What's In This Guide
- • How to create a March Madness bracket (60 seconds)
- • Running a successful office pool
- • Blank bracket templates & PDF download
- • Watch party bracket ideas
- • "March Madness style" voting contests
- • Tips from experienced pool organizers
1. Create Your Bracket in 60 Seconds
Brakto's free bracket generator is the fastest way to create March Madness brackets. No account, no email, no credit card.
Step-by-Step
- 1Go to brakto.com/create-brackets
- 2Choose 64 teams for a full NCAA bracket, or 8/16/32 for a smaller pool
- 3Leave team names blank for a fill-in-the-blanks bracket, or type/paste them in
- 4Click Generate and download your print-ready PDF instantly
💡 Pro Tip
Create the bracket early — before Selection Sunday — and print a batch of blank brackets so everyone can fill in their picks as soon as the field is announced.
2. Run Your Office Pool Like a Pro
Office pools are the most popular use of March Madness brackets. Here's how to organize one that everyone loves.
Before the Tournament
- • Print 20-30 blank brackets (more than you think you'll need)
- • Set a deadline for submissions (before first game tips off)
- • Decide the scoring system (1 pt for Round 1, 2 for Round 2, etc.)
- • Announce prizes or bragging rights
- • Create a shared spreadsheet to track everyone's picks
During the Tournament
- • Update scores after each round
- • Post a leaderboard in the break room or Slack
- • Highlight upset picks that paid off
- • Send a weekly recap email to keep engagement high
- • Crown the winner after the championship game
📋 Scoring System Ideas
Simple: 1 point per correct pick, every round. Progressive: 1-2-4-8-16-32 points per round. Upset bonus: Extra points when you correctly predict a lower-seeded team winning.
3. Blank Bracket Templates
Need a blank bracket to fill in by hand? Brakto generates clean, professional-looking PDFs in every standard size.
4. Watch Party & Fun Bracket Ideas
March Madness isn't just for basketball. The bracket format works for anything. Here are popular "March Madness style" brackets people run during the tournament:
Pizza Bracket
Pit local pizza spots against each other. Vote each round to crown the best slice in town.
Movie Bracket
Seed 32 or 64 movies and let your group vote. Genres, decades, or franchises — your call.
Song Bracket
Artists or songs go head-to-head. Great for road trips, parties, or social media engagement.
Beer / Cocktail Bracket
Blind taste test meets bracket voting. Works great at bars, breweries, and house parties.
Coffee Bracket
Which cafe or roast reigns supreme? Run a cupping bracket and let the crowd decide.
App / Product Bracket
Tech teams use this for feature prioritization. Marketing teams use it for content ideas.
🗳️ Want audience voting?
Use Brakto's Voting Contest Creator to run a bracket-style vote online. Voters pick their favorite entry each round, and the bracket advances automatically. Perfect for social media engagement.
5. Tips From Experienced Pool Organizers
Print more brackets than you think you need
People lose them, want a second chance, or bring a friend. Print 30% extra.
Set the deadline early
Require brackets submitted 1 hour before the first game. No exceptions. It saves you headaches.
Use progressive scoring
1-2-4-8-16-32 points per round keeps the pool competitive even if early picks go wrong.
Post updates daily
A daily leaderboard in Slack or on a whiteboard keeps people engaged throughout the tournament.
Keep it simple
Don't overcomplicate the rules. The best pools are ones where everyone understands the format in 30 seconds.
Make it fun, not just competitive
Give awards for worst bracket, best upset pick, funniest team name, etc.
Ready to Start Your March Madness Bracket?
60 seconds to a printable bracket. No signup required. Let the madness begin.