Last Man Standing Rules, Explained

Last Man Standing is the office football game that ruins Saturdays in the best possible way. One pick a week, one life, and a whole office watching you sweat over Brentford v Fulham.

The basic idea

Every gameweek, you pick one team to win their match. If they win, you're through to next week. If they lose or draw, you're out. The last player still standing wins. That's it. The genius is the twist: you can't pick the same team twice, so you can't just pick the league leaders every week.

The rules we use

1. Pick one team to win its match each gameweek.
2. Win, and you're through to the next round.
3. Lose or draw, and you're out, unless you've played your joker.
4. Everyone gets one joker for the season. Play it on a pick you're nervous about. If that pick loses or draws, you survive. It's used up the moment you play it, win or lose.
5. You can't pick the same team twice. If you somehow last long enough to use every team, you get them all back.
6. Picks lock when the first match of the gameweek kicks off. No sneaky changes at half-time.
7. Forget to pick? We pick a random team for you from the ones you haven't used yet. It might be a good one. It probably won't.
8. If your team's match is postponed, you get a free pass to the next round, but that team still counts as used.
9. Results are marked once the whole gameweek has finished, including the Monday night game.
10. Wipeout rule: if every player still in loses in the same week, nobody goes out. A collective bottle job, but everyone gets away with it.
11. The last player standing wins the pool.

Tactics (from people who've been knocked out in week one)

• Save the big teams. Using the league leaders in week one feels safe, but you'll miss them in March.
• Look for home games against the bottom three. Boring, but boring keeps you alive.
• Don't pick a team the week before a big European night. Rotated squads are where dreams go to die.
• Keep your joker for the scary weeks. Derby days and Christmas fixtures are made for it.

Which leagues can you play?

On myofficesweepstake.com you can run a free Last Man Standing pool for the Premier League, the Championship, League One, the Scottish Premiership, the Women's Super League and the Champions League, where every knockout leg counts as a week. You can start mid-season, so there's no need to wait for August.

Quick answers

What happens if your team draws in Last Man Standing?

A draw counts the same as a loss: you're out, unless you played your joker on that pick.

Can you pick the same team twice in Last Man Standing?

No. Each team can only be used once. If you last long enough to use every team, you get them all back.

What happens if everyone loses in the same week?

That's a wipeout. Nobody is knocked out that week, and everyone carries on, although the teams they picked still count as used.

Can you start a Last Man Standing pool mid-season?

Yes. A new pool starts from the next gameweek, so you can start one at any point in the season.

Is Last Man Standing free to play?

On myofficesweepstake.com, starting a pool and making picks is free. An optional £1 upgrade unlocks extras like live scores.