If you’re new to DFS (Daily Fantasy Sports) you are likely seeing a lot of terms flying around when you read about it or listen to other people talk about it, whether it be on the radio or around your virtual water cooler. To help you get started here are some commonly used terms and what they should mean to you.
GPP or Guaranteed Prize Pool, are typically games with a large number of people playing. The prizes in these contents are often quite larger, but as are the maximum number of entries allowed. For Example, there is a GPP today that has a one dollar entry fee, and first place wins $4,000 dollars. The top 9,577 in the contest all win money. However, this contest allows for up to 47,552 entries. Meaning the top twenty percent will win some amount of money.
Cash Games are thought of as smaller contests, where the likelihood of winning is much higher. You will see them in the applications as 50/50 or double up/triple up etc. In a typical one-dollar contest on a 50/50 you would expect to make ninety percent of your entry fee back but you only have to finish in the top half of the entry field. In a double up, you will get double your entry, but around forty percent of the field will win.
Stack – This is when you take a few players on the same team, and in particular the same line, and enter them in the same lineup. This can be particularly advantageous in NHL games, as getting the two, or three players who are in on a scoring play it acts as a multiplier, as you get points for each goal and assist. Think of a case where a player scores a hat trick, if a player on the same line gets an assist on each of those goals you are getting points twice for each of those goals.
Chalk – When you hear people refer to a player or stack as chalk or chalky, they are telling you that they think the player or stack will be used a lot. Depending on the type of game you are playing (GPP or Cash) this can be a positive or a negative for you. In a large GPP field, you will not want to have a lot of heavily owned players. This will make separating yourself from the field difficult. The difference between making money and not can be a little as a few tenths of a point. However, in a cash game, chalk can be helpful. If you and thirty percent of the field use Mike Trout, and he hits two home runs, having him in your line up means that thirty percent of the field have those points, and when first and fiftieth pay the same amount, being grouped in a large portion of the field doesn’t hurt you in the same way.
