Every March, millions of fans fill out brackets hoping to become the next office-pool legend.
But this year, Underdog Fantasy is turning that tradition into something much bigger with Bracket Battle, a free-to-play contest offering a $100,000 prize pool.
Yes… you read that correctly. No entry fee. Just your basketball brain and a little bracket luck.
Let’s break down what the contest is and why sports fans should absolutely take a shot.
What Is Underdog’s Bracket Battle?
Bracket Battle is Underdog’s free tournament bracket contest. Players simply fill out a full 63-game bracket and compete against everyone else for cash prizes.
To enter:
- Open the Underdog app
- Navigate to the Bracket Battle lobby
- Fill out your bracket before the first round tips off
- Submit and sweat the tournament
Only one bracket per user, so make it count.
The contest is completely free to enter, a refreshing change from the usual office pools where someone’s cousin always wins the money.
How Scoring Works
Bracket Battle uses a classic escalating scoring system. Each correct pick earns points — and the later rounds are worth a lot more.
| Round | Points per Correct Pick |
|---|---|
| Round of 64 | 1 |
| Round of 32 | 2 |
| Sweet 16 | 4 |
| Elite Eight | 8 |
| Final Four | 16 |
| Championship | 32 |
In other words:
Miss an early upset? You can survive.
Miss the champion? Your bracket might be toast.
Scores update automatically after each game, and players can track their possible points remaining throughout the tournament.
The Prize Pool
Underdog isn’t messing around here.
The top 100 brackets win cash prizes:
| Finish | Prize |
|---|---|
| ① | $20,000 |
| ② | $10,000 |
| ③ | $7,500 |
| ④–⑤ | $5,000 |
| ⑥–⑩ | $2,500 |
| ⑪–25 | $1,000 |
| 26–50 | $500 |
| 51–100 | $250 |
After the championship game concludes, winners are paid directly to their Underdog account within about a week.
Not bad for something that takes five minutes to enter.
The Tiebreaker Twist
Like most bracket contests, there’s a tiebreaker prediction involved.
When submitting your bracket, you’ll need to predict the final score of the championship game. If two brackets finish with the same points, that prediction decides the winner.
So yes — the entire contest could come down to guessing a score like 76-71 correctly.
No pressure.
Optional: “Predict the Champion”
After submitting your bracket, some users may see an option to “Predict the Champion.”
This is a separate prediction market entry tied to your champion pick, and it’s completely optional.
The main Bracket Battle contest remains free regardless.
Why Bracket Battle Is Worth Playing
Bracket contests are everywhere during tournament season, but Underdog’s version has a few advantages:
- Free to enter
- Six-figure prize pool
- Simple scoring system
- Integrated leaderboard and bracket sharing
- Huge national player pool
Plus, let’s be honest.
Every sports fan thinks they’re the one who’s going to nail the 12-over-5 upset before everyone else.
