A sim scores your built pool against one or more contest scenarios. It can refuse to start, warn you about a scenario, fail during the run, or finish with numbers that look wrong at first. This page lists every message, quoted exactly, with the cause and the fix. For the mechanics read How the simulator works. For build messages see Build problems.
The sim will not start
The sim needs a finished pool. Until then the controls stay off.
The Simulate button is greyed out : the build is still running, or the tab has no pool. Wait for the build to finish. See Run your first sim.
"Simulating..." on the button : a sim is already running on this tab. Wait for it to finish, or cancel it from the lineups panel actions menu with Cancel Simulation.
The Sim tab in Build Settings is off, with the tooltip "Switch to Build & Sim" : Build Mode is Build Only. Pick Build & Sim on the Basic tab to edit scenarios there, or run the sim from the lineups panel after the build. See Build and sim.
"No lineups yet" : the tab has no pool. Click Open Build Settings and build first.
"Building isn't supported for this sport/site yet." or "Unsupported combo {sport}/{site}/{mode}." : the sport, site, and format combination has no build or sim support. Pick a supported slate. See Supported sports and sites.
The Contest Simulation sheet refuses a change
These states are by design.
Add scenario is off, with the tooltip "Scenarios come from your uploaded entries" : an entries file is loaded, so the scenarios are your entered contests. Remove or replace the entries file to set them by hand. Rename and reorder still work. See Contest simulation settings.
Remove scenario is off : the sheet keeps at least one scenario, and it never removes a scenario that came from your entries file.
"In {scenario}" on a contest in the Prefill from Contest list : another scenario already holds that contest. One contest belongs to one scenario.
"No contest matches that search." : clear the search box.
"Same as {name}" on a scenario row : two scenarios share the same economics and will return identical numbers. Change one of them, or remove it.
"Over this contest's limit. This contest allows {N} entries per user. The simulation will use {N}." : My Entries is above the contest's entry cap. Click Set to {N}, or leave it, and the sim uses the cap.
"1st prize is larger than the prize pool, so this is a satellite. Its seat value is ignored and payouts are modeled as a flat split of the pool." : for a real satellite this is correct. For a normal contest, fix 1st Place and Prize Pool.
"The prize pool is bigger than the ${fees} this contest collects in entry fees. That is real overlay only when a guaranteed contest does not fill, so confirm the contest values before you trust the ROI below." : the payout fields describe a contest that pays more than it collects. Keep them if the real contest has overlay; otherwise fix Prize Pool, Entry Fee, or Contest Size, or prefill from a real contest.
"This contest keeps {k}% of the ${fees} it collects in entry fees. Real contests keep about 15%, so the ROI below will read far worse than any contest you can enter." : the payout fields describe a contest with more than 50% rake. Raise Prize Pool or lower Entry Fee.
"Scenario removed" with an Undo action : click Undo within the toast to bring the scenario back.
While the sim runs
The lineups panel shows a loader with one row per scenario. These states need action:
"Simulation cancelled. Your lineups are still saved." or "Sim cancelled." : you cancelled the sim stage. The pool stays, and scenarios that finished before the cancel keep their results. Click Re-Simulate to run the rest.
"Simulation issue" with a message : one scenario was dropped mid-run and the others continued. Read the message, fix that scenario, and click Re-Simulate.
"Failed" on a scenario row : that scenario did not finish. Re-Simulate.
The sim failed
"Simulation failed. Your lineups are still here." : a Build & Sim run built the pool, then the sim stage failed. Click Simulate in the lineups panel footer.
"Saved on this device only" with "Your lineups are here but may not appear on other devices. Re-run to retry the save." : re-run to retry the save to your account.
""{scenario}" sim results didn't save" or "{n} sims' results didn't save" : the results could not be written on this device, usually because it is out of storage. Free space, then Re-Simulate.
"Sim result was not delivered, run the simulation again", "Sim result was not delivered (S3 {status}), run the simulation again", or "Sim result arrived incomplete, run the simulation again" : the result did not arrive in full. Check your connection and click Retry Sim.
"Couldn't start the sim. Try again in a moment." or "Couldn't run the sim. Try again in a moment." : wait a moment and retry. If it repeats, reload the page.
"The sim engine did not answer. Nothing ran, try the sim again in a moment." : nothing changed on your pool. Retry in a minute. If it keeps failing, see Contact support.
"This simulation is too large for the server path ({n} lineups, limit 10000). Reduce the lineup count." : trash lineups or rebuild with a lower count.
"Too many lineups to build/simulate: {n} candidates exceeds the 10000 cap.", "Field size {n} exceeds the 10000 cap.", or "Simulation count {n} exceeds the 10000 cap." : a run scores at most 10,000 lineups. Lower the lineup count.
"Candidate lineup references an unknown player." : a lineup in the pool names a player who is no longer on the slate, usually after a projection refresh removed them. Rebuild.
"candidate {n} has {defect}. If this app tab was open before the last update, reload it and run the sim again." : reload the page and retry.
"Invalid contest economics for payout ladder." : the scenario's payout fields cannot form a payout table, for example a prize pool of 0. Fix Prize Pool, 1st Place, Paid %, and Entry Fee, and retry.
Results that look wrong
Every lineup shows a negative ROI : normal for a real contest. The site keeps about 15% of the fees, so the average lineup in the field loses money. Compare lineups by ROI rank, not by sign.
Win% reads "<0.1%" : the contest is too large for the sim to resolve a smaller win probability. Rank by Top 0.1% or Top 1% instead.
Top 0.1% is missing : the contest is too small for a distinct top 0.1% band. Use Top 1%. See Read sim results.
Two scenarios show identical numbers : they share the same economics. Change one of them.
A lineup reads far worse after a Re-Simulate : the lineup holds a player whose game was postponed. The sim scores that player 0 in every play, as the site does. Trash the lineup, or rebuild.
Re-Simulate gives the same numbers : expected when nothing changed. Change a scenario, edit the pool, or rebuild to get a different answer.
The sim results vanished after Rebuild : a rebuild replaces the pool and clears every sim result on that tab. Click Simulate again on the new pool.
"Sim metrics live on each contest header below." : the stats bar has more than one contest lens, so the per-contest numbers sit on each accordion header. Expand an accordion.
"No sim data yet, Balanced Exposure ranked by projection" : run a sim to rank by a sim metric.
"No sim coverage data, using ROI" : the sim recorded no win paths for this contest, so Win Paths fell back to ROI order. Re-simulate with a larger contest, or use Balanced Exposure. See Select and rank after a sim.
"Win paths · run a sim first" or "Win paths · this sim recorded no win paths" : run a sim, or pick a larger contest size.
"Not enough lineups meet the uniques bar, rest backfilled" : the pool does not hold enough lineups that differ by the Min Uniques count. Lower it or rebuild with a larger count. See Selection methods.
"No actuals loaded yet, following the Selection" : a past slate without final points yet. The Selection stands in for Actual.
"{n} entries repeat a lineup. The pool is short." : this contest needs more distinct lineups than the pool holds. Build more, or lower Min Uniques.
"Min/Max caps are not enforced for this contest, its allocation repeats a lineup." : per-player caps cannot hold when a contest repeats a lineup. Change the duplicates setting in Contest Setup. See Contest setup and fill.
The Rank by dropdown is gone : a Win Paths Selection is active. Pick another Selection to bring it back. See Rank by options.
The ROI on a lineup looks too good : the sim reports relative ranking better than absolute odds. Use the numbers to order lineups and compare scenarios, not as a promise of a return.
Tips
- Prefill every scenario from a real contest. The field size, entry cap, fee, and payouts then match the contest you will enter.
- Keep one scenario per contest shape. A 150-max GPP and a single-entry cash game rank the same pool in different orders.
- Re-Simulate after you trash lineups or edit exposures. The results describe the pool as it was when the sim ran.
- On a phone, keep the app open until the loader finishes. The run continues on DFS Hero's side, but the results land in the open tab.
Related
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