There's a better way to track winning streaks than nesting IF formulas until your spreadsheet buckles. The approach you're describing, multiplying consecutive correct picks by escalating multipliers, then resetting on the first incorrect pick, is a classic pattern that spreadsheets handle poorly when forced through manual logic. You don't need a long chain of embedded conditions. You need a formula that recognizes streaks as a single dynamic calculation.
The core insight is that a streak is not a sequence of isolated cells. It's a running count of consecutive 1s that resets at every 0. Traditional COUNTIF counts all instances, but it doesn't distinguish between a streak and a scattered set of wins. That's why your multipliers in C25:C44 aren't matching up. What you actually want is a helper column that tracks the current streak length, then uses that length to index the multiplier. A simple formula like `=IF(E46=0,0, IF(ROW()=46,1, IF(E45=1, F45+1,1)))` in a new column F gives you the streak length at each row. Then your score becomes `=E46 * INDEX($C$25:$C$44, F46)`. No nested IFs, no manual reset logic, and it scales across all your columns to the right.
This matters because the frustration you felt is not a personal limitation, it's a sign that your tool hasn't adapted to the way you think about progress. Winning streaks are inherently sequential, but spreadsheets were designed for static grids. The moment you treat streaks as a running counter instead of a lookup problem, the complexity collapses. You can replicate this across your other columns by adjusting the references, and the whole sheet becomes maintainable. One formula change, not a rewrite. That's the difference between fighting your tool and letting it work for you.