Next upPreview
Canadiens9-3-2
vs
Panthers8-5-2
MTL 52%48% FLA
# Ludus
NHL games on Saturday 2 January
14 games on Saturday 2 January, with live scores and free play-money calls.
Next game Sat 6:00 PM
Your purse
1,000
denarii, play money
- In play
- 0
- Record
- 0-0
- Rank
- Tiro
5 more wins to Gladiator
Your calls
Your record starts with your first finished call.
In play
- No calls in play. Tap a team to make one.
Settled
- Nothing settled yet.
How Ludus works
- You start with 1,000 denarii, the play money of Ludus. Every new day (UTC) adds 100.
- Tap a team on any game that has not started, pick a stake and lock it in. You can change the stake, switch sides or take the call back until puck drop.
- If your team wins, you collect your stake times the number on its button: x2.00 doubles it, x1.50 turns 100 into 150.
- Calls settle when the final score comes in. A tie, or a game that is postponed or called off, gives your stake back.
Your purse, your calls and your record stay in this browser: no account, nothing to buy and nothing to cash out. Run dry with nothing in play and the lanista (the owner of a gladiator school, which is what a ludus was) spots you 500, once a day. Win calls to climb the ranks from Tiro to Gladiator, Veteranus, Primus palus and Rudiarius, the fighter who won his freedom.
Where the numbers come from
The numbers on the buttons are our own line, worked out from each team's record this season. Every team starts as if it had already played 10 games at .500, so a hot start does not make anyone unbeatable. We compare the two records (the log5 method), give the home team a small edge unless the game is at a neutral site (with equal records the home team is about 54% to win), and pay one over the chance: a 50% chance pays x2.00, a 25% chance x4.00. No side is ever shorter than x1.11 or longer than x10.00.
The line knows records and home and away, nothing else: not injuries, rest days, trades or the weather. Spotting what it misses is the game. Scores and schedules come from ESPN and refresh every 30 seconds while a game is live.
NHL notes
An NHL game always has a winner: a regular-season game level after overtime goes to a shootout, and the shootout winner wins your call too. A record like 5-3-2 is wins, regulation losses and overtime losses; our line counts overtime losses as losses.
Questions
Is Ludus gambling?
No. Denarii are play money: you cannot buy them, sell them, cash them out or win anything with them, and they never turn into Arena13 coins. Your calls never leave your browser. It is a prediction game for bragging rights.
Do I need an account?
No. Your purse, calls and record are saved in this browser. Clearing the site data or switching browsers starts a new purse.
When do calls lock?
When the game starts. Until then you can change the stake, switch to the other team or take the call back for a full refund.
How often do the scores update?
Every 30 seconds while a game is live or about to start, and every five minutes otherwise. Scores and schedules come from ESPN.
What happens if a game is postponed?
Your stake comes back once the game is postponed or called off.
Do overtime and shootout wins count?
Yes. The team that wins the game wins the call, whether it is in regulation, overtime or a shootout.
Scores and schedules from ESPN. Ludus is not affiliated with ESPN, the NBA, the NFL, the NHL or MLB. Denarii are play money with no cash value: they cannot be bought, sold, cashed out or turned into Arena13 coins.