Last 2 Left News

What is a "No Dupe" Game?

When setting up a Last 2 Left game, you will be given choice of game type: Standard or No Duplicates. The Standard format is the original version in which any player can choose any combination of the contestants, regardless of what other players are picking.

With very small games of less than ten players, we regularly find multiple winners tied for first, even with the two tiebreakers our games include. It's just the nature of a simple game with too few players. Conversely, we saw very large games in which the obvious favorite to win the competition did so and was picked by many players. This scenario also resulted in multiple people tied for first.

In some cases that's fine but for groups that wanted a sole winner it's not so good. To solve this issue, a new game type was born: No Dupes.

The "no duplicates" format will not allow any two players to have the exact same combination of two participants and tiebreaker. It was designed specifically for a contest or office pool in which a single winner is desired. It's also good for games with less than 10 players.

For example: In a baseball game, two players could have a Dodgers-Yankees Last 2 but they could not both have the same tiebreaker. Because of this, only two players could have the Dodgers-Yankees combination.

Participating in the No Dupe format is a little different.

1. Players must first join the game to simply reserve their spot as games are set with a maximum number of players allowed. 

2. Players wait for the "Make Picks" day and time to arrive, which give all players the same start time to claim the combination they desire. It's a race for players to lock in their combination first! Unlike the Standard format, all three selections need to be made at once. No staggered deadlines.

3. If the maximum number of people limit hasn't been met, new players can still join but they will be left to pick for the combinations still available. During this time, all players can change their combinations if they dare losing what they already have.

4. A final deadline. Once this date and time pass, selections are locked in and revealed for all to see.

The No Dupe format can be an exciting challenge that generally comes down to the tiebreaker. It requires a bit of research, timing, and several back up plans. Are you ready to give it a try?