What are Confidence Points?
Confidence points add another skill level to the pool. Pool members must assign a number to each game based on "how sure" they are that their team will win. If they feel very confident about a team, they assign the game a higher number. If they are unsure, they give the game a lower number. If their team wins, they win the amount of points they assigned to the game. If they lose, they obviously do not collect any points. If the game turns out to be a tie, they collect half of the points they wagered.
In weeks when there is not a full schedule being played, you can set the pool options so that the top pick is still worth 16 points. Some think this is the best way to go since you will only lose the low point games during these "short weeks". In my opinion it's a matter of opinion :)
The one thing there is no doubt about is that confidence pools have less ties and tie breaker decided outcomes and add spreads to the mix and the quick pick buttons rule more than you would suspect.