Start with the game
Choose a sport and game in the dashboard. Review the overview, players, factors and market tabs. The report identifies the game and teams so that statistics and market prices refer to the same event.
Basketball, American football, football (soccer), baseball and hockey use different statistics. A season leader, a pregame roster and a final-game box score are different samples. Read the label beside the table. An absent statistic means unavailable, not zero.
Where the data comes from
| View | Source and meaning | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Fixtures and player stats | ESPN schedules and game summaries | Event identity, season or game scope, source time |
| Source forecast | ESPN estimate, when supplied and captured before the game | Provider, outcome, capture time and whether it is historical |
| Market prices | Matched public Polymarket markets and order books | Selection, settlement rules, quote type, timestamp and liquidity |
| Tracked wallets | Captured public wallet activity | Capture time, sample, open positions and reported costs |
| Paper results | A simulation under the named study’s rules | Entry delay, assumed fills, stake, costs and completed games |
PlayStat compares the event, home and away teams, and start time when checking a sports report. “Source checked” means the displayed data agrees with that fetched source. It is not an independent audit of the provider, a guarantee that the number is current, or a measure of prediction accuracy.
A price is different from a forecast
A market price records what traders are willing to pay for an outcome. A forecast estimates the chance of that outcome. Wallet activity records what a public wallet traded. None of these can stand in for the other two.
Polymarket’s price and order book documentation explains displayed prices, bids and asks. A displayed price is not a promise that an order can execute at that price. Fees, spread and available quantity matter.
Compare the same question. A football match-winner market with a draw is different from a two-way qualification market. Regulation time, overtime and other settlement rules can change what the result means. Missing or ambiguous matches remain unavailable.
Read the age of each observation
The dashboard polls for updates while visible. Provider schedules, match reports, market books and wallet captures refresh separately. A page refresh does not mean every source has published a new observation.
Use the time beside the item you are reading. An older or unavailable source is not a live quote. If a refresh fails, retained evidence must be read with its age and status. A historical forecast is a saved pregame estimate, not a new call made after the result.
What factors and AI mean today
Factors describe available evidence such as team form, player statistics and source-reported injuries. They do not automatically add a numerical adjustment to the forecast. A current injury list does not establish who was available at a past game’s start.
PlayStat’s comparison of multiple AI models is in development. Available ESPN estimates and market prices are labelled by source. They are not a live PlayStat multi-model prediction, and no validated PlayStat AI accuracy rate is claimed.
Read results with their sample
A win rate needs a defined set of predictions, outcomes and dates. A profitable wallet record also needs entry prices, costs and the treatment of open positions. Paper returns belong to the simulation that produced them.
The wallet-analysis guide works through an example of an 80% win rate with no profit before costs. The example is fictional. For saved studies, read the research desk and strategy lab with their observation windows and assumptions.
Check the original evidence
Use the source links and timestamps in the dashboard when a number looks unexpected. Coverage varies by competition and event; an empty report is not evidence that a player had no activity.
Original documentation: ESPN, Polymarket positions and payouts, market prices and fees.