DFS Contest Types Explained
Every daily fantasy contest uses the same lineup. What changes is how many people you play and how many of them get paid. A head-to-head pays one of two players. A 50/50 pays the top half. A tournament pays a small slice of a big field, with most of the money at the top. Here is how each type works, what a slate is, when your lineup locks, and which formats you can play on Runtiva today.
What is a slate?
A slate is the set of games a contest scores. You can only pick players from those games, and the slate decides when your lineup locks. A Sunday football main slate covers the afternoon games. Runtiva also runs second-half and fourth-quarter football slates, where only stats from that part of the game count. In cricket, a slate can be a single match or several matches from the same series.
Head-to-head (1v1)
Two lineups, one winner. You only have to outscore one other person, so a solid lineup is usually enough. Runtiva's public lobby runs free and paid head-to-heads, and where paid play is available you can also challenge a friend to a 1v1 in your group. If nobody takes the other seat before lock, the contest is voided and your entry fee comes back.
50/50s and double-ups
In a 50/50 the top half of the field wins and everyone in that half gets the same prize, roughly double the entry fee after the platform's fee. You don't need the best lineup, just one better than the middle. A double-up works the same way: winners roughly double their entry, and slightly fewer than half the field gets paid.
On Runtiva, small free and paid 50/50s are in the public lobby. In a group, the free private format has no entry fee and no prizes. Where paid play is available, groups can also run paid 50/50s in a few field sizes, a double-up, and two more formats: winner-take-all, where first place takes the whole prize pool, and podium, which pays the top three.
Tournaments and GPPs
A tournament has a large field and top-heavy payouts: a small share of entries wins, and first place wins far more than the entry fee. A GPP, or guaranteed prize pool, is a tournament whose prize pool is promised in advance, so the operator makes up any shortfall if it does not fill. That gap is called an overlay. Winning a GPP takes a lineup that is both good and different from everyone else's.
Runtiva's football lobby does not currently run guaranteed-prize tournaments. It is built around head-to-heads and small 50/50s, and contests that don't fill are voided and refunded rather than run short.
How prize pools work
Runtiva contests are peer-to-peer. Entry fees make up the prize pool, Runtiva keeps a fee for running the contest, and the rest is paid back out to the winners. There are no odds and no house line to beat. Fees are tiered by format, with the lowest on head-to-heads and 50/50s.
- See it before you join — each contest in the app has a winnings breakdown showing how many places pay and how much.
- Private contests — a commissioner picks from Runtiva's fixed presets and never sets payouts or holds the money.
- Unfilled contests — voided and refunded in full.
- Where you can play — paid contests are available only in eligible states. Check where you can play; the app confirms it when you sign up.
Lineup lock and late swap
Lineup lock is the moment your lineup can no longer change. On Runtiva, your whole lineup locks at once, at the lock time shown on the contest: when the first game starts on a full slate, or when that half or quarter begins on a second-half or fourth-quarter slate. Until then you can edit freely; afterward nothing moves, and live scoring takes over.
Late swap is a feature some DFS sites offer: after the slate starts, you can still replace a player whose own game hasn't begun. Late swap is not currently offered on Runtiva, so check the injury report before the first game, not the last.
Free survivor pools vs paid contests
A survivor pool is not a DFS contest. There is no lineup and no salary cap: each round you pick one team to win, each team only once, and the last entries standing take the crown. Runtiva survivor pools are free, with no entry fee and no prizes, and they run inside your group all season.
Salary-cap contests are weekly. You build a new lineup for each slate, and the contest is settled when the games end. They come in free versions for everyone and paid versions where available. Many groups run both: a survivor pool all season and a head-to-head or 50/50 on the weekends.
Contest types by sport
The formats are the same in every sport; the slates differ. Start with fantasy football, fantasy hockey, fantasy basketball or fantasy cricket. The full scoring tables are in the contest rules, and deposit limits and cool-downs are in the app if you want a hard stop.
Frequently asked questions
What happens if nobody takes my head-to-head?
If no opponent joins before the contest locks, the head-to-head is voided and your entry fee is refunded. You never play the house.
Do free contests pay cash prizes?
Free head-to-heads, free 50/50s and free private contests have no entry fee and no cash prize. They are for learning the scoring and for bragging rights. Survivor pools are free with no prizes too.
How does Runtiva make money on a paid contest?
Entry fees make up the prize pool, and Runtiva keeps a fee for running the contest. The rest is paid back out to the winners. Fees are tiered by format, with the lowest on head-to-heads and 50/50s.
Can I swap a player after the first game starts?
No. Late swap is not currently offered on Runtiva. Your whole lineup locks at the contest's lock time, so check injury news before the first game.
Are the contest types the same in every sport?
The formats work the same way in every sport. Which ones are open depends on the slate, so check the lobby or your group in the app.
Try a free head-to-head
Free contests and survivor pools are in the Runtiva app.