Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Breakeven cash rate needed
56.8%
Your ROI at current cash rate
-3.2%
Cash rate edge above breakeven
-1.8%
Est. profit per 100 entries at this fee
-$64
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How to use this
- 1Enter contest type.
- 2Enter site rake / vig (%).
- 3Enter entry fee ($).
- 4Enter your actual cash rate (%).
- 5Enter average payout multiplier when you cash (gpp only).
- 6Read your breakeven cash rate needed on the right — it updates as you type.
- 7Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
Daily fantasy sites take a rake (commonly 10-15%) out of every contest's total entry fees before paying it back out as prizes, meaning the average entrant in any contest is, by definition, losing money to the site's cut. This calculator estimates the win or cash rate you need at a given payout structure and entry fee to break even after rake, so you can judge whether your actual results are ahead of or behind that bar. For 50/50s and double-ups specifically, where roughly the top half of entries double their money, you need to cash meaningfully more than 50% of the time (typically 52-55%+ depending on the site's rake) just to break even, because the site takes its cut before doubling the winning half. For large-field guaranteed prize pool (GPP) tournaments, the math is different and much harder — top-heavy payout structures mean the vast majority of entrants lose money even with a real skill edge, and you need a real, sustained top-heavy finish rate to overcome the rake and the top-heavy structure combined.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Contest type: 50/50 or double-up
- Site rake / vig: 12 %
- Entry fee: 20 $
- Your actual cash rate: 55 %
- Average payout multiplier when you cash (GPP only): 3
Results
- Breakeven cash rate needed: 56.8%
- Your ROI at current cash rate: -3.2%
- Cash rate edge above breakeven: -1.8%
- Est. profit per 100 entries at this fee: -$64
What each field means
Inputs
- Contest type
- Pick the option that matches your situation — the maths changes per option. Choices: 50/50 or double-up, Large-field GPP.
- Site rake / vig (%)
- The site rake / vig used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 12 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–40 %.
- Entry fee ($)
- The entry fee used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 20 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Your actual cash rate (%)
- The your actual cash rate used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 55 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–100 %.
- Average payout multiplier when you cash (GPP only)
- The average payout multiplier when you cash (gpp only) used in the calculation. Starts at 3 so you have a working example on load.
Results
- Breakeven cash rate needed
- Returned as a percentage and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Your ROI at current cash rate
- Returned as a percentage. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Cash rate edge above breakeven
- Returned as a percentage. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Est. profit per 100 entries at this fee
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
Why do I need to cash more than 50% of 50/50s to break even?
Because the site removes its rake before redistributing the pool. If rake is 12%, only 88% of total entry fees get paid back out, split among the roughly top half who each double their money on the reduced pool. That math requires cashing noticeably more than half the time, typically in the 52-57% range depending on exact rake, just to break even.
Why is GPP breakeven so much harder to hit than a 50/50?
GPPs pay a small fraction of the field, often the top 15-20%, with payouts heavily concentrated at the very top. Most entrants, even skilled ones, lose money most weeks in GPPs; profitability comes from occasional large multi-week or multi-entry scores, not a steady per-contest cash rate. This calculator's GPP mode is a simplification — real GPP ROI depends heavily on payout curve shape and entry volume.
Does multi-entry (submitting many lineups) change this math?
It changes your variance and effective sample size, not the underlying rake math — the site still takes the same cut regardless of how many lineups you submit. Multi-entry can improve your realized GPP cash rate if you have genuine lineup construction skill, but it also multiplies your total entry-fee risk per contest.
What's a realistic long-term DFS win rate for a skilled player?
Public data from DFS sites has shown a small percentage of players (often cited as under 10%) are consistently profitable over large samples, and most of that profit is concentrated among an even smaller group of high-volume, high-skill players. Treat consistent long-term DFS profitability as a genuinely hard bar to clear, not a given for anyone putting in research time.
Accuracy and limitations
- Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
- Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.
- This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant.
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Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). DFS Breakeven ROI Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/dfs-breakeven-roi-calculator
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/dfs-breakeven-roi-calculator" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DFS Breakeven ROI Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [DFS Breakeven ROI Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/dfs-breakeven-roi-calculator) (2026).