For many years the only way to play in an Office Pool was the basic pick-em contest. Wally from Accounting (don't accountants have better things to do) would copy the picks for the week, pass them out, collect them, score them and come Tuesday someone would get the winnings (usually in the Accounting Dept). Then came a different form of Office Pool - The Survivor Pool.

 

What separates a Survivor Pool from a Pick-em pool is that the pool player only has to make one selection each week. Pick one winner and move on to the next week. That's too easy, there has to be a catch, right? Yep, there is. The catch is you can't use the same team more than once. Feeling frisky about the New England Patriots? Use them Week 1 and wait for next year to use them again. Want to know how to become the Last Man Standing? Follow these four commandments.

Don't Lose Early

 

Sounds smart, right? Don't lose. Um, duh, the goal is not to lose at all, so whether you lose early or late the point is not to lose at all. Here's our point: Early on it's hard to figure out which teams are the best in the NFL. It is vital to get past the first couple weeks. Don't take chances those early weeks!

Don't Waste the Best Teams Early

We know what you're thinking, how does not taking chances the first couple weeks mesh with not using the best teams early? Did we say this would be easy? There are usually a couple games each week that are obvious selections, not all involve the best teams. Some involve good teams against bad teams or average teams at home against bad teams. The longer you can use average-to-good teams instead of the great teams the better off you are as you get past those first few weeks.

Plan Your Picks

Don't go week-to-week. Look ahead to see what the best matchups are for your available teams. It may make sense to pass on playing the best match Week 7 because you'll be hardpressed to find a match Week 8. Keep looking ahead and if it means taking a chance one week to make the next couple weeks clear sailing then minimize your risks by planning ahead.

When in Doubt Go Home

If you're a sports bettor, one of the great rules is to avoid road favorites. It makes sense here, as well. That doesn't mean the great team against the bad team but the good or average team is very susceptible on the road. Along the way you're going to have to make a few tough decisions, when in doubt the home team is the better choice.

Only one person can be the Last Man Standing. It's no disgrace to lose, but you'll have a better chance to win if you follow the four commandments.