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AA's Picks Contest
AA's Picks Contest - Part DEUX!
The rules and game play:
The rules and game play:
This takes someone with an 8th grade education about two minutes to read (thanks crash for being the guinea pig on that bit of calculus).
Please read the damned rules.
Please read the damned rules.
(A) You start with a bank of $7500 fake dollars. This contest is against the spread (ATS).
(B) Each week I will post the lines to 7 games of my choice: 1 featuring a team from each P5 conference, 1 featuring a team from the best game from the Group of Five, and 1 wildcard game. I will try to pick the best/most interesting game or line from each of those groups. Please try to limit bitching because I didn't choose a game you thought should be on the slate. Repeated bitching of this nature will be considered as your expressed wish to take over this contest (and I will gladly hand it over to you). Further, whining of any sort about the slate, the rules, or anything else is considered low rent and you will be mocked and lambasted until I fatigue of bludgeoning you with insults.
(C) You have until 10am (all times Central) gameday morning to make your picks (see also, Rule K). Failure to submit picks by the last deadline (usually Saturday at 10am) results in none of your picks being scored and a $1000 fine.
(D) There is no bet maximum. Bet as much as you have if you wish. If your pick ATS is correct, the amount you wagered is added to your bank. If your pick is wrong, the amount you wagered is deducted from your bank.
(E) The weekly bet minimum is $1000 risked until your bank falls below that level. Then, you must bet your entire bank every week until you are zeroed and out of the game - or until you win your way back above that line.
(F) You can bet as many or as few games as you wish, it's up to you, but you must risk at least $1000 per slate. Let me say this again: You do NOT have to pick all seven games. For example, let's say that you only see one game on the slate you want action on, you can simply bet that one game for at least $1000. However, if you hate all the games and you think the best strategy to make your $1000 weekly minimum wager is to place equal bets of $145 across all 7 games to minimize your risk, you can. Again, you are welcome to bet the entire slate with every dollar you have; or you could cherry-pick two or three games for big money and another one for a small amount or whatever you want as long as you at least bet the weekly minimum; HOWEVER, you can only place one wager per individual game. If, for example, Western State is playing Eastern Tech, you cannot place a wager on both teams to win to get around the $1000 minimum amount risked per week. Doing so results in a $1000 fine per hedged wager. Late entry: If for whatever reason, you did not enter the contest by the week 1 deadline, you can enter late. Although, your bank is reduced by $1000 for every week late you enter. Enter at Week 2, and you start with $6500. Week 3 $5500, etc, etc. You are, however, not eligible for late entry if you started the season and were zeroed early due to (bad) aggressive betting.
(G) You may only bet in whole dollars in multiples of 5. None of this "$666.66 on Ohio State" foolishness.
(H) Once you're bankrupt, you're out of the game. One contestant may not give or lend money to another contestant.
(I) The lines I post are *final. It does not matter if you found another book that has the line at -3.5 instead of -5.5. It does not matter if the lines move, either. They are written in stone once they are posted. *The exception to this is if I post an obvious and egregiously incorrect line. For example, let's say that Ohio State is playing Youngstown State and the Bucknuts are a 42-point favorite. I make a mistake and put the line down as 'Ohio State +42' (instead of the correct 'Ohio State -42'), I would post a correction in the thread, fix the line, and not honor anyone's action who took the wrong line. There may also come a time where I remove or close a line due to some issue (numerous suspensions, influenza hospitalizing most of the team, etc). If anyone has wagered on the game before the event in question, that bet would be honored, but the line would be closed going forward. If no one has wagered on that team, I would replace the line with another game.
(J) In the event a game is cancelled (or postponed to an open week) due to bad weather or whatever, your wager on that particular game would be cancelled. If the game is moved to a day later in the same week (for example from Thursday to Saturday or from Saturday to Sunday), your bet would still be honored.
(K) 10am gameday is the deadline. In other words, you may not pick a Thursday game after 10am Thursday morning; a Friday game after 10am Friday morning; or, as noted above, a Saturday game after 10am Saturday. Again, all deadlines are Central time. Also, check the day the game kicks yourself. I will try to note a Thursday kick or whatever, but sometimes I miss it. And while you are checking the day the game kicks, it's not a bad idea to verify the home and away teams because as of 2018, I have flipped that at least once, too. Remember, I often do this while watching some game and after a bourbon or three. Caveat Wagerium, or whatever the Latin is for Bettor Beware.
(L) You are responsible for checking my math. I will make a mistake. I have seen me do it. If you find an error let me know before the next week's games are played and I will correct it.
(M) Next week's lines, weekly winner, and accumulative leaderboard posted on Monday. Maybe Tuesday if I'm lazy or busy.
(N) The last slate of this contest will be the CCGs unless everyone bankrupts before then.
(O) The winner is whomever ends up with the most "dollars" at the end of the contest (or the last person to go bankrupt). Prizes: besides being able to brag about being the winner, I will mail you a fabulous prize package worth several thousand Venezuelan Bolivars.
(P) All bets are ATS. Against the spread. The spread will be posted with the slate. So, if you take Ohio State -20.5, they must win by 21 or more for you to win the amount you wagered: For example, with the example above of -20.5, if Ohio State wins 31-10 and you bet $1000 that they would cover (and that was your only bet), you would win $1000 and have a bank of $8500 going into week 2. On the other side of the coin, if Ohio State misses the PAT and only wins 30-10, they did not cover and you would lose that money and only have $6500 going into week 2. Fuckin' kickers. (See Section R for more examples).
(Q) The Hack and Talent Rules:
i. Changes: You may change your picks up until the deadline but be reasonable. Making picks and changing them multiple times every week is a pain in the ass. If it happens a lot, I will have to put limits or penalties on doing changes. To change a wager, delete (preferred) or quote your original post and make your new wager in a new post with the word "CORRECTED" at the top of the post (please do not wait for the deadline - go ahead and do the correction post when you make the addition or change)
ii. Additions: Please put all wagers on one post. In other words, don't make a post with one team you want to bet on and then two days later make another post with another team. If you add a team, please delete (preferred) or quote your original post and as soon as possible make a new post with your entire slate of choices with the word "CORRECTED" at the top of the post (please do not wait for the deadline - go ahead and do the correction post when you make the addition or change)
iii. The Revision Procedure Penalty: There is a $500 aggravation fee for failure to update your addition or change with a "CORRECTED" post (after being reminded) and causing me to look for two or more posts to tally from one contestant. Fuckin' lawyers.
(R) More game play examples and info: Just put the team you are betting on and the amount. For example:
Line: Poly Tech -3.5 vs Northern State (remember Poly Tech -3.5 also means Northern State +3.5)
*If you take Poly Tech, you are betting that they win by 4 or more.
*If you take Northern State you are betting that they lose by 3 or less (or win outright).
So if Poly Tech wins 28-26 betting "Poly Tech for $500" means you lose $500. Betting "Northern State for $500" means you win $500.
(S) There is no vigorish or juice in this contest.
(T) If there are two or more teams that could be confused on the same slate, do not use initials to denote a wager - spell out the name. For example, if Southern Cal and South Carolina are on the same slate, don't post "USC for $1000" or if Fresno State and Florida State are on the same slate, don't post "FSU for $1000" or if Maryland, Miami, Michigan, Minnesota, Ole Miss (etc) are on the same slate, don't post "UM for $1000" etc, etc. Likewise, don't use mascots. "Tigers for $1000" could mean Auburn, Memphis, LSU, Missouri, Clemson, and about a dozen other teams. Ditto Bulldogs, Wildcats, Aggies, Eagles, and probably several others I am forgetting. If you do the above and, for example, select one of two UM's to win -and one UM wins and one UM loses- I will assume you picked the one that lost you money.
(U) "Pick 'em" means there is no line (or, if you prefer, the line is zero). Just pick the winner and list the amount you want to wager.
(V) In the unlikely event that two or more contestants end the contest with the same amount of dollars, those contestants who tied will email me their pick of the winner of the Liberty Bowl and the total points scored in the game. First tie-breaker is picking the winner, second tiebreaker is closest to the points total, third tiebreaker is a coin flip. If the last contestants in the contest bankrupt on the same day, the one who bankrupts last, wins. If they bankrupt on the same game, the above tie-break rules will be put in effect. Also, on the last week of the contest as well as any tiebreaker, I will accept emailed/pm'ed pick sheets to avoid gamesmanship.
(W) I reserve the right to amend or alter these rules as I see fit.
--I know some of you have never wagered ATS. If you have questions about the above, let me know.
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Winners: Crashcourse (2017); CGVT (2018)
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