| 2009 Rules 1. Each player starts off the WCC Pick ‘Em season with $1000. That’s fake dollars, folks. No money ever exchanges hands in this game. Only pride. 2. The lines are posted each week as soon as the BM gets off his butt and does it. There are several sources he will attempt to use. Why more than one? Because sometimes Source 1 will not have all the lines the Betting Man needs to run the game, so he switches to Source 2. . Source 3 is the BM's local paper. If all else fails, the BM will set the lines himself. 3. What the heck is a “line?” Not all of us have ever placed a bet on sports, so here’s the summary: For each game, there is a favorite. The line tells us by how many points the favorite is supposed to win the game. Suppose the Zags are hosting the Gaels and the line is –19 (The Betting Man will always show the line for the home team). This means the Zags are favored to win the game by 19 points. You decide if you think the Zags will “beat the spread” by winning the game by more than 19 points, or the Gaels will make a game of it and “cover,” losing (or even winning!) by less than 19. Sometimes neither team is favored. This will show up as a “PK,” which stands for “Pick ‘Em.” Pick the winner and that’s all there is to it! There were four PKs in 2005, but only one PK in 2004 and two in 2003, so this doesn’t happen often. 4. This brings us to the types of bets you can place. WCC Pick ‘Em keeps it pretty simple. You will get 10-11 odds on each single game. This means if you bet $11, you win $10 (and yes, you also get your $11 back). Despite the fact that the Betting Man uses a simple spreadsheet to track these things, single game bets that are multiples of 11 are much appreciated. E.g., 11, 22, 33, et cetera. You get the picture, right? WCC Pick ‘Em also uses parlays. In a two game parlay, you pick two games and get a 5-2 return if you pick both games correctly (e.g., bet $10, win $25). If either game misses, you lose the entire bet. In a three game parlay, you pick three games and get a 6-1 return if you hit all three (e.g., $20 wins $120). WCC Pick ‘Em does not use four game parlays. Beware! This is a great way to make bunches of money, but our group of competitors in 2002 had a solid record in straight bets (57.1% correct) and a horrible record in parlays (28.5%). The results in subsequent seasons have been even worse 5. Prior to Season IV, participants were required to place bets on all games, no matter how small. Now we really test your handicapping skills....Instead of betting all games, you bet the games you want to bet. If you don't like a line, feel free to not bet! In order to be considered eligibile for the Championship, you must bet on a minimum of 20 games by the end of the season. 6. You also, quite obviously, must place your bets before tip-off of the game in question. 7. Minimum bet on straight bets is $11. Minimum on two game parlays is $10. Minimum on three game parlays is $5. If you don’t have enough money in your pot to cover that day’s minimum, that means you are out of the game! 8. If you decide to play, please play the whole season. This means checking the board regularly and placing your bets with regularity. We limit the total number of players to 25 (although exceptions can be made for former players), so please only start playing at the beginning if you intend to stick it out. 9. Yes, we take this all the way through the WCC Tournament. Think of it as WCC Pick ‘Em Final Jeopardy. 10. This is an important rule for those of you who know you will not be able to check the board before a day’s lines are posted. You can still place bets without knowing the lines: Simply post a message explaining each of your bets. For example, you can write, “If SCU is favored by more than 10, then I want to bet on SMC. Otherwise, I will take SCU.” This makes it clear to the BM what your intentions are and allows players to post their picks before the official WCC Pick ‘Em lines are revealed. The BM does his best to get the lines out as early as possible. 11. The current standings (and some commentary) will be posted sometime on Tuesday each week. 12. REMINDER: You place your bets at http://members5.boardhost.com/bettingman/ |
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