Thoughts on New One Day MLB Fantasy Format
Been running this via spreadsheet for friends for years and am turning it into a mobile app.
2–6 friends draft players from a single live MLB game. Hits, Ks, GIDPs, etc. change the standings in real time, so every AB becomes a sweat.
Think Red Sox/Yankees with friends: you draft Aaron Judge, Ben Rice, and Roman Anthony. When your players make good plays, your friends pay you. When they strike out or ground into double plays, you pay them. The same applies to everyone else’s roster, so every at-bat becomes a live money play. Example: if hits are worth $1, every time one of your players gets a hit, each opponent pays you $1. I've designed a fair, balanced scoring system with payouts for singles, doubles, triples, HRs, grand slams, walks, Ks and GIDPs.
Looking for thoughts on the format.
Love this twist, but tracking streaks or player hot/cold stretches could create even wilder swings than roulette if folks don't pace their buy-ins. Ever consider adding a "chill out" round where no money changes hands to let tempers reset?
Interesting question. Just to clarify, are you mostly talking about players getting too emotionally caught up in the swings, or about not knowing/controling their max exposure financially?
We’re actually addressing your second point with two formats: a traditional wildcard mode for open-ended play, and a capped mode where everyone agrees to a fixed buy-in upfront so max risk is known before first pitch.
love the sweat but would never play it without clear buy-in and cashout rules, seen enough side bets go sideways in poker nights
Agreed, so have I. Side bets get messy if expectations aren’t crystal clear. That’s why the rules, scoring, and payout structure are set and agreed upon before first pitch. All laid out in the app. We also are going to offer a capped version where everyone knows their max exposure upfront.
This setup nails the fun of sweating every pitch, but friendly rivalries can get heated when payouts shift so fast. Any plans for cap limits to avoid big swings?
Great point. We’re actually building two versions for exactly that reason.
Wildcard mode is the traditional version we’ve played for years, where you win what you win and lose what you lose based on live player performance. But we’ve built a base 1x scoring system specifically for low-stakes play, and based on 30 years (seriously, I started playing this in the 90's) of historical gameplay, worst-case losses typically top out around $20–$25 for a single game. For players who want more action, the base scoring can be scaled up (up to 6x).
We’re also building a Capped mode for people who want fixed exposure upfront. Everyone agrees on a buy-in before the game starts, the pot is set, and payouts are predetermined (for example, 1st place gets 80%, 2nd gets 20%). So if five friends each put in $20, everyone knows their exact max risk before first pitch.
Different personalities. Same game.
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