How It Works
Pool Betting,
Explained
ZimStake uses a parimutuel model — there's no bookmaker setting odds. Everyone bets into a shared pool and winners split the pot.
Choose a Match
Browse upcoming and live soccer matches from leagues around the world. Each match card shows team names, badges, league info, and match status — so you know exactly what you're betting on.
Select a Bet Type
Every match has five independent pools — one for each bet type:
Match Result
Predict Home Win, Draw, or Away Win.
Score At Half Time
Predict the exact score at the half-time whistle.
Score At Full Time
Predict the exact final score of the match.
Both Teams Will Score
Will both teams score at least one goal? Yes or No.
Total Goals
Predict the total number of goals scored by both teams combined.
Place Your Stake
Choose your prediction and set your bet amount (minimum $1). Your stake goes into the pool for that specific bet type and prediction. The more you stake, the bigger your share if you win.
The Pool Grows
As more people place bets, the pool for each bet type grows. Payout ratios shift in real time based on where the money is going — popular predictions have lower ratios, while less popular ones offer bigger potential payouts.
Winners Share the Pool
Once the match ends and the outcome is confirmed, the prize pool is distributed among the correct predictors — proportional to each winner's stake. If you bet more, you get a bigger share.
Transparent payouts
How Payouts Work
The Formula
Losers' Pool = Total Pool − Winning Pool
Your Payout = Your Stake + (Your Stake ÷ Winning Pool) × Losers' Pool
When a market settles, everyone who predicted correctly gets their original stake back, plus a proportional share of the losing predictions' pool. A platform service fee is deducted from the losers' pool before distribution.
Worked Example
Imagine a Match Result pool for Team A vs Team B:
Home Win
$300
from 15 bets
Draw
$150
from 8 bets
Away Win
$250
from 12 bets
Total Pool: $300 + $150 + $250 = $700
Losers' Pool: $150 + $250 = $400 (Draw + Away Win stakes)
If Home Win wins and you bet $50 on Home Win:
Your share = ($50 ÷ $300) × $400 = $66.67
Your Payout = $50 + $66.67 = $116.67
A platform service fee is deducted from the losers' pool before it is split among winners. The effective payout ratio is always visible before you place a bet.
Climb the ranks
Points & the Leaderboard
Beyond the cash you win from pools, you build a points total that ranks you against every other player on a global leaderboard.
Round Predictions
In a Soccer Round you pick the teams you think will reach the final. Every correct pick earns points — get them all right and you bank that round's full points.
Winning Bets
Every winning bet also adds points equal to its payout, rounded to the nearest whole number. Even the smallest win is worth at least 1 point.
How Round Points Are Awarded
Bigger rounds are worth more. The points below are what a perfect slip earns — every pick correct. Get only some right and you keep that same share of the points:
2 teams
2
max points
4 teams
4
max points
8 teams
6
max points
16 teams
8
max points
32 teams
10
max points
Your Points = (Correct Picks ÷ Total Picks) × Round Max
Always rounded down to a whole number.
Example: in a 32-team round (10 max points), getting 25 of your 32 picks right earns 25 ÷ 32 × 10 = 7.81 → 7 points. Entries placed after a round closes are voided and earn nothing.
How Ties Are Broken
When two players are level, we work down this ladder — one step at a time — until they separate. So equal points are settled by wins, equal wins by losses, and so on:
Most points
The headline number. Whoever has earned more points across rounds and winning bets ranks higher.
Most wins
Level on points? The player with more winning bets takes the higher spot.
Fewest losses
Still tied? The cleaner record wins — fewer losing bets edges ahead. Two players on the same points and the same wins are separated by who lost less.
Longest-standing member
In the rare case everything above is identical, the older account is listed first, so the table is always stable and predictable.
Worked example: Ada and Ben both sit on 40 points. Ada has 12 wins, Ben has 9 — so Ada ranks higher. If they were both on 12 wins, we'd compare losses: Ada with 3 losses would still rank above Ben with 5, because the cleaner record wins.
Only players with at least one win or earned points appear, and the leaderboard shows the top 100.
Common Questions
Ready to Get Started?
Download ZimStake and start predicting on live soccer matches today.