How to Play 5 Picks
A 2-minute guide
5 Picks is a head-to-head drafting game built on real NBA history. You and an opponent take turns picking players from era-specific team pools, then both of you watch the exact same simulated game decide who drafted better. A full match takes only a few minutes.
1. Start a match
From the lobby you can play two ways:
- Online 1v1.Create a room and share the room code, or paste a friend’s code to join. The connection is peer‑to‑peer, so the draft and playback stay in sync between you with no server in the middle.
- Play vs Computer. Draft against an AI opponent on your own — perfect for learning the pools and trying out roster ideas before you take on a friend.
2. Draft your roster
Players are drawn from team‑and‑decade pools — for example, the 1990s Chicago Bulls or the 2010s Golden State Warriors. The draft is a snake draft: the pick order reverses each round, so the player who picks first in round one picks last in round two. That keeps things fair.
Each player card shows real per‑game averages — points, rebounds, assists, and shooting — for that player’s time with that team. Positions matter: you’re building a balanced lineup, so think about how your picks fit together, not just who has the biggest numbers.
3. Watch the game
Once both rosters are set, both clients run the same deterministic engineon the same shared seed. That means you and your opponent watch an identical game play out — no one’s screen shows a different result. The simulation plays possession by possession and ends with a final score and box score.
4. Climb the ladder
Results feed an Elo rating, so wins against tougher opponents are worth more. Over time you build a record and a place on the leaderboard. Want an edge? Read the drafting strategy guide, or browse the team and era guides to learn the pools before you pick.