How REDZONEPicks.app Works
Here's the full walkthrough of running or playing in a pool on REDZONEPicks.app, from setup through the final week of the playoffs.
1. A Commissioner Creates the Pool
One person sets up the pool: naming it, choosing a scoring format (see our scoring formats guide), and setting a few options such as whether picks are scored against the point spread and how season-long standings are calculated. Creating a pool costs a one-time $19.99 hosting fee that covers the whole season, including the playoffs.
2. Players Join With a Code
Every pool gets a private join code. The commissioner shares it however they like - text, email, a group chat - and players enter it on the Join a Pool page to sign up. Joining and playing is free for every player, all season.
3. Everyone Makes Picks Each Week
Once the schedule for a week is up, players pick a winner for every game on their pick sheet. Depending on the pool's scoring format, they may also rank picks by confidence, flag a set number as Key Picks, or spread a limited pool of high-value points across their best calls. Quick Pick shortcuts (all home teams, all favorites, and similar) can fill a whole week in seconds if someone wants a fast start before fine-tuning individual games.
4. Picks Lock at Kickoff - Game by Game
There's no single weekly deadline. Each game locks individually, right when it kicks off, so a player can still change a Sunday afternoon pick even after Thursday night's game has already started. If a commissioner turns on Autopicks, any game a player never got to still gets an automatic pick filled in once the week's last game kicks off, so nobody's left with a blank week.
5. Standings Update as Games Go Final
As games finish, results flow into that week's standings and the season-long leaderboard automatically - no manual scoring by the commissioner required. Players can check Live Scores during games, and review Poolwide Picks once everyone's selections are revealed.
6. The Season Runs Through the Playoffs
A pool doesn't stop after Week 18 - it continues through Wild Card, Divisional, Conference Championship, and the Super Bowl. Commissioners can optionally set season standings to a specific window, such as a playoffs-only race, under their pool's Week Range setting.