Installing and Starting WinPicks
WinPicks Reference Manual Section 2. Starting WinPicks
WinPicks 2.0 runs in your web browser. There is nothing to install, no disc, no serial number to key in and no separate download for each new season. Point your browser at app.winpicks.net and sign in.
Minimum requirements.
| Browser | Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari, in a version released within the last two years. WinPicks 2.0 uses current web standards and will not run in Internet Explorer. |
| Operating system | Any. Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS, iPadOS and Android all work, because none of the program runs on your machine. |
| Screen | 1024 x 768 or larger is comfortable. The dialogs are drawn at the sizes the original program used, so a narrower window scrolls sideways rather than reflowing. |
| Connection | Any broadband or mobile connection. The program sends small requests and receives text, not video; it is usable on a phone tethered in a press box. |
| Disk space | None. |
| Installation | None. |
There is deliberately no minimum processor or memory figure. The handicapping engine runs on the server, so tuning a formula over forty seasons takes the same time on a Chromebook as on a workstation. The one exception is the in-browser tuner, which does use your own machine when it is available and falls back to the server when it is not - you will not notice which.
What has replaced what. If you used the original program, the differences worth knowing before you start:
- There is no installer, no serial number and no unlock step. Your
subscription is checked when you sign in.
- There is no data folder. The database lives on the server and is shared.
- There is nothing to download each week. Scores, schedules, lines and prices
arrive on their own.
- Your formulas are stored with your account, so they are on every machine you
sign in from rather than the one you installed on.
Signing in. Enter the email address and password you registered with. If you have forgotten the password, use the reset link on the sign-in page; the message arrives from the winpicks.net address, so check your junk folder the first time.
Choosing a sport. WinPicks 2.0 carries five packages in one program:
- Pro Football Analyst (NFL)
- College Football Analyst
- Pro Basketball Analyst (NBA)
- College Basketball Analyst
- Pro Hockey Analyst (NHL)
The Sport list at the top right of the window switches between them. You are not restarting anything when you switch - the toolbar, the menus and the current date all follow you across, and each sport keeps its own formulas and its own database.
Which packages you can open depends on your subscription. A package you have not bought is still listed, so you can see what is there; opening it explains what it costs rather than pretending it does not exist. See section 12, Your Account and Subscription.
Leaving WinPicks. Close the browser tab, or use File > Exit. Your work is saved as you go - there is no Save step before leaving, and no way to lose a formula by closing the window.