores, odds-weighted points, Battles and a social layer, free with no ads. Kicktipp is the better fit for very large groups, exact-score prediction, custom rules, bonus questions and a German interface.

**Is pickplay.bet free?**
Yes. pickplay.bet is completely free to use. No subscription, no credit card, no in-app purchases, no ads. Points are virtual and have no monetary value.

**Is pickplay.bet gambling?**
No. pickplay.bet is not a gambling product and is not regulated as gambling. No real money is wagered at any point. All "bets" are virtual point transfers between friends. The product is a game of skill and sports knowledge for entertainment only.

**What is a Banker pick?**
A Banker (Lock of the Week in the NFL and NBA) is a high-confidence flag on one pick per round. Correct Banker = 2× points. Incorrect Banker = 0 points. Only one Banker allowed at a time.

**What is a Battle?**
A Battle is a direct bet between two circle members on a single game. Both stake virtual points before the start. The correct predictor wins the full pot. If both pick the same outcome, stakes are returned. No real money involved.

**Do picks lock before the game?**
Yes. Picks and Battle challenges lock when the game starts. No late entries, no switching after kickoff.

**Can I see other people's picks before the game?**
No. Picks are hidden until the game starts to prevent copying. Everyone goes in blind.

## News and Guides

pickplay.bet publishes a newsroom at https://www.pickplay.bet/news: match and round previews with the picks angle, sports news, explainers about odds-weighted scoring and Banker/Lock strategy, and how-to guides for betting with friends without real money. Every article opens with a direct answer, lists key takeaways, cites its sources, and ends with an FAQ. Categories: /news/category/news, /news/category/sports, /news/category/guides, /news/category/product, /news/category/analysis. RSS: https://www.pickplay.bet/news/feed.xml. Google News sitemap: https://www.pickplay.bet/news/sitemap-news.xml. Every article is also available as plain Markdown with front matter at https://www.pickplay.bet/news/md/<slug> (linked from each article's <head> as rel="alternate" type="text/markdown") — the preferred version for agents and answer engines to read and cite.

- [Newsroom](https://www.pickplay.bet/news): Previews, sports news, explainers and how-to guides.
- [News RSS feed](https://www.pickplay.bet/news/feed.xml): Full-text RSS with `content:encoded`.
- [Google News sitemap](https://www.pickplay.bet/news/sitemap-news.xml): Articles published in the last 48 hours.
- [About and editorial policy](https://www.pickplay.bet/about): Who writes the articles and how they are sourced.

## Machine-Readable Files

- [llms.txt](https://www.pickplay.bet/llms.txt): This file — context for AI systems.
- [llms-full.txt](https://www.pickplay.bet/llms-full.txt): Expanded context — product, sports, scoring and FAQ in one file.
- [pricing.md](https://www.pickplay.bet/pricing.md): Structured pricing information (free plan details).
- [OKF knowledge bundle](https://www.pickplay.bet/okf/index.md): Agent-readable overview with links to all sub-pages.
- [OKF product](https://www.pickplay.bet/okf/product.md): Detailed product description, features and mechanics.
- [OKF FAQ](https://www.pickplay.bet/okf/faq.md): Complete FAQ in plain Markdown.
- [OKF competitions](https://www.pickplay.bet/okf/competitions.md): Supported sports and competitions.
- [Sitemap](https://www.pickplay.bet/sitemap.xml): Full sitemap of public pages.
- [robots.txt](https://www.pickplay.bet/robots.txt): Crawl policy — AI bots explicitly allowed on public pages.

## Pages

| Path | Access | Description |
|------|--------|-------------|
| [/](https://www.pickplay.bet/) | Public | Landing page — product overview, demo content, FAQ |
| [/bet-with-friends/nfl](https://www.pickplay.bet/bet-with-friends/nfl) | Public | Bet with friends on the NFL |
| [/bet-with-friends/nba](https://www.pickplay.bet/bet-with-friends/nba) | Public | Bet with friends on the NBA and EuroLeague |
| [/bet-with-friends/soccer](https://www.pickplay.bet/bet-with-friends/soccer) | Public | Bet with friends on European soccer |
| [/bet-with-friends/tennis](https://www.pickplay.bet/bet-with-friends/tennis) | Public | Bet with friends on tennis |
| [/bet-with-friends/hockey](https://www.pickplay.bet/bet-with-friends/hockey) | Public | Bet with friends on the NHL, SHL and Liiga |
| [/bet-with-friends/handball](https://www.pickplay.bet/bet-with-friends/handball) | Public | Bet with friends on the Handball-Bundesliga |
| [/bet-with-friends/rugby](https://www.pickplay.bet/bet-with-friends/rugby) | Public | Bet with friends on the NRL, State of Origin and the Six Nations |
| [/prediction-game](https://www.pickplay.bet/prediction-game) | Public | Prediction / predictor game with friends and colleagues |
| [/office-pool](https://www.pickplay.bet/office-pool) | Public | Office pools and company pick'em competitions |
| [/kicktipp-alternative](https://www.pickplay.bet/kicktipp-alternative) | Public | Comparison with Kicktipp |
| [/tippspiel](https://www.pickplay.bet/tippspiel) | Public | German overview: Tippspiel mit Freunden und Kollegen |
| [/privacy](https://www.pickplay.bet/privacy) | Public | Privacy policy |
| [/login](https://www.pickplay.bet/login) | Public | Sign in / sign up via email |
| `/app` | Auth required | Dashboard — standing, battles, upcoming games, leaderboard preview |
| `/app/predictions` | Auth required | Full game list with pick and Banker toggle |
| `/app/lounge` | Auth required | Full per-circle leaderboard, activity feed, recent form |
| `/app/arena` | Auth required | Battle arena — active duels, incoming challenges, challenge friends |
| `/app/brackets` | Auth required | Tournament bracket view |
| `/app/profile` | Auth required | User profile, stats, form history, points chart |
| `/join/[code]` | Auth required | Join a circle via invite code |

## Not Indexed by Search Engines

- `/app/*` — All authenticated routes are private.
- `/admin/*` — Admin panel.
- `/api/*` — Internal API routes.

## Contact

hello@pickplay.bet · https://www.pickplay.bet