How the House picks

What a pick is

For each fight the House names three things: who wins, whether it ends by a stoppage, a decision or a draw, and which round band it ends in (1 to 3, 4 to 6, 7 to 9, 10 to 12, or going the distance). These are exactly the three things a player picks.

Who makes them, and how

The picks are made by our editor, a former professional boxer and trainer, by hand. There is no betting model behind them. The judgement is about styles and how they fit, recent form and layoffs, the level of opposition, weight and how each boxer is likely to cope when the fight stops going to plan.

Where we have written our reasoning it appears on the fight page, so you can read why and decide whether you agree.

How a pick is scored

The House is scored by the same rules as every player:

• 3 points for the right winner. A draw or no contest scores nobody.
• +2 points for the right method, if the winner was right.
• +1 point for the right round band, if the method was also right.

A perfect pick is worth 6 points.

Scoring a fight round by round

Separate from the league, you can score any fight yourself, round by round, on fight day and the day after, live or from the replay. Use the ten-point must system: the round winner gets 10 and the other boxer 9, or 8 for a big round, and an even round is 10-10. Your changes save as you go, and your running total is shown as you score.

Scorecards earn no league points. Once you have scored, you can see how the fans split on each round and the average full card, and compare it with the judges' cards on the result page. You need to be signed in, with a league name and your 18+ confirmation.

The record

These figures come straight from the scored picks in our database and update as results come in.

See the month-by-month breakdown and the player table on the league page.

What the House is not

The House is an opinion, not a betting tip. A good record in a game scored by points says nothing about whether a bet at any odds would have made money, and we do not claim it would. If you choose to gamble you must be of legal age, and if it stops being fun, UK help is at BeGambleAware.org and GamCare on 0808 8020 133, and in the US call 1-800-GAMBLER. The league itself is free and never pays out.