Monday, September 03, 2007

INTRO CRAP

Hey Gang,

Matty here. Apologies for any blandness in the following post, but I want to be as clear as I can with you about what I'll need from you each week and what you should expect from me. I'm going to post this sort of FAQ, but if you have any questions, please feel free to email me when ever and I'll be happy to answer.

Matty, why are you doing this?
I used to be in a pool like this at work. I left that job but I enjoyed the pool so much that I decided to start my own.

What do you get for doing this?
Nothing. Not a red cent. I don't take a penny off the top. I even pay for postage. I'm one heck of a guy, lemme tell you.

Why a blog?

I find that its easier for me to just post stuff here than to send emails all the time. Also, I imagine its easier for you to just call up the page when you want to without being bombarded with emails from me multiple times each week. As such, this blog is the main vehicle I use for communicating with people in the pool. With that in mind, you might want to bookmark the site for easy reference.

Matty, what do you post here?
I post everything here. Standings, next week's schedule, updates on that week's games, weekly humorous weekly write-ups... pretty much everything.

How do I know when there is a new post up?

I will try to send you an email each week telling you to when I've posted winners/results for the past week and the schedule for the upcoming week, but don't depend on email. Whether you get an email or not, I will post stuff here. Thats my responsibility. You come here to check it out, thats yours.

When do you typically post updates, etc.?
I try to post the results at the end of each NFL week (i.e Monday night or Tuesday morning) and the beginning of each week I post that week's NFL schedule. The schedule is usually up either the same day or at least by Wednesday.

How do I pick the games?
You email me your picks by the start of the first NFL game that week. I'll need two things from you each week:

1) Your picks clearly spelling out which teams you are picking AND...

2) I'll need the total number of points you think will be scored in the Monday night game. The goal is to get the closest to the total number of points scored without going over the actual amount.

If you do not include the total number of points you could lose the tie breaker even if your opponent goes over (see below for what I'm talking about).

Its easiest for me (and probably for you as well) if you just cut and paste the picks I post here into an email, and underline and bold your predicted winner. I'll assume that the team you've highlighted, etc. is the team you think will win and will credit you as such.

How do you, Matty, pick the games?/How do I know you aren't a lying thief?
Each week before the start of the games I post my picks in the comments section of the post containing that week's schedule. There is a time stamp on the post so you know I picked the games before they started. To access my picks, just click on "comments" on the post containing that week's schedule.

What if there is a tie at the end of a week?
If there is a tie in total number of games won at the end of the week, the money goes to the person who came closest to the total number of points scored in the Monday night game without going over. Thats without going over.

For example, if the final score is Washington 14, Dallas 10, and I picked 25 points and you picked 15, you win the money because I went over. Got it?

If two (or more) people are still tied after the tie-breaker then they will split the prize evenly.

If two people are tied and one did not include their predicted number of points scored on Monday night the other person will automatically win the prize money even if they went over the actual amount with their prediction.

What happens if I am late with my picks?
If you are late with your picks you are not eligible to win that week's prize money. So don't forget! If I notice that you haven't sent in your picks, I might send you an email, but I'm not going to chase people all over the place with emails and phone calls or what ever.

If you do forget it does not mean that you can't win the over-all prize. Because this is about fun, unlike some pools I do give you credit for picking teams even if you don't turn your picks in on time. This season I will give you credit for picking all the home teams. Home teams win roughly 60% of the time on average, so that seems more than fair to me. (Last year I gave people credit for the favorite, but the variability of lines and my difficulty in finding them after the games have started caused me to change the policy this season.)

Just remember, because real money is at stake here, I do try to take this seriously, and as such I ask everyone to please comply with the rules. Its just fair that way.

How much money will I win if I win a week?
The money is distributed based on a percentage system, so I won't know how much money each week is worth until I know exactly how many people are in the pool. I can tell you how much of the total pot each week is worth however. Here is the breakdown:

Each weekly winner wins 4% of the total prize pool.
At the end of the season, I total up the wins and the person with the most wins gets 20% of the total prize money. The person who finishes in second place gets 12% of the total prize money.

I'll publish the actual numbers after the start of week 1.

How do I get my money?
I'll mail it to you. Don't forget to email me a current address if you haven't done so already.

If you have any other questions, or there is something that I haven't addressed here that you are curious about, please shoot me an email or you can post something in the comments section.

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