Last Man Standing Rules & guides
The whole game,
in plain English.
Last Man Standing is beautifully simple: pick one team a week, survive if they win, and outlast everyone else. Here are the exact rules, plus a few tips to keep you in the hunt.
The rules
How the game works
- 1
One pick per gameweek
Each gameweek you back a single Premier League team you think will win their match. That's your only pick for the week.
- 2
Win and you survive
If your chosen team wins, you're through to the next gameweek. A win is all you need — the scoreline doesn't matter.
- 3
Lose or draw and you're out
A defeat knocks you out. By default a draw knocks you out too, though your organiser can choose to let draws through in the first week.
- 4
Use each team only once
Once you've picked a club, it's gone for the rest of that league. That's the twist — the big teams don't last forever, so timing is everything.
- 5
Miss the deadline, miss the week
Every gameweek has a pick deadline. What happens if you miss it is your organiser's call, set when the league is created: you're out, or you're given a team automatically (random, or the first unused team alphabetically).
- 6
Last one standing wins
Keep surviving and you win the league when you're the final player left in. Simple, and brutal.
- 7
Everyone out together?
If every remaining player goes out in the same gameweek, it's your organiser's call. With rollover on (the usual setting) nobody goes out — you all carry on to the next week. With it off, the league ends with no winner.
- 8
Postponements & mistakes
If your team's match is postponed, you stay in for that week. Results come from the official fixtures feed, and each gameweek settles once its last game is final. If something goes wrong, your organiser can correct a result or call off a whole week — and every change they make shows in the league log for all players to see.
Optional extras
Rules your organiser can switch on
Every league is different. These are off unless your organiser turns them on — you'll see which ones apply on your league page.
- J
Joker card
Once per league, play your joker with a pick: if your team draws or loses that week, you still go through.
- 2×
Double pick
Once per league, pick two teams in the same week. If either one wins, you're through. Both teams count as used.
- ↺
Buy-back
Knocked out? Ask to buy back in before the next deadline. Your organiser lets you back in once you've paid. One buy-back per player.
- ½
The deal
When only a few players are left, your organiser can offer a deal to split the prize. It only happens if every player still in votes yes.
Player guide
Tips to stay alive
Save your bankers
It's tempting to throw the strongest team at week one. Hold some back — you'll be grateful for a safe pick when the fixtures get ugly.
Read the fixtures ahead
Glance a few weeks forward before you commit. Spending a big team on an easy week can leave you stranded later.
Beware the obvious
When everyone piles on the same favourite and it slips up, the league can gut itself in a single afternoon. Sometimes the smart pick is the quiet one.
Organiser guide
Running a smooth league
Set your rules up front
Decide before kickoff whether draws knock players out, and share it clearly so nobody's surprised later.
Set a player limit
Choose a minimum and maximum number of players. Once the league is full it stops taking new players, even if the code gets passed around.
Keep it fair
Agree the house rules — entry, deadlines, what happens if someone forgets — before gameweek one, and share them with your players.
Quick answers
Common questions
Can I change my pick before the deadline?
Yes. Right up until the gameweek's deadline you can switch your team as often as you like. Once it locks, your last choice stands.
What if my team's match is postponed?
You stay in. A postponed match counts as a survival for that week, so nobody goes out because of a game that wasn't played.
Do draws always knock me out?
By default, yes. But your organiser can let draws through in the first week, and some leagues give everyone a joker card that saves you once. Check the rules on your league page.
Can I rejoin if I'm knocked out?
Only if your organiser has switched on buy-backs — then you get one chance to buy back in before the next deadline. Otherwise out is out, but there's nothing stopping you jumping into a fresh league that's just started.
Know the rules? Prove it.
Pick your team
Join a league and put your nerve to the test — free to start.
Join a league