PrizePicks and Underdog are two of the most popular real-money gaming options available in the United States.
The biggest bonus is that the two operators are available in many states where sports betting is not yet legalized.
So how do they work? And how do they differ from traditional DFS sites or sportsbooks?
PrizePicks and Underdog offer a twist on traditional DFS contests that focus on individual players. The biggest difference is you don’t create lineups to score total points like typical fantasy leagues. Instead, you create a team entry in which you select players to have more or less set projections.
For example, if creating a football entry, you’d speculate on whether several players will go for more or less on categories such as yards, receptions, touchdowns, attempts and more. There’s also no set salary cap when creating your lineup, which differs greatly from the traditional DFS games.
In states like California, Texas and Georgia — the largest states without legalized online sports betting — both PrizePicks and Underdog are available. Other states that have PrizePicks and Underdog but don't have traditional sportsbooks are: Utah, Oklahoma, Minnesota and South Carolina.
In all, PrizePicks is available in the following states:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- California
- Colorado
- Florida
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington, D.C.
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Underdog is available in the below states. Notably, they're not available in the following states that PrizePicks is operational in: Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and West Virginia. Meanwhile, Underdog is available in Michigan whereas PrizePicks isn't.
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- California
- Colorado
- Florida
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Nebraska
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington, D.C.
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
That’s not to say PrizePicks and Underdog are identical. There are some significant differences between the operators.
In general, PrizePicks allow for fewer maximum entries, whereas Underdog allows for a higher-risk, higher-reward maximum.
Those choosing to play PrizePicks select between-to-six player squares, and the bigger the squad the bigger the payout. You can also mix and match players from different sports in the same lineup, which is another big difference from traditional DFS leagues.
There are also two main types of leagues – Flex Play and Power Play – and they each have a $5 minimum. The site describes Flex Plays as “the safer option, giving you a chance to win even if one or two of your picks lose.” Those who believe in the “no-risk-it-no-biscuit” approach might be intrigued by Power Play, which has higher payouts but requires you hitting all your picks. Flex Plays pay out between 1.5X to 25X — your investment depending on your choices — while Power Plays pay out between 3X and 10X.
On the other hand, Underdog provides a wider variety of games with higher potential. Best ball leagues are extremely popular among players, and is one of several common DFS leagues not offered at PrizePicks. The platform also offers traditional daily and weekly fantasy drafts, an option PrizePicks doesn't employ.
Underdog also has fewer options on sports compared to PrizePicks. WNBA, college football and college basketball — for instance — are not available marketplaces on Underdog.
Meanwhile, neither PrizePicks nor Underdog operate similarly to sportsbooks. You can’t place bets on traditional wager such as teams to win, point spreads or totals. In general, the forums are far more conducive to individual player stats. Sportsbooks, meanwhile, focus their energy on team performance, generally.
