BB Contest Selection 2

By :: Alex Pendergrass

Welcome to the second installment of this series which is designed to help you make more informed decisions in your Best Ball contest selection. 

Below is an overview of the various Best Ball contests being offered (as of September 3rd, 2022):

Rake

Let’s begin by taking a look at the rake situation. The three big providers (DraftKings, Underdog, & Drafters, in terms of offering the largest top prizes) each have a flagship tournament. DraftKings has their $3.5M Milly Maker ($5 entry fee), Underdog has Best Ball Mania III ($25 entry), and Drafters have the Drafters Million Championship ($20 entry). DraftKings & Underdog utilize a playoff format structure, whereas Drafters use cumulative scoring. 

The Drafters contest offers the lowest rake at 9.1%. That means more of the prize money is paid out to the field, which effectively means more expected value for your entry. We’ll get to the overlay outlook soon, but it’s easy to see how that makes the Drafters flagship tournament even more attractive.

DRAFTERS: Receive 100% first deposit match up to $100 with code OWS

In terms of favorable rake, special notice must be given to FFPC. The scoring structure is radically different (PPR and 1.5 PPR for TEs). If your bankroll can support multiple $125 entries, at only 3.53% rake and a $200,000 top prize, you should be entering this contest.

On Underdog, the time has sadly passed to enjoy their lowest rake contests. They released four separate Pomeranian contests with < 1% rake and only $3 entry fees, but there will be no others before the season kicks off. However, The Puppy 4 launches on Monday the 5th. With a $500,000 prize pool, $75,000 to first, and only a $5 entry fee, the final Puppy contest of the year should be able to scratch the low-cost itch on Underdog during this last week of drafting season.

Underdog: Receive 100% first deposit match up to $100 with code OWS

Overlay

With less than six days until the season begins, the rate of entry has skyrocketed. Many of the contests I had my eye on for finishing with decent amounts of overlay have already been filled. The Drafters Million Championship fill pace has picked up, but it will still end up providing by far the most amount of overlay. Right now there is over 40% overlay with less than six days until kickoff. Continue attacking this contest to benefit from its favorable rake and all but guaranteed sizeable overlay.

DraftKings Outlook

Last week, I said that I wouldn’t be surprised if the DraftKings $3.5MM contest fell to 10% or lower by this weekend. I underestimated the demand. This contest will most likely sell out today. If you want to enter the only contest where you can turn a cup of coffee into a million bucks, do it now! The flagship contest on Underdog, Best Ball Mania III, is down to 10% overlay remaining. Unfortunately, drafters will not benefit from overlay, but you can still turn $25 into $2mm.

Last time, I thought the higher-cost entry fee tournaments on DraftKings would overlay. Demand was stronger than I thought. The $200 single-entry tournament sold out. And then they launched a $100, 3-max entry tournament which also sold out before this update. That said, the $1M Playmaker still has < 40% overlay with less than a week to go. This is the contest to target if your bankroll supports it.

Hopefully, these updates have helped you make smart choices about the contests you enter. Good luck with your final drafts this week. Let’s see the OWS flag flying all over the top of the Best Ball leaderboards at the end of the season!