There are many types of Daily Fantasy Sports contests, let’s take a look at the key differences between two of the most popular!
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CASH
When we talk about cash games we are talking about 50-50’s and head to head leagues.
In these cash games the player only needs to be a little bit better than the average as they say. The top 50% or near enough will be in the cash so you are not necessarily shooting for the stars, you are looking for a steady, solid and reliable group of players to fill out your lineup.
For instance, a 50-50 with 1000 people in it. The 355th highest score will receive the same return in cash as the player who finishes 4th.
The best thing about these contests for beginners is that a good portion of players can win meaning that the risk is lower.
Of course the payout is less but there is also much less strategy in cash games as ownership levels and stacking don’t play as big a part in forming winning lineups.
When building cash lineups you’re looking for players with high floors (lowest possible score), this will normally be tied to opportunity which is directly tied to minutes and expected minutes. These sort of things are very predictable in the AFL, NRL and NBA but less so in Cricket, NFL and sometimes Soccer.
You’re not necessarily hunting for players who are going to have a surprisingly big game or players who are hot and cold . Where the opportunity is less certain. These players are the kind of guys worth a flyer in a GPP.
You’re instead hunting for value, instead of upside in cash games.
GPP or Guaranteed Prize Pools
Ever dreamt of a winning a big prize pool in Daily Fantasy Sports? If you have, you would have been playing in a Guaranteed Prize Pool contest or a GPP as they are called in DFS circles.
These are tournaments with a fixed prize pool that is usually a juicy amount. The only catch? Normally no more than the top 20% of players win a share of this prize pool.
As we mentioned above, you’re looking for players to fill your lineup with high ceilings. Unique players with upside that not many other players in the contest will have thus giving yourself the best possible chance of creating a lineup that gets into the prize money.
One word of caution though, don’t go too hard on ‘boom or bust’ players. Perhaps pick a few and pair them with some good solid value plays to make that optimal lineup.
