RULES FOR THE KO STAGES
1. All lines will be used courtesy of Pinnacle Sports. I will post them the night prior to the scheduled matches. Leagues will include Argentina Primera, England Premier, France Ligue 1, Germany Bundesliga, Italy Serie-A, Spain Primera, Europa League & Champions League. There are no limits on what lines you may choose. Anything available from -1000 to +1000 will be open. I will list all Asian Handicap lines, Moneylines, Draws & Totals for scheduled matches.
**ALSO, STILL DO NOT EDIT YOUR PICKS AFTER YOU HAVE POSTED THEM. IF YOU WANT TO CANCEL A PICK AFTER YOU HAVE POSTED IT, SIMPLY MAKE A NEW POST TO CANCEL THAT PLAY. ANY POST THAT IS EDITED WILL NOT BE COUNTED TOWARD YOUR TOTAL.
**ONCE A SQUASH HAS BEEN PLAYED ON A PICK, THAT PICK IS LOCKED IN AND CANNOT BE AVOIDED/CANCELLED. YOU MAY ONLY CANCEL PLAYS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN CHOSEN AS SQUASHES AND/OR THE MATCH HAS NOT STARTED.
2. Each player will be allowed a MAXIMUM once again of 21 plays. There is no minimum number of picks, so no penalties for not picking a certain number of picks. ALL PICKS WILL ONCE AGAIN GOES AS FOLLOW, WHEN BETTING FAVORITES (-110, -120, etc) ... YOU WAGER "TO WIN" ONE UNIT, MEANING YOU ARE BETTING 1.10 TO WIN 1 UNIT OR 1.20 TO WIN ONE UNIT. WHEN BETTING UNDERDOGS, YOU ARE "RISKING ONE UNIT" AS IN WHEN A PRICE IS +145, YOU ARE RISKING ONE UNIT TO WIN 1.45. Players may play any line they choose, be it the same or different as their opponent. IF A PLAYER DOES NOT MAKE A SELECTION AT ALL IN THE ROUND, HIS OPPONENT WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE AWARDED THE WIN FOR THE ROUND.
3. Each round, each player will be given two SQUASHES to use. What's this? Once your opponent has selected a pick, you have the opportunity to use a SQUASH as an opportunity to make one of their picks a play for 3 times the normal one unit betting size. In other words, you can make 2 of your opponent's picks - "best bets" for them. The opportunity here is that if you look at one of their picks and believe it to be a loser, then you put the SQUASH on it as a chance to SQUASH your opponent and saddle them with a three unit loss. It is your choice whether or not to use these SQUASHES as it can help you or hurt you, much like the best bets of the Group Stages. If you choose to use one, simply post which pick of your opponent's you want to squash.
4. To give the KO stages a "two leg feel" like a home/away sort of vibe ...
*In the Round of 16, the #1 seeded player in each match-up calls their shot on Saturdays. What does this mean? This player gets to pick the two leagues he feels he has an advantage in or likes the lines better, whatever & that will be the ONLY leagues allowed for picks in that match-up for SATURDAY. On SUNDAY, the #2 seed gets the same opportunity to pick two leagues that they want and all picks that day must come ONLY from those two leagues. The only leagues allowed are those listed in Rule #1 in this post. The player seedings were determined by finishing order in the Group Stages. It is your choice if you want to use this option or not. You may choose to not call your shot which leaves all leagues per Rule #1 open to selection for picks on that day.
The "shot" or leagues a participant wants to play on those days MUST BE selected on FRIDAY by 11pm ET for the SATURDAY match-ups and by 11pm ET on SATURDAY for the SUNDAY match-ups. If a player chooses not to call his shot by this deadline or misses the deadline, then all leagues available per Rule #1 will be open for selection of picks on that day.
5. All grading this round will be done by EaglesPhan36. I invite you to track your play and your opponent's plays as a way to double check my math and your own.
6. The winners of the Knockout Stage matches is determined by the number of units won in the match-up. In case of a tie, WIN-LOSS record for the match-up is the first tie breaker. The 2nd tie breaker will be UNITS EARNED throughout the entire tournament (includes Group Stages). If another tie breaker is needed, there will be a there will be a ONE MATCH playoff between competitors on the next available wagering day. Each competitor will be required to make two selections on that day from the lines provided with each wager considered a BEST BET for 2 units, either risking 2 on underdogs or "to win" 2 units on favorites. In that case, players MUST PLAY different lines than their opponents.
7. Winners of the Round of 16 will be paired up for the Quarterfinals in a randomly generated bracket that will then be used through the Championship Match-up.