Picklive Game of the Week: Arsenal v Barcelona

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Picklive's 'Five Minute Fantasy Football' game has been revolutionsing the way that football fanatics in the UK can watch live sport, and thanks to a newly established relationship with The Twelfth Man , it could do the same for you too. The game is a thrilling cross between fantasy football games and in-play betting, and allows punters to compete in real-time for cash prizes during televised matches.

If you are watching tonight's action this evening then why not sign up before and during the match to get three free games. Contestants then select a team of three players who accumulate points for all of their actions on the pitch; including passes, tackles, interceptions and shots. The three teams  that earn the most points in each five minute spell are guaranteed a cash prize.

So just as you thought that the tension around Arsenal v Barcelona could not get any more palpable, Picklive - in association with The Twelfth Man - introduces another realm of excitement and emotion into the already potent mix present in live football.

Tonight's live game is possibly the most mouthwatering yet to appear on Picklive's roster, with Arsenal taking on Pep Guardiola's imperious Barcelona side. Both sides favouring fast and flowing football, and place a premium on ball retention, which is bound to be a incredibly high scoring game in Picklive terms.

You would be mad not to pick either Xavi or Wilshere in your side, as these are the focal points through which both teams direct their play. In fact the Catalan is just about the greatest player ever to feature on Picklive, amassing record score after record score - and on occassions out passing the opposition on his own.

So if you want to add more excitement into the mix during tonight's game, then click here to sign up. In 10 seconds you could be winning cash from other fans whilst watching the match unfold.

Arsenal v Barcelona: ITV 1 7:45 K/O

Picklive: The future of Fantasy Football?

I first stumbled upon Picklive when it was under its previous moniker, Football3s.com, after reading about it in a magazine article or forum (don't ask me where that article/forum post is, because I plain can't remember!) but noticed it had been re-branded as Picklive in time for the 2010 World Cup.

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The basic idea of Picklive is simple, it's a way of combining fantasy football, with betting, with your own forecasting of the game.  Often used in conjunction with live televised games, Picklive enables you to pick 3 players for a 7 and a half minute period (they've also recently released a full 90 minute version of the game too, more on that later), with 3 potential substitutes to use too. Those chosen players then score points, in a fantasy football-esque way, but in a much more live, real-time environment.  For example a simple completed pass nets your player 1 point, whereas a goal would get them 20.  However, where there is a positive, there is a negative.  If your player was to fail a pass they'd lose 1 point, if they were to get sent off they'd lose 20 points.  Full details of the scoring can be found here.

Over the 7 and a half minute period the points accumulate up and at the end come the spoils! This is where the betting element comes into play.  Picklive offers two main types of game "mode".  Classic and Big Game.

Classic mode consists of 7 and a half minute games, with the aforementioned scoring, and requires a £1 stake on entering.  The game will not start with less than 6 players, and once at least 6 have joined within the given time limit the game begins.  This accumulated stake is then spread among the podium finishers, who come first, second and third.  First place gets 70% of the pot, second gets 20% and third gets 10%.  There's a maximum of 25 players in the room too, so a win could win you up to £13 just by showing "you know your stuff".  25% of the pot is taken as a rake, but the Picklive staff need a salary after all!

The Big Game mode is something I haven't dabbled in yet, but do intend to.  It's £2 entry as opposed to £1 and the game lasts the full 90 minutes.  Same scoring rules apply, and same win percentages apply for first, second and third.  However, there is no restriction in how many people can join in and those lovely folks at Picklive also add an extra £10 to the pot.  There's a lot more foresight required in this version and it truly does mirror fantasy football but with a much more accurate and detailed view of the whole game instead of the standard "2 points for staying on the field for 90 minutes" malarky.

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In addition to the standard game modes, there are also weekly promotions ran.  "Cardiff Wednesday" (where "we make nothing and are blindly giving away all of our money in the pursuit of promotion." - which certainly gave Swansea fans like me a chuckle) see's the person who scores the top cumulative score across all Picklive games on a Wednesday wins a tidy little pot of their rakes from the nights games.  Plus, there's a weekly jackpot for the cumulative highest score over all games in one week, often totalling over £100 mark - not bad for £1 entry.

So, is it the future of Fantasy Football?  It may well be.  It certainly is a great addition to the match day experience when you're watching from home, it gets a good bit of banter going especially when your player pops up from nowhere with a goal and you get the classic "told you so" moment.  Even if this scoring system was implemented into the more popular fantasy football games, it would definitely make a difference on some players scores no doubt.

Another interesting aspect is that it truly shows you who is working on the field and who isn't, or rather who isn't being given the chance to work.  Once you see certain players amassing huge amounts of points due to the amounts of passes, interceptions or tackles they make in a game, it really shows you how good a game they had.

I've seen the site develop a fair bit over the past few months and it certainly seems to be going places. If this article has got you interested, head over to their site and sign up, especially now as they're offering a £5 bonus!