The rules
HOW IT WORKS
Top Dog is a free fantasy prediction game.
Pick the result of each match. You get the same£10 fantasy stake on every pick. The odds decide how much you can score.
No real money is staked or won.
- 01
Pick every game
For every fixture, choose:
Home / Draw / Away — or, in the NFL, Home by 4+ / Close Game 0–3 / Away by 4+
Each pick gets the same £10 stake, so everyone plays by the same rules. You can't put more on one match than another. You just have to pick the results you think will happen.
- 02
The odds stay the same
The odds are set when the gameweek opens.
They don't change during the round, so everyone gets the same odds whether they make their picks early or just before the deadline.
Higher odds mean a bigger score if you're right.
- 03
When picks close
Most weeks the whole gameweek closes the moment its first match kicks off — the Sunday and Monday games with it. Nobody gets to pick the rest of the weekend already knowing how the opener went.
Some weeks we leave the later games open for longer. The board always says when each of your picks closes, and no match can be picked once it has started.
Until a pick closes you can change it as often as you like, at the same odds.
As picks close they are revealed to the people in your private leagues — and theirs to you.
- 04
How your score works
Every pick uses a £10 fantasy stake.
For example:
- Pick wins at odds of 3.40
- £10 stake → £34 return
- Pick loses
- No change
Your scores from every match are added together to give you your gameweek total. Your gameweek scores then add up across the season. Remember: these £ figures are only used for scoring. No real money is won or lost.
- 05
Captain's Pick, MVP and Best Bet
Each week you can name one of your picks as your Captain. If that pick wins, the return is doubled — so a winner at 3.40 that would have scored £34 scores £68 instead.
It is the same pick in every sport, just with a different name: the Captain's Pick in football, the MVP (Most Valuable Pick) in the NFL, and the Best Bet on the Saturday Racing card.
It is optional. Skip it and every pick scores as normal.
You can move the Captain onto any match that has not kicked off yet. Once the match you named has started, it stays there — you cannot switch it off a live or finished game.
If your Captain is postponed or abandoned, the double is gone for that week. You do not get to move it onto another match.
- 06
Close Game (NFL)
In the NFL the middle option is Close Game: any game that finishes inside three points.
A team win only scores if that team wins by four or more. A 27–24 game pays Close Game, not the winner. A 24–20 game pays the winner.
If a game goes to overtime, the final score after overtime is what counts — for your picks and for the results.
The three prices are derived from the point spread with the same overround we use on football, so no option carries an edge.
- 07
Postponed matches
If a match is postponed or abandoned, your pick doesn't count.
You won't gain or lose anything from that match.
If the fixture is played in a later gameweek, it will be included there instead.
- 08
After the matches
Each match updates the leaderboards and league tables as soon as it settles. We check scores every 15 minutes, so that is shortly after full time.
The gameweek itself is marked settled once every fixture is done — including any stragglers moved to another day — and that is when your round summary email goes out.
You can see:
- Your gameweek score
- Your season score
- Your overall position
- How you're doing against your mates
Finish with the highest score and you're Top Dog.
COMMON QUESTIONS
- Why are the odds different from other websites?
- Our odds are fixed when the gameweek opens. They stay the same for everyone for the whole round.
- Can I change my pick?
- Yes, as many times as you like, right up until that pick closes. Most weeks that is the moment the first match of the gameweek kicks off, which closes the lot; some weeks the later games stay open for longer. The board tells you which.
- What if I forget to pick a match?
- You score £0 for that fixture. You don't lose anything, but you can't score anything either.
- Do I have to pick a Captain?
- No. A Captain's Pick (the MVP in the NFL, the Best Bet in racing) is optional. If you name one and it wins, that return is doubled. If you skip it, every pick scores as normal. If the Captain match is postponed, the double is gone for the week.
- Can I see other people's picks?
- Yes, but only the people in your private leagues, and only once a pick has closed. Nobody can see a pick of yours while you can still change it.
- Can I join during the season?
- Yes. You can join at any time and start playing from the next available gameweek. Private leagues also make it easy to compete with friends who start at a similar time.
- Is there a cash prize?
- No. Top Dog is a free fantasy game. There are no deposits and no cash prizes. You're playing for your position on the leaderboard — and bragging rights.
THIS IS A FANTASY GAME
Top Dog uses odds and £10 stakes to make predictions more interesting.
- The money is not real.
- You cannot deposit money.
- You cannot lose real money.
- You cannot withdraw money.
- There are no cash prizes.
The £ figures you see are simply part of the scoring system.
Pick the results. Build your score. Beat your mates.
If the mechanics of odds and stakes are something you would rather avoid, or if gambling is a problem for you or someone close to you, free and confidential help is available atBeGambleAware.org or on 0808 8020 133 (the National Gambling Helpline, 24 hours).