The NBA Players $20 draft, played live.

What is in the deck

The NBA Players deck has 31 cards. You won't see the order. A few of the names you might draw:

• LeBron James
• Stephen Curry
• Giannis Antetokounmpo
• Victor Wembanyama
• Jalen Brunson

A worked spend

You have $20 for 5 picks. Spend $8 on Giannis Antetokounmpo and you've got $12 for four more cards. The reserve rule keeps $1 back for every slot you still owe, so your next bid tops out at $9. Win Jaylen Brown, Kawhi Leonard, LaMelo Ball and Jalen Brunson at $1 each and you finish with $8 left over. That's your score. Try $5 on every card instead and the rule stops you on the fourth: $5 left, two slots to fill, so $4 is the most you can bid.

How to draft NBA Players

Five picks each means 10 of the 31 cards get dealt, about a third of the deck. Order matters. If LeBron and Curry both turn up in the first six cards, the money is gone before Wembanyama arrives. Hold at least $6 back until you have seen how many stars the deck deals early.

The rules are the same for every category and take a minute to read: how to play, or why an auction beats a snake draft.