How to Keep Score When Your League Uses Different Rules
If you play in more than one prediction league, you have probably noticed something frustrating. The same prediction can earn you three points on one platform and zero on another. The scoring rules change everything - not just how many points you get, but how you should think about your predictions in the first place. We covered the main systems in our complete guide to prediction scoring, but this article is about something different: how to actually adjust your approach.
The Main Scoring Models
Before we talk strategy, let us quickly outline the most common systems you will encounter across different prediction platforms and office leagues.
Simple two-tier scoring is the most popular model and the one ScoreBadger uses. You get three points for an exact score and one point for predicting the correct result (home win, draw, or away win). Clean, simple, and easy to understand.
Weighted scoring adds extra layers. Some platforms give bonus points for predicting the correct number of goals for one team, even if you got the other team's goals wrong. So if you predicted 2-1 and the game finished 2-0, you might still pick up a point for getting the home team's goals right.
Multiplier systems assign different values to different types of predictions. Draws might be worth more because they are harder to predict. Away wins might carry a bonus. Some leagues double the points for certain featured matches.
Correct score only is the most brutal system. You get points for nailing the exact score, and nothing for anything else. No credit for getting the result right if the score is wrong. It is all or nothing. We discussed the skill difference between these approaches in our piece on exact score vs correct result.
How Scoring Rules Should Change Your Thinking
This is the bit that most people get wrong. They make the same predictions regardless of which league they are playing in, and then wonder why they are top of one league and bottom of another. The scoring system should influence your picks, sometimes significantly.
(like ScoreBadger's 3/1 model), the smart play is to hedge slightly towards common scorelines. A 1-0 or 2-1 prediction gives you a realistic shot at the exact score while also covering you with a correct result point if the actual score is different but the same team wins. You do not need to take huge risks because the correct result point keeps you ticking over.
