How We Make Our Picks, and How We Count Them
Our predictions page gives a pick for selected matches, the facts it rests on and a record of every result. This page explains where the facts come from, who makes the picks, what we never do and how the record is counted.
On this page
Where the facts come from
Only from the official site of each competition. For the Betway Premiership that is the Premier Soccer League's own match centre at psl.co.za, which publishes the fixtures, the log and the results. Every fact under a pick links to the page it comes from.
Facts carry a date, such as "On 5 October Orlando Pirates were second", because a log changes after every round. We use the log and results, not other tipsters, social media or rumours. Team news goes in only when the club or the league states it, with a link.
We link the full fixture list rather than copy it: the leagues publish their fixtures under their own terms, and the official page is the one that stays up to date.
Who makes the picks
Our automated editorial process. Each night a language model reads the official tables and results, chooses the matches, and writes the pick and its reasons from those facts only. A second, separate automated check then reads every fact again against its source before the page changes, and corrects or removes anything it cannot confirm.
No person reviews each pick before it goes up. We say so plainly because you should know how a pick was made before you give it any weight.
What we never do
- Publish odds. Odds change by the minute and differ from one bookmaker to the next, so any number we printed would be out of date before you read it.
- Call a pick certain. A pick is our opinion of the most likely result. Football and rugby results are uncertain, and favourites lose every week.
- Change a pick after kick-off. A pick is fixed when it goes up, with the time it was made, and it stays as it was whatever happens in the match.
- Hide a wrong pick. Every settled pick stays in the record, right or wrong, from the very first one.
- Pick casino games or lottery draws. A slot spin, a crash round or a lottery draw is random, and no pick can say anything about the next one.
How the record is counted
A pick counts once the official site publishes the result: right when the result matches the pick, wrong otherwise. A match that is postponed, abandoned or cancelled counts neither way, and the page says so next to it.
The share of picks that were right comes with a range, a 95% Wilson interval. With few picks the range is wide: seven right out of ten could mean a true rate anywhere between about 40% and 89%. The range narrows as picks add up, and it is history, not a promise about the next match.
Before you use a pick
A pick is an opinion about a match, not a reason to bet more than you planned. Most bets lose. Bet only what you can afford to lose, and never to win back a loss. 18+ only. Free, confidential help: South African Responsible Gambling Foundation, 0800 006 008.
Questions about our picks ❓
Do you earn money from these picks?
We may earn a commission when a reader opens an account with a bookmaker through our links, as our affiliate disclosure explains. It does not change a pick, and the record shows every result.
Why are there no odds next to the picks?
Odds change by the minute and differ between bookmakers. Our bookmaker comparison shows what each one offers, and their own sites show the live prices.
Which matches do you pick?
A selection from each round, starting with the Betway Premiership: we pick where the official log and results give enough to say something, not every match on the fixture list.