# March Madness office pool: bracket or pick'em, and how to run it by round

The classic March Madness pool is a full bracket filled before the first game; the office-friendly version is a pick'em run round by round, so an early upset never kills a sheet. Both can live in the same office with the same people.

## Full bracket

- Every game of every round picked before the first tip; points per round usually double (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32).
- A sheet with its champion out in the first weekend plays for nothing from then on, which is why offices lose interest by the second week.

## Round-by-round pick'em (what the tool does)

- List the first round's 32 games with their points; entries pick before the first tip.
- After the round, list the next round's real matchups; entries pick again before it starts; weight the rounds (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) so the final counts.
- Standings update as results are entered; the tiebreak is the final's total points.

## Running it at work

- One join link for the office, one edit link per entry, one board; the corporate tier adds department standings.
- Bikoosh Pools never collects, holds or pays out money and never sets stakes: it keeps the grid, the picks and the standings for people who already know each other. Whether a pool carries any stake, and whether that is allowed where you are, is the host's responsibility.

## Quick answers

**What is the difference between a bracket and a pick'em for March Madness?**

A bracket picks every round in advance and dies with an early upset; a round-by-round pick'em lists each round's real games as they are known, so every pick is a live one and everyone plays to the end.

**How are March Madness pool points usually scored?**

Brackets double each round (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 per correct pick); a round-by-round pick'em weights rounds more gently (1 to 6) because every pick is made with the matchup known.

Start a pool: https://bikoosh.com/pools/new
Bikoosh Pools is an independent tool, not affiliated with any league, team or broadcaster; team and event names are used to describe the game being followed. Bikoosh Pools never collects, holds or pays out money and never sets stakes: it keeps the grid, the picks and the standings for people who already know each other. Whether a pool carries any stake, and whether that is allowed where you are, is the host's responsibility.