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We built a realtime leaderboard that shows where everyone is in real time. It updates after every money play. The base scoring system ("1X") is designed for low stakes players. We've played enough games at 1X over the years to know the most we're probably going to lose is $20.00-25.00. Low-stakes players can play at the 1X level knowing what the rough limit is. (once you play enough, you'll see how it works and trust that it won't get out of hand). Higher stakes, less risk-averse players can play at anywhere from 2X to 6X, which multiplies the base scoring accordingly. We're also offering a version that's not open-ended. E.g., everyone antes up an agreed upon amount. Scoring's the exact same, but top of the leaderboard takes 80% of the pot, 2nd takes 20%. That way you still have the sweat on every AB, but losses are capped at whatever the buy-in is.

Yes! We built a realtime leaderboard that shows where everyone is in real time. It updates after every money play. There's also a play-by-play screen that shows exactly who won/lost $ on each play. Happy to share screenshots if I can figure out how.

We built a realtime leaderboard that shows where everyone is in real time. It updates after every money play. There's also a play-by-play screen that shows exactly who won/lost $ on each play. We're also offering a version that's not open-ended. E.g., everyone antes up an agreed upon amount. Top of the leaderboard takes 80% of the pot, 2nd takes 20%. That way you still have the sweat on every AB, but losses are capped at whatever the buy-in is. Happy to share screenshots if I can figure out how.

We built a realtime leaderboard that shows where everyone is in real time. It updates after every money play. We're also offering a version that's not open-ended. E.g., everyone antes up an agreed upon amount. Top of the leaderboard takes 80% of the pot, 2nd takes 20%. That way you still have the sweat on every AB, but losses are capped at whatever the buy-in is.

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.

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.

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.

So if I can bug you one more time, is the shared experience the real hook, or does the actual bet format matter just as much? I’m developing an MLB game where 2–6 friends draft players from a single live game and win or lose money directly from each other based on what happens on the field in real time. Think Red Sox/Yankees with your buddies: you draft Aaron Judge, Ben Rice, and Roman Anthony. Their hits earn you money from the group, their bad plays cost you money, and every at-bat becomes a live sweat because the leaderboard updates instantly and there’s money in play on every at bat. What are your thoughts on something like this?

I really appreciate these reponses, they’re a huge help. So if you’re playing only with a small group of friends you know, does transparency become part of the fun instead of a privacy issue?   For example, visible standings, running money totals, head-to-head records, bragging rights, etc. Does that make the experience better, or would people still want parts of their history hidden?