The Complete Guide to Getting Started on BracketForge

Welcome to BracketForge

BracketForge is a free bracket prediction platform that makes running NCAA tournament pools simple. Whether you are a commissioner setting up a pool for your office or a participant joining a friend's pool, this guide walks you through every step.

Step 1: Create Your Account

Sign up at BracketForge using Google, Microsoft, Facebook, or email and password. Account creation takes about 30 seconds. Once signed in, you land on your dashboard — the central hub for all your pools.

Step 2: Create a Pool (Commissioners)

If you are the one organizing the pool, click "Create Pool" from your dashboard. You will set up:

• Pool name — give your pool a memorable name
• Scoring rules — choose standard scoring or customize with round multipliers, seed bonuses, and underdog bonuses. Not sure which to pick? Our scoring guide breaks down every option.
• Entry settings — set max entries and whether participants can submit multiple brackets
• Privacy — make the pool public (anyone can find and join) or private (invite link required). Add a password for extra control.

For a deeper dive into commissioner responsibilities, see our commissioner's guide.

Step 2 (Alternative): Join an Existing Pool

If someone shared an invite link with you, just click it and sign in. You are in the pool immediately (or after entering the password for private pools). You can also browse the public pool directory to find open pools.

Step 3: Fill Out Your Bracket

Once the official NCAA tournament bracket is announced (Selection Sunday), the bracket picker becomes active. Here is how to use it:

On desktop (1024px+): You see the full 63-game bracket. Click on the team you think will win each matchup. Winners advance to the next round automatically.

On mobile: The bracket is broken into regions. Select a region, pick the winners for each round within that region, then move to the next. After all four regions are complete, pick the Final Four and championship.

Your picks save automatically as you make them. You can change any pick until the bracket locks. Learn more about the two views in our mobile vs desktop picking guide.

Step 4: Submit Before the Deadline

The bracket locks 10 minutes before the first game of Round 1. BracketForge displays the exact lock deadline on the pool page. After the lock time, no changes are possible — so do not wait until the last minute.

Tips for deadline management:

• Fill out your bracket early and revise as the tournament approaches
• Check for any late-breaking news (injuries, suspensions) on game day
• Verify your bracket one final time before the lock — check the championship pick especially

Step 5: Watch the Standings

Once games begin, BracketForge syncs results automatically and updates your pool's standings in real time. The standings page shows:

• Rank and score — where you stand in the pool
• Rank movement — colored arrows showing who moved up or down since the last round
• Max possible score — the highest score your bracket can still achieve
• Elimination badges — indicating if a bracket can no longer mathematically win

For a complete walkthrough of the standings page, see our standings guide.

Step 6: Engage With Your Pool

Use the pool message board to react to results, talk trash, and keep the competition fun. Share the standings with your group after each round. The best pools are the ones where people stay engaged from the first tip-off to the final buzzer.

Premium Features (Optional)

BracketForge is completely free to use. If you want extra features, BracketForge Premium adds AI-generated pool commentary, a pick assistant, expert consensus overlays, and enhanced standings with win probability. But the core experience — creating pools, picking brackets, live scoring, and competing on standings — is free forever.

Ready?

Create your pool or join one today. Check out the full feature list to see everything BracketForge offers, or browse the FAQ for quick answers to common questions.