As the competition for U.S. sportsbook supremacy roars on, DraftKings added an interesting new player to its already deep lineup of daily fantasy contests. Launched in December 2023, DraftKings Pick6 pits live players and their respective Pick Sets against each other for various pot sizes. In this article, we’ll take you through the ins and outs of DraftKing’s latest hybrid, DFS-style product, including how it works and effective strategies to come out on top. To sign up, simply download the Pick6 app and use our promo code LINES6.
Understanding DraftKings Pick6: What Is It?
DraftKings Pick6 provides sports bettors a dynamic alternative to traditional DFS contests. Players devise their own lineups of athletes from a single sport and league with the goal of correctly predicting whether their selected players will outperform or underperform the provided prop lines. Think of Pick6 as a combination of existing DFS formats with player prop betting, requiring you to choose if a player will go over or under their prop lines.
Step-by-Step Guide to Playing DraftKings Pick6
Participants are directed to build a lineup consisting of at least two athletes on different teams by selecting either over or under for a variety of offered props. While two separate teammates may be chosen for the same entry, there must always be at least two players on different teams in a lineup to enter your submissions. Each player may only be chosen once per entry, which means if you select over or under for Lamar Jackson’s passing yards, you can’t use his rushing yards in the same entry.
After selecting a lineup with anywhere from 2-6 players, it’s time to enter your desired entry fee. Your entry fee determines your total wager, but it also tells Pick6 how many entries you want to submit. It costs $1 for every contest entered, so a $10 bet grants a player 10 entries of the same lineup.
It’s important to note that entries containing the same number of players are pitted against each other. If a participant submits a $10 entry with a Pick Set of three players, their entry will only be matched up with other entries of exactly three players.
After a lineup is submitted with its entry fee, DraftKings Pick6 works to distribute these entries across open contests using the exact same criteria for all participants. The point is to make sure you don’t have multiple entries in the same contest, so they work as follows:
- Contests where a participant has no existing entries gets the top priority.
- If that’s not possible, the next priority is to find a contest where the participant has an existing entry, but it consists of a different lineup.
- If that’s not possible, DraftKings will simply choose a contest where a participant already has an entry with the same lineup.
DraftKings Pick6 Payout Structure: Estimated Returns
Prizing varies based on the correct number of picks made by each participant within a contest. Before each contest begins, there is a pre-assigned prize pool for entries with each possible outcome. For example, if a contest containing three-pick entries holds 100 participants, the total prize pool is $100. DraftKings may allocate $80 to distribute to anyone who gets 100% of their picks correct and $20 to anyone who gets two-of-three. Everyone with three correct picks splits the $80 pool and anyone with two correct picks, the $20 pool.
These prizing details vary by contest based on how many participants are entered. Participants can view their contest’s details by clicking on “My Picks” to view where DraftKings placed their picks, then selecting “View Contest Details.” This will show the prizing details for each play within a Pick Set, including how many participants are in each relevant contest, as well as their prize pools.
DraftKings Pick6 Voided Picks Policy
Once a participant has submitted a Pick Set, they can no longer edit or withdraw the submission. This holds true even if certain players fail to meet the minimum play requirements, such as failing to log a single minute in a contest. Voided players don’t count towards your lineup, thus reducing the amount of players in your lineup. When this happens, lineups are eligible to receive the maximum payout relevant to the updated amount of picks in their lineup.
For example, if you have a Pick Set with six picks and a player is voided, your lineup is now eligible to win the max payout of a Pick Set with five picks in it. The money spent on the additional sixth pick will be paid out in the form of credits for future use on the site. Any cash winnings as a result of the remaining five picks will be paid out in full, however these winnings subtract from the amount of credits received.
Legal States for DraftKings Pick6 Participation
DraftKings Pick6 is available in the following states and Canadian provinces/territories:
- Alabama
- South Carolina
- Alaska
- South Dakota
- Arizona
- Tennessee
- Arkansas
- Texas
- Connecticut
- Utah
- California
- Vermont
- Delaware
- Virginia
- District of Columbia
- West Virginia
- Georgia
- Wisconsin
- Illinois
- Alberta
- Indiana
- British Columbia
- Massachusetts
- Manitoba
- Minnesota
- New Brunswick
- Missouri
- Newfoundland and Labrador
- Nebraska
- Northwest Territories
- New Hampshire
- Nova Scotia
- New Mexico
- Nunavut
- North Carolina
- Prince Edward Island
- North Dakota
- Quebec
- Oklahoma
- Saskatchewan
- Rhode Island
- Yukon
Key Reasons to Play DraftKings Pick6
There are a number of strong incentives for sports bettors to indulge in this slight variation to DFS Pick’em contests. For starters, the peer-to-peer format mitigates the edge the sportsbooks normally hold over bettors. In the betting world, competing against other individuals is generally going to be easier than going up against the house. It should be noted, however, that DraftKings does keep a percentage of the entry fees, similar to the vig it keeps by pricing its betting markets accordingly.
It can also be easier to succeed in and understand Pick6 than other DFS-style competitions. While it’s important to use data and projections to select the players in your lineup, it’s not necessarily beneficial to compare those stats to other players. Participants don’t need to project who will have the best stats across the league, simply whether or not they can beat the given line.
A major benefit to sharp bettors is the ability to avoid betting limits when playing Pick6. Many sportsbooks and Pick’em platforms may limit the amount of money certain players can lay down if they deem them “sharp.” In Pick6, however, there’s no reason for the sportsbook to limit players, as they receive a fixed fee regardless of the outcomes.
Lastly, Pick6 is widely available across the USA, even in states where traditional sports betting is still banned. This allows residents of those states to get into the action without the need for a Vegas trip.
DraftKings Pick6 vs. DraftKings DFS: Key Differences
While DraftKings Pick6 and DraftKings DFS both offer peer-to-peer competition, there are a number of key differences. For starters, Pick6 takes one Pick Set and distributes it among various different contests running at that time. DFS contests allow participants to enter more than one entry into the same contest. Other than that, roster formatting and their scoring systems are the two biggest differences between them.
Roster Formats
DraftKings Pick6 contests require participants to select anywhere from two-to-six athletes from a specified set of games, generally from the same slate of action. The selected athletes can play any position, but a submitted lineup must have at least 2 players from different teams.
In DFS contests, participants usually need to enter a lineup of players that match their listed positions. This means my DFS lineup can technically consist entirely of players from the same team, as long as they all play different positions. Of course, we would never recommend that, but it is allowed.
DFS participants must also adhere to a salary cap format. Each participant is afforded the same amount of bankroll to spend on their lineups. Players with higher projected totals will cost more to add to your lineup.
Scoring Systems
With DraftKings Pick6, player scoring is only relevant to whether or not they go over or under their projected total for a specific stat. If I select Jayden Daniels to go over his rushing prop of 40.5 yards, it doesn’t matter if he gets 41 rush yards or 101, that pick counts as a win.
DFS contests, however, are a bit more complex, especially if you’re looking to win with any real consistency. Each player in a lineup has their stats count towards a team’s final score. The players with the highest scores are paid out according to each contest’s rules and format. Using the Jayden Daniels example above, it very much matters whether or not Daniels picks up 41 yards rushing or 101. Players are awarded 0.1 points for every rushing yard they pick up, meaning the difference between 41 yards and 101 yards is six points. Six points can easily move you up the rankings from no winnings to getting paid out.
Why DraftKings Pick6 Stands Out Among Other Games
DraftKings Pick6 has a number of unique qualities that help it stand out amongst other online sports strategy games. Overall, it’s a simple premise that allows beginners and expert bettors alike to enjoy what it has to offer.
With a maximum of six players per Pick Set, creating lineups is much simpler than normal DFS contests. As a result, the process of data research is less complex and time-consuming. Participants can focus on the players they’re familiar with and likely more comfortable placing in their Pick Sets.
There’s also the fact that Pick6 limits duplicate Pick Sets within each contest. A smaller pool of players should lead to a higher win percentage for many participants, although the payouts will often be smaller than those awarded to DFS tournament winners. This premise will likely appeal to risk-averse betteros, as there is a slight decrease in both risk and reward with DraftKings Pick6.
When comparing Pick6 to normal fantasy football leagues, the shorter time commitment tied to Pick6 is often more appealing to sports bettors. Fantasy leagues are a fun way to participate in a year-long tournament, but it often fails to provide the same gratification throughout the season.
Effective Strategies for Winning DraftKings Pick6
Despite the many differences between DraftKings Pick6 and traditional DFS, the keys to a successful strategy are actually pretty similar. Regardless of the nature of your strategy, researching players and matchups is essential. This includes looking at recent player performances and season-long averages, taking note of the injury reports, and dissecting team matchups. If two teams are projected to play a high-scoring game, selecting overs for players from that game is likely a smarter play. At the same time, keep in mind that these players will likely see higher prop lines, so this shouldn’t be the only projection used to create a Pick Set.
Select Less Popular Pick Sets
Like most peer vs. peer contests, going against the grain is a good way to separate yourself from the pack. Most sports bettors, new or not, prefer to bet over on a player’s prop line, rather than under. Selecting a few under bets is a good way to go against the majority of your competitors. In this case, it pays to be a hater!
Most people also prefer to bet on the players they are familiar with, which usually means the most popular ones. Adding less popular players to a lineup increases the chance that a Pick Set will look different from than most other entries. The benefit here is that if that player records a loss, a lot of your competition will already have at least one incorrect selection.