NFL Football Invitation - 2023-2024

BREVITY IS THE SOUL OF WIT

Over the countless years now that Bob and I have run this Football Pool, the pool population for the most part seem to have enjoyed my efforts to entertain with the weekly verbal recaps. Part of the reason is probably due to brevity being the goal. 

It’s time for the annual Football Pool invite, which by nature ain’t brief. I will try to keep this year’s version under 4 pages, but there IS a lot to cover. Let’s get right to the specs.

215 Hurts is the entry fee and covers you for ALL the pools. Contact Bob or myself to settle up with, that’s up to you. A variety of methods are accepted. We will go over that when you check in with us. For now, a response of yes to this email will secure your spot on the mailing list. On to the Pool details. We don’t want to hear it, but also let us know if you are going to pass.

Two pools run concurrently during the 18 week regular season. The Main Pool is the Big Prize and the reward is commensurate with it’s difficulty. You pick every game (272) using our provided point spread. Top 3 records get prizes. The winner deserves and gets the biggest prize. 42% of the prize fund. 2ndplace gets rewarded with 12% and 3rd place gets a taste of honey netting 6%. That may not sound like much but that alone is greater than the entry fee, so I would sign for winning that prize right now and be happy. Ties do happen in this pool at times so if there is a tie for 1st, they split the sum total of 1st and 2nd place prizes. A tie for 2nd splits the combined 2nd and 3rd place prize total. A tie for 3rd results in a split of that prize for the players involved. 

The second pool also runs for the 18 week regular season. It’s the Best Bet Pool. It’s always hotly contested, usually coming down to the final week. It’s riveting! Last year 7 players were in position to win a prize in the final week. Ended in a two way tie for the prizes. Only the top two records receive prizes here. Winner snares 21% of the prize fund and runner up takes home 4%. Ties are quite common in this pool. Bob and I love to see it spread around. I’ve referred to the Prize Fund a few times. It’s based on the number of entries so it’s a fluid number year to year. We won’t know that number until just before we get started (1 month from today as I write this). The prize list and amounts will be revealed at that time. A day we all start to dream. . . 

The third pool is the Playoff Pool. You don’t have to do well in the regular season to qualify. You can be like the Colts and still make it. All you HAVE to do is satisfy the entry obligation. 13 games over a 4 week span and there is ONE winner. It always come down to the Super Bowl and there is a tie breaker for that game if there is still a tie between two or more players (it happened just last year) after the result of the game. We got months to go before we get there so details on that when the time comes. The Playoff Pool winner reels in the remaining 15% of the Prize Fund. I DO hope all that adds up to 100%.

There are side pools that your entry covers but are separate from the prize fund. First one is often referred to as a Survivor Pool or (my preference) Knockout Pool. Each week (regular season only) in addition to picking all the games WITH the point spreads, you also select a team just to WIN THE GAME. No point spread. Win and you “survive”, moving on to the next week. Only a win gets you through. Ties, rare though they may be, ain’t winning. Lose or tie and you are knocked out. You can only take a team once. Say you take the Chiefs in week 1. They win - - cool, you get past the week. You can’t use the Chiefs for the rest of the season. This pool has only gotten to week 18 once and if it does all remaining split the pie. Last year it ended around week 12 with 3 winners splitting the prize. That prize is 10X the number of entries in the pool. 410 Mahomes last year!

Another side pool is the Mystery Doubles. All players will be matched up with another player and the pairings will be chosen by a random group of pool participants supervised by Bob, from a “hat” so to speak, just before the last week of the regular season. We announce the teams and standings going into the final week AFTER the picks for week 18 have been made. Bob will send it with his pick recap sheet. Something extra for us to root for that last week. SO don’t mail it in if you are up the track in the standings race going into that final week. You may be matched with someone near the top and you having a good week may get you a prize. That prize is also 10X the number of entries, split by the winning pair. Ties (It has happened here) are split evenly by the pairs.

One more prize and a very important one is the Weekly Prize. For Newbies, the best record for each of the 18 regular season weeks wins the coveted Weekly Prize. It’s 90 Rodgers for the winning effort. Another good reason to carry on late in the year if you aren’t looking good for a major prize. Take one or two of these and it could be a plus year for you in the end. 

A couple of years ago we added a little prize aimed at the people who aren’t having a good year and we don’t want them going home empty handed. The last place finisher each week gets a “booby” prize of 6 Jones. You don’t want to win too many of those but it does take a little of the sting out of being last and getting trashed by the mean spirited writer of the recaps. 

Every week Bob sends out the updated standings of the two pools with the pick sheets for the next week and that previously mentioned verbal recap. The Knockout Pool update isn’t addressed but I will touch on it in my recap. We suspect you know if you are still in and Bob will remind you if you owe us a pick. We also keep track of prior KO picks so we won’t let you make a mistake. 

Pool veterans - - I probably lost you at hello but if not, thanks for sticking around. Nothing new the rest of the way so just respond yes (we hope) and see you in September. Newbies, a little bit more you need to know.

On Monday’s I (yes I, Bob does most of the work but not all) send you the single game line for the Thursday game. On Wednesday, Bob sends out the remainder of the game lines. The favorite on the left, dog on the right, home team in CAPS. 3 different forms.

You then edit the form most compatible for you with your picks. Select a Best Bet. Indicate a Survivor Pick if you are still in it, and send it back. Most people do it electronically but if for some reason you cannot, you can call or text one of us with your picks or email them without the pick sheet. We need the Thursday game pick by then of course. 4PM would be nice, BUT THE EARLIER THE BETTER. The balance of the games as soon as you can so Bob can put together a spreadsheet with everyone’s picks and send it out so you can see how you are doing against the field on Sunday. Absolute DEADLINE is 11AM Sunday for the rest of the games on the schedule. Not game time - - 11AM. Bob will hound you if you are not in Sunday morning when he wakes up. Bob has a life too so please be good boys and girls and get the picks in on time OR EARLIER. Bob thanks you in advance. BTW, Bob does not enter the pool. His decision on any controversies rule. We rarely have an issue Bob has to make a call on. I DO go in the pool. Usually I’m a non factor. I just like the action. 

If it’s found that you missed a game, picked both sides of a game, forgot a Best Bet, etc. It’s OK, it happens a lot. If you get them in early enough, Bob or I will catch the error and contact you to correct it. It almost never happens but in case we both somehow miss it, sorry but it’s your error and you get a loss for the missed pick, Best Bet or KO pick. If you get them in before crunch time, we won’t be in rush mode and we WILL catch it.

This rarely happens but I have to cover it. Sometimes real life gets in the way of our fantasy life and you just. . . get overwhelmed. If you fail to make the picks one week, for one time only, you will get credit for 3 less wins than the average of the group that week. If they averaged 7 wins, you get 4. You lose your Best Bet and Knockout. One time only. Happens again, it’s zero’s. Also, it’s only applicable front 16 weeks. No sitting on a big lead. Gotta make the picks last two weeks. 

That’s it kids. As promised, I kept it under 4 pages. Any questions - - Bob or I have the answers. Don’t be shy to ask. Let us know if you are in. Show this to friends. NO limit to number of players. Thanks!

Hi there! Bob here. Once again I will attempt to keep up our website. It’s a little tough for me to find a chance to do it, but I will do my best. IF YOU FIND THAT YOU DID NOT RECEIVE THE EMAILS, all pick sheets, recaps, and standings can be found on the site.

LET’S PLAY SOME FOOTBALL!!!!!