When aggregation kicks in
Aggregation of several opponents is the third step of the placement cascade, after the direct match within your tier (step 1) and the inter-tier cascade (step 2). On a two-outcome event, it triggers the moment you tap "challenge," within a few seconds. On an event with three outcomes or more, there is no placement cascade: stakes are matched later, in lots. How matching works.
The typical scenario: you stake big (for example 100,000 KTK in the Premium tier), and no single player at your tier or the neighboring tiers takes a different outcome for your full amount. Instead of leaving your challenge without a counterparty, the system assembles several smaller opposing stakes.
How the assembly works
The engine scans all opposing challenges not yet matched, across all compatible tiers. It stacks them into a virtual assembly until it reaches your amount.
Example:
- You stake 100,000 KTK in Premium on "Argentina wins."
- Nobody in Premium or the neighboring tiers takes "France wins" for 100K alone.
- The system finds: 1 Standard at 25K + 2 Discovery at 5K = 35K.
- Then: another Standard at 30K → total 65K.
- Then: 3 Discovery at 5K + 1 Standard at 20K = another 35K. Total 100K. Match!
Your challenge is fully matched against an assembly of 8 people (1+2+1+3+1). Each small opposing challenge is marked matched for its share of the assembly.
What you see in the app
For you, the result is invisible: your challenge moves to matched status, as if it were a single opponent. You see the number of people that make up your aggregate in the challenge details (for example "Opponents: 8 people"), but financially it's treated as a single opponent.
If you win: you receive the combined sum of the opposing stakes minus your commission.
If you lose: your stake is distributed proportionally among the 8 people in the assembly.
Difference from the pool phase
This is a point that causes confusion: aggregation of several opponents looks like a "pool" but it's not the pool phase at event end.
| Aggregation of several opponents | Pool phase |
|---|---|
| At challenge placement (instant) | At event end (before close) |
| Fixed multiplier (based on the tier and outcome) | Multiplier computed from each outcome's mass |
| You can't refuse it (except by canceling) | You can refuse it via acceptPool and min multiplier |
| Small opposing challenges are matched challenges | Residuals gathered into an accounting MutualPool |
In both cases, you play against a combination of several people. The difference is when it happens and at what multiplier.
Limits of aggregation
Aggregation only works if the available opposing liquidity (across all compatible tiers) reaches your amount. If even stacking every opposing challenge doesn't get there, the residual of your challenge stays waiting for an opponent, and the matching loop takes over for the rest of the event. Matching loop details.
Aggregation doesn't touch Institutional-tier challenges for challenges from the other tiers (by default), to avoid mixing radically different volumes.