OwnTheLines Rules & Bot Guide
Every OwnTheLines league runs on a configurable ruleset: bankroll, bet limits, weekly minimums, parlay caps, and more. Below you'll find what the defaults are, where to look up your own league's rules, and a breakdown of the bots that keep competition lively.
Where to Find Your League's Rules
Your league's specific rules are always a click away once you're signed in:
- 1.Open the sidebar and use the League Switcher at the top to select the league you want to inspect.
- 2.Navigate to your Dashboard. Your current bankroll, weekly wager total, and applicable limits are displayed there.
- 3.If you are a league admin, the Admin Panel (gear icon on the dashboard) shows every configurable setting under the Settings tab, including the ability to lock the roster, toggle bots, and adjust limits.
Setting Rules When You Create a League
When you click Create League from the sidebar, a form walks you through every configurable option. The table below shows the defaults; change any value before you submit and those become your league's permanent rules (admins can adjust most of them later from the Admin Panel).
Default Rule Settings
These are the out-of-box defaults. Your league may be configured differently. Check your dashboard to confirm.
| Setting | Default |
|---|---|
| Starting Bankroll | $100,000 |
| Max Bet (single wager) | $5,000 |
| Weekly Minimum Bet | $6,000 |
| Max Parlay Legs | Unlimited |
| Max Members | 100 (public) / 500 (private) |
| League Start / End Dates | Open-ended |
| Bots Enabled | On |
| Public Leaderboard | Off |
How the Weekly Minimum Works
The weekly minimum keeps the competition honest. It stops players from sitting on a big bankroll and doing nothing. Each week resets on the league's season calendar. Your weekly wager total counts every stake placed during that window, across straight bets, parlays, and each individual combo in a box wager.
Quick example (default settings):
- Weekly minimum: $6,000
- You place three $2,000 straight bets → ✓ minimum met
- You place one $5,000 parlay → only $5,000 counted; still $1,000 short
- You place one more $1,000 bet → ✓ minimum met
Max Bet: Straight Bets, Parlays & Box Wagers
The max bet limit applies to any single wager action:
- Straight bet: the full stake must be ≤ max bet.
- Parlay: the total parlay stake must be ≤ max bet. (The leg count limit, if set, is separate.)
- Box wager: your total stake is split equally among all combos. Each resulting combo is treated as an independent wager, so each combo must be ≤ max bet. The box UI will warn you before you confirm if any combo would exceed the limit.
Want to learn more about parlays and box wagers? What Is a Parlay? and What Is a Box Wager?
Meet the Bots
When bots are enabled, OwnTheLines adds up to seven automated players to your league. Each bot has a single fixed strategy it executes every week without deviation, without emotion, and without any awareness of how badly it's doing. They wager roughly enough to hit the league's weekly minimum and spread those bets across eligible games, so there's always someone to chase on the leaderboard.
Bots only place straight bets. They do not place parlays or box wagers.
Copy Cat
The Social Butterfly
Strategy: SPREAD & MONEYLINECopy Cat has exactly zero original thoughts and is completely at peace with that. Every week they scroll the leaderboard, peek at what the top humans are picking, and file the same bets within minutes. Is it cheating? They prefer the term "community research." Copy Cat thrives in large, active leagues where the human consensus is actually good. In small leagues with bad bettors, they fall apart hilariously.
Over the Top
The Arcade Kid
Strategy: TOTALS: OVEROver the Top was born at a scoreboard. They genuinely believe every game should end 47–45. Defense? Punt returns? Pitching duels? Boring. Over the Top slaps the OVER on every game on the board and refreshes the live score app every 90 seconds. They have a 1,400-word essay drafted in their notes app titled "Why Low-Scoring Games Are a Crime Against Sports." They haven't published it yet but they will.
Under Wear
The Defensive Coordinator
Strategy: TOTALS: UNDERUnder Wear counts field goals the way other people count sheep. They're never happier than a 9–6 grinder or a 78–71 basketball game that somehow stayed under the line. Under Wear believes in defense, field position, and the sanctity of a zero in the third quarter. They and Over the Top do not speak at family gatherings.
Under Dog
The Cinderella Chaser
Strategy: SPREAD: UNDERDOGUnder Dog has watched Rudy forty-seven times. Every week is a new upset waiting to happen. The spread underdog is getting those points, and Under Dog will be there to collect. They've been burned more times than they can count, but when they hit, especially when a 14-point dog covers on a last-second field goal, Under Dog's reaction could be heard from space. Worth it every time.
Favor Fav
The Chalk Eater
Strategy: SPREAD: FAVORITEFavor Fav respects the oddsmakers. They were put on this earth to lay the points. Favorites cover. That's just how sports work, as far as Favor Fav is concerned. They drive a sensible car, they order the usual at lunch, and they bet the chalk every single game, every single week. Do they win? Often enough. Are they exciting? Absolutely not. Would they have it any other way? Also no.
Long Shot
The Degenerate
Strategy: MONEYLINE: UNDERDOGLong Shot is chasing the big payout. Forget the spread. They want moneyline underdogs, the kind that pay +350 or better. Every ticket is a lottery scratch-off. Yes, they lose most weeks. But that one week where the +400 dog wins in overtime and they're suddenly third on the leaderboard? Long Shot will be telling that story for years. They have been burned a thousand times and will be burned a thousand more. They would not change a single thing.
Sure Thing
The Accountant
Strategy: MONEYLINE: FAVORITESure Thing is not here for drama. Moneyline favorites, every game, every week. Yes, the payouts are modest, sometimes barely above even money. But Sure Thing is playing the long game. While Long Shot is yelling at their phone, Sure Thing is quietly building a stack. They own a spreadsheet with every pick they've ever made. It's color-coded. They update it Sunday night regardless of the score.