College basketball, March Madness & calcutta pools
Three weeks in March generate more pools, brackets and auctions than the rest of the sporting year combined. Here is how to run them properly, price a calcutta, and read the numbers the committee actually uses.
The season runs November through Selection Sunday in mid-March, with the tournament finishing in early April. BettorEdge is a peer-to-peer marketplace, so pools and competitions settle between members with no house cut.
Three ways to run a tournament pool
Bracket pools
The classic format. Everyone fills a bracket, points scale by round, and the highest total wins. The interesting decisions are scoring weights and how much you pay out beyond first place.
How to run a poolCalcutta auctions
Instead of picking, you bid. Each team is auctioned to the highest bidder and the pot pays out on how far your teams advance. It rewards pricing a team correctly rather than guessing a bracket.
Calcutta explainedReal-money brackets
A pool with actual stakes and an enforced payout structure, so nobody is chasing a friend for a buy-in three weeks later.
Real-money bracketsPrice a calcutta before you bid
The whole game in a calcutta is knowing what a team is actually worth to the pot before the bidding runs away. Work it out with the calcutta value calculator, then read how to use it on a real bracket. Convert a seed's price into a win percentage with the implied probability calculator so you can tell an overbid from a bargain.
Reading the committee's numbers
Seeding is not a beauty contest. The selection committee leans on the NET ranking and the quadrant system, where a Quad 1 win counts for far more than a blowout of a weak opponent. A team with a mediocre record and several Quad 1 wins will out-seed a team that beat nobody, which is exactly the gap bracket pickers keep missing. College spreads also run wider than the pros, so the -7 and -10.5 explainers are worth a look before you take a big favorite.
Why run your pool on BettorEdge
A sportsbook takes a margin on every line and a pool host often takes a rake off the pot. BettorEdge is a marketplace: entries and payouts settle between members, so the pot stays with the people playing for it. See how it compares in the bracket-hosting roundup.
College basketball reads
College basketball & March Madness FAQ
What is a calcutta auction?+
A calcutta is a pool where teams are auctioned rather than drafted. Each entrant bids on teams, the winning bids form the pot, and the pot pays out based on how far each team advances. It rewards valuing a team correctly instead of picking a full bracket.
How should a March Madness bracket pool pay out?+
Most pools pay the top two or three finishers, commonly around 60/30/10. Paying deeper keeps casual entrants engaged, while paying only the winner rewards the boldest bracket. Set the structure before entries open so nobody argues about it later.
What is a Quad 1 win in college basketball?+
Quadrant 1 is the top tier of the NET ranking system's win classifications, covering the hardest wins: home games against elite opponents, and road games against a wider band of ranked teams. Selection committees weigh Quad 1 wins heavily when seeding the tournament.
When is March Madness?+
Selection Sunday falls in mid-March, the men's tournament runs from the First Four through the Final Four in early April, and the regular season and conference tournaments lead into it from November onward.
Can I run a real-money bracket pool on BettorEdge?+
Yes. BettorEdge is a peer-to-peer marketplace, so pools and competitions settle between members with no house taking a cut of the pot.
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