Ah yes, grasshopper.... you've come to the right place to learn all about the PlayATS game!  ATS started small just a few years ago, maintained by Wayne Ashmeade.  I decided to move ATS into the modern age and onto the web, and PlayATS was born.

Basically, the rules of ATS are simple.  There are 17 weeks in the NFL season.  Every week during the season, you pick each pro game (against the spread).  In addition to the pro games (usually 14 or 15 per week), you also get to pick the winner (against the spread) of 5 or 6 of the top college games on the board.  Thus, each week you must pick the winner of a total of 20 games.

Make the correct pick, and you get 1 point.  Pick incorrectly, and you get 0 points..... but wait, there's more.  In addition to the 20 picks each week, you have the option of using 3 "best bets", a "triple best bet", a "double best bet" and (you guessed it) a "single best bet".   Points are added to each correct pick if a best bet is put on the game, and points are deducted for best bets put on incorrect picks.  For example, if you put a triple best bet on a game and get the pick right, you get 1 point for the correct pick, plus 3 points for the triple best bet for a total of 4 points.  Get the pick wrong, and you get 0 for the pick, and -3 from the best bet, for a total of -3 points.

The theoretical maximum score for a single week is thus 26 points, while the minimum for a week is -6 (don't laugh, people HAVE gotten negative scores in the past!!).

The person with the highest score each week gets a prize.  The top 10 finishers at the end of the season all share in the great big payout.

What happens in case of a tie?  If two or more people are tied for the highest score for the week, the person that picked the monday night game correctly wins. If both (or all) players pick the monday night game correctly, the sunday night game is used as a tiebreaker.  This process continues until a winner is determined.

Got questions?  Drop me an email!

                                                                                            - Tage