Anyone Interested - Bragging Rights Contest

[EaglesPhan36]

Seems like we have A LOT more tennis cappers to start off 2009 than we did to end 2008. Wondering if you fellas would be interested in doing a little contest here during the year. Obviously as per SBR rules, etc. this would not be for money. More or less, since the argument is out there, it could be for the purposes of seeing who the best tennis cappers are. So we're talking bragging rights!

Anywho - If you're interested, sign up here in this thread. I've got some ideas on how we can do this from tournament to tournament. But gauging interest first before diving too far into it. From the people I have seen posting during the Australian Open, I would think we could have at least 6 or so posters involved here.

[Tennispro]

I just came back from a trip i am in lol oo yea Djokovic tonight aye.

[andrewaxia]

in

[single shaker]

i am in!

[Shark79]

in

[WestsidePete]

Sure I'm in...I heard the winner get's to have a tape of Sharapova's porn grunt sessions...is that true EP??

[EaglesPhan36]

It's gonna be a mixtape. You can't leave out Azarenka. Hadn't heard hers until yesterday. Orgasmo!

[single shaker]

It's gonna be a mixtape. You can't leave out Azarenka. Hadn't heard hers until yesterday. Orgasmo!

would you include sounds of her throwing up? a little fetish mixtape!

[jayc88]

in

[WestsidePete]

It's gonna be a mixtape. You can't leave out Azarenka. Hadn't heard hers until yesterday. Orgasmo!

BTW did you see her come back on the court after leaving?? she either just threw up or swallowed a load as she was wiping her mouth with her hand...

[EaglesPhan36]

Yeah LoL. Poor girl. Probably had a great shot at advancing, but nerves/heat/whatever got her. Here's who is in so far on this endeavour:

EP36
tennispro
andrewaxia
single shaker
Shark79
WestsidePete
jayc88

Shaping up nice. Hopefully a couple of the other regulars will join us. Tomorrow, I am going to post a list of a proposed format for this and get input from you guys.

[meganie]

In.

[EaglesPhan36]

EP36
tennispro
andrewaxia
single shaker
Shark79
WestsidePete
jayc88
meganie

This is our field as of now. I will be posting some possible formats for this in a couple hours after I finalize some stuff. Please give input on this as I'd like to set this up with whatever the majority seems to like.

[EaglesPhan36]

Alright guys, these are just proposals. Please provide input & suggestions.

1. Both WTA & ATP events will be used each week. I believe this is a must for bragging rights.

2. When there is more than one tournament scheduled (ATP or WTA) in a week, the tourney with the most Top 50 players in it will be the one used for this tournament. As is the case for example next week when there are two ATP events and no WTA events, both ATP events will be used. When at all possible, giving you two tournaments to work with during a given week.

3. For most events, the singles fields consist of 32 players in the main draw. So for those tournaments, here will be a maximum of 12 picks allowed per tournament. I believe this keeps the playing field level, so that one person doesn't go off and make a ridiculous number of picks. It also allows for some strategy to look for the best prices to maximize your points.

For Grand Slams Events (French, Wimbledon, US Open), the maximum number of picks will increase to 36. This gives you plenty of opportunities, but again does not allow for over betting.

For any events that have an odd number over 32 players and is a non-Grand Slam, the maximum number of picks for that event will be 20. I think there is a tournament with 96 at some point, for that one - we'd go with 28 picks MAX.

You will also be allowed to pick the winner of the tournament prior to the first match of the tournament starting - basically a futures bet.

There will be NO MINIMUM number of picks required per tournament. If you want to skip a tournament, that is your choice. If you want to play 6 matches in one and the full 12 in the other, your choice.

When each tournament is listed, I will post the MAXIMUM number of picks allowed for that tournament. Any picks made past the MAX will not count toward your total score. Any pick made after a match starts will not count toward your total, so be aware of the time differences in foreign countries and pick well in advance.

4. POINT SCORING SYSTEM

(I am suggesting this format first because it alleviates the problem of having to post daily lines & will wind up basically going by ATP & WTA rankings to figure out how many points you get per correct pick)

A. PICKING TOURNEY WINNERS: Each week when you make your selection as to who you think will win a specific tournament, as with a regular futures bet, you will have a chance to substantially increase your total depending on who you pick & who wins.

For picking the correct winner, you will get the number of points equal to the number of entries in the main draw. So for example, in a major if you pick the winner correctly, you would get 128 points. In a 32 player draw, you get 32. The bonus on top of this your point total is then multiplied by the factors below based on the player's ranking prior to the tournament.

Ranked 1-5: Points Won * .25
Ranked 6-10: Points Won *.50
Ranked 11-25: Points Won * 1.00
Ranked 26-50: Points Won *1.50
Ranked 51-100: Points Won *2.00
Ranked 101 & Over: Points Won *3.00

*So for example if you pick Roger Federer to win the Australian Open and he wins. You get the 128 points for getting the pick right multiplied by .25 for a total of 32. Obviously the bigger the upset winner, the more you are rewarded for correctly calling. But you still gain points if you are making correct picks for the top players who win.

B. PICKING TOURNAMENT MATCHES: I think this will be a good set-up so that people aren't simply rewarded for loading up on favorites. For each round of a tournament, you will receive a point factor for picking correctly. The point factor will be multipled by the player's ranking (WTA/ATP rank - not their tournament seed) PRIOR TO THE TOURNAMENT to determine how many points you get for a correct pick.

32 PLAYER DRAW: Round 1 (*1), Round 2 (*2), Quarters (*3), Semis (*4), Finals (*5)

So if you take the top ranked player (Nadal) to win in each round, you would receive 1,2,3,4 & 5 points for each pick if he won each match. If you took say the 10th ranked player and they won, you would get the better payoff of 10,20,30,50 & 50 if they win all the way through. This system again will reward those who pick upsets, but also allow those who want to take favorites to accumulate points in that manner if they choose to do so. The point factors for the tournaments will be listed in the thread for each tournament when the main draw is an odd number other than 32. But the same basic premise where Round 1 would be *1, Round 2 *2, etc. all the way through the Final which gives you 7 rounds of action up to a factor of *7 for the final.

I will post the up-to-date rankings for players involved in the tournaments as they begin so you know what sort of points you can get for picking them correctly.

I'm gonna leave off right here for now, so you guys can digest this and see if it makes any sense at all. I hope I explained it well enough, but please post here with questions, ideas, suggestions, likes, dislikes, etc. so that we can have an agreeable format for the majority.

[single shaker]

Alright guys, these are just proposals. Please provide input & suggestions.

1. Both WTA & ATP events will be used each week. I believe this is a must for bragging rights.

2. When there is more than one tournament scheduled (ATP or WTA) in a week, the tourney with the most Top 50 players in it will be the one used for this tournament. As is the case for example next week when there are two ATP events and no WTA events, both ATP events will be used. When at all possible, giving you two tournaments to work with during a given week.

3. For most events, the singles fields consist of 32 players in the main draw. So for those tournaments, here will be a maximum of 12 picks allowed per tournament. I believe this keeps the playing field level, so that one person doesn't go off and make a ridiculous number of picks. It also allows for some strategy to look for the best prices to maximize your points.

For Grand Slams Events (French, Wimbledon, US Open), the maximum number of picks will increase to 36. This gives you plenty of opportunities, but again does not allow for over betting.

For any events that have an odd number over 32 players and is a non-Grand Slam, the maximum number of picks for that event will be 20. I think there is a tournament with 96 at some point, for that one - we'd go with 28 picks MAX.

You will also be allowed to pick the winner of the tournament prior to the first match of the tournament starting - basically a futures bet.

There will be NO MINIMUM number of picks required per tournament. If you want to skip a tournament, that is your choice. If you want to play 6 matches in one and the full 12 in the other, your choice.

When each tournament is listed, I will post the MAXIMUM number of picks allowed for that tournament. Any picks made past the MAX will not count toward your total score. Any pick made after a match starts will not count toward your total, so be aware of the time differences in foreign countries and pick well in advance.

4. POINT SCORING SYSTEM

(I am suggesting this format first because it alleviates the problem of having to post daily lines & will wind up basically going by ATP & WTA rankings to figure out how many points you get per correct pick)

A. PICKING TOURNEY WINNERS: Each week when you make your selection as to who you think will win a specific tournament, as with a regular futures bet, you will have a chance to substantially increase your total depending on who you pick & who wins.

For picking the correct winner, you will get the number of points equal to the number of entries in the main draw. So for example, in a major if you pick the winner correctly, you would get 128 points. In a 32 player draw, you get 32. The bonus on top of this your point total is then multiplied by the factors below based on the player's ranking prior to the tournament.

Ranked 1-5: Points Won * .25
Ranked 6-10: Points Won *.50
Ranked 11-25: Points Won * 1.00
Ranked 26-50: Points Won *1.50
Ranked 51-100: Points Won *2.00
Ranked 101 & Over: Points Won *3.00

*So for example if you pick Roger Federer to win the Australian Open and he wins. You get the 128 points for getting the pick right multiplied by .25 for a total of 32. Obviously the bigger the upset winner, the more you are rewarded for correctly calling. But you still gain points if you are making correct picks for the top players who win.

B. PICKING TOURNAMENT MATCHES: I think this will be a good set-up so that people aren't simply rewarded for loading up on favorites. For each round of a tournament, you will receive a point factor for picking correctly. The point factor will be multipled by the player's ranking (WTA/ATP rank - not their tournament seed) PRIOR TO THE TOURNAMENT to determine how many points you get for a correct pick.

32 PLAYER DRAW: Round 1 (*1), Round 2 (*2), Quarters (*3), Semis (*4), Finals (*5)

So if you take the top ranked player (Nadal) to win in each round, you would receive 1,2,3,4 & 5 points for each pick if he won each match. If you took say the 10th ranked player and they won, you would get the better payoff of 10,20,30,50 & 50 if they win all the way through. This system again will reward those who pick upsets, but also allow those who want to take favorites to accumulate points in that manner if they choose to do so. The point factors for the tournaments will be listed in the thread for each tournament when the main draw is an odd number other than 32. But the same basic premise where Round 1 would be *1, Round 2 *2, etc. all the way through the Final which gives you 7 rounds of action up to a factor of *7 for the final.

I will post the up-to-date rankings for players involved in the tournaments as they begin so you know what sort of points you can get for picking them correctly.

I'm gonna leave off right here for now, so you guys can digest this and see if it makes any sense at all. I hope I explained it well enough, but please post here with questions, ideas, suggestions, likes, dislikes, etc. so that we can have an agreeable format for the majority.

i like most of what you are suggesting, but would it be easier to use the opening lines instead, and keep track of winning or losing like we currently do.
and keep each play at to win 1 unit.
i agree with you that we should limit the numbers of plays per tournament.

i would also suggest we skip playing WTA all together, and just play ATP. that way we can really dedicate yourselfs to excell.

i think by keeping it simple we could assure ourselfs to stick with it for a longer period of time.

and by tracking everything in units it would give us a more telling story if player A is +10.2 units and player B is -2.3 units. rather than some points.

we all can start with 500 or 1000 units and if you go negative you are out. kind of a play off system in the way. that would probably take care of limiting your number of picks and also would limit people to pick heavy favorites.

lets keep brainstorming i like it!

[WestsidePete]

I agree on using the unit system...which is all that matters really...if a player is 10-2 but -2.00 and another is 5-5 +4.00 the +4 units is obviously more important than the record...I also like the idea of betting favs to win a unit and on dogs betting a unit for the contest....someone want to bet Nadal -1200 fine, you're playing 12 units to win 1....want to take Roddick +600 than you're betting 1 to win 6...with all plays used to win one or bet one...and we can post our own lines we get...some will get better than others..that's the advantage or disadvantage to our lines and our responsibility to get the best one's possible...

[single shaker]

I agree on using the unit system...which is all that matters really...if a player is 10-2 but -2.00 and another is 5-5 +4.00 the +4 units is obviously more important than the record...I also like the idea of betting favs to win a unit and on dogs betting a unit for the contest....someone want to bet Nadal -1200 fine, you're playing 12 units to win 1....want to take Roddick +600 than you're betting 1 to win 6...with all plays used to win one or bet one...and we can post our own lines we get...some will get better than others..that's the advantage or disadvantage to our lines and our responsibility to get the best one's possible...

i meant to say to win 1 unit regardless dog or favorite, so you will bet 12 units in nadals case, and 0.166 unit in roddicks case.

i also feel that we should all have the same lines to work with, so there no grey areas to where you got the line, and opening lines should be posted in the ongoing post before participants make their selections.

[EaglesPhan36]

The lines issue is part of the reason why I thought the rankings with the point factor would be an easier way to go versus lines. But again whatever the majority wants, the majority will get. Hope to hear from the others who wanted in on this contest as to what they think. Thanks for the input so far!

[Shark79]

Alright guys, these are just proposals. Please provide input & suggestions.

1. Both WTA & ATP events will be used each week. I believe this is a must for bragging rights.

2. When there is more than one tournament scheduled (ATP or WTA) in a week, the tourney with the most Top 50 players in it will be the one used for this tournament. As is the case for example next week when there are two ATP events and no WTA events, both ATP events will be used. When at all possible, giving you two tournaments to work with during a given week.

3. For most events, the singles fields consist of 32 players in the main draw. So for those tournaments, here will be a maximum of 12 picks allowed per tournament. I believe this keeps the playing field level, so that one person doesn't go off and make a ridiculous number of picks. It also allows for some strategy to look for the best prices to maximize your points.

For Grand Slams Events (French, Wimbledon, US Open), the maximum number of picks will increase to 36. This gives you plenty of opportunities, but again does not allow for over betting.

For any events that have an odd number over 32 players and is a non-Grand Slam, the maximum number of picks for that event will be 20. I think there is a tournament with 96 at some point, for that one - we'd go with 28 picks MAX.

You will also be allowed to pick the winner of the tournament prior to the first match of the tournament starting - basically a futures bet.

There will be NO MINIMUM number of picks required per tournament. If you want to skip a tournament, that is your choice. If you want to play 6 matches in one and the full 12 in the other, your choice.

When each tournament is listed, I will post the MAXIMUM number of picks allowed for that tournament. Any picks made past the MAX will not count toward your total score. Any pick made after a match starts will not count toward your total, so be aware of the time differences in foreign countries and pick well in advance.

4. POINT SCORING SYSTEM

(I am suggesting this format first because it alleviates the problem of having to post daily lines & will wind up basically going by ATP & WTA rankings to figure out how many points you get per correct pick)

A. PICKING TOURNEY WINNERS: Each week when you make your selection as to who you think will win a specific tournament, as with a regular futures bet, you will have a chance to substantially increase your total depending on who you pick & who wins.

For picking the correct winner, you will get the number of points equal to the number of entries in the main draw. So for example, in a major if you pick the winner correctly, you would get 128 points. In a 32 player draw, you get 32. The bonus on top of this your point total is then multiplied by the factors below based on the player's ranking prior to the tournament.

Ranked 1-5: Points Won * .25
Ranked 6-10: Points Won *.50
Ranked 11-25: Points Won * 1.00
Ranked 26-50: Points Won *1.50
Ranked 51-100: Points Won *2.00
Ranked 101 & Over: Points Won *3.00

*So for example if you pick Roger Federer to win the Australian Open and he wins. You get the 128 points for getting the pick right multiplied by .25 for a total of 32. Obviously the bigger the upset winner, the more you are rewarded for correctly calling. But you still gain points if you are making correct picks for the top players who win.

B. PICKING TOURNAMENT MATCHES: I think this will be a good set-up so that people aren't simply rewarded for loading up on favorites. For each round of a tournament, you will receive a point factor for picking correctly. The point factor will be multipled by the player's ranking (WTA/ATP rank - not their tournament seed) PRIOR TO THE TOURNAMENT to determine how many points you get for a correct pick.

32 PLAYER DRAW: Round 1 (*1), Round 2 (*2), Quarters (*3), Semis (*4), Finals (*5)

So if you take the top ranked player (Nadal) to win in each round, you would receive 1,2,3,4 & 5 points for each pick if he won each match. If you took say the 10th ranked player and they won, you would get the better payoff of 10,20,30,50 & 50 if they win all the way through. This system again will reward those who pick upsets, but also allow those who want to take favorites to accumulate points in that manner if they choose to do so. The point factors for the tournaments will be listed in the thread for each tournament when the main draw is an odd number other than 32. But the same basic premise where Round 1 would be *1, Round 2 *2, etc. all the way through the Final which gives you 7 rounds of action up to a factor of *7 for the final.

I will post the up-to-date rankings for players involved in the tournaments as they begin so you know what sort of points you can get for picking them correctly.

I'm gonna leave off right here for now, so you guys can digest this and see if it makes any sense at all. I hope I explained it well enough, but please post here with questions, ideas, suggestions, likes, dislikes, etc. so that we can have an agreeable format for the majority.

Its too long ... but I would agree with it.

[EaglesPhan36]

Sorry about the length, but you know with how many contests have been set-up - if you don't spell everything out exactly at the beginning, there's bound to be some arguments in the end. I will condense whatever we agree on so that it can be posted in the threads for each tourney.

[Shark79]

sounds like a plan EP.

[meganie]

I'd prefer opening odds, but I can see where the problem is. It would be a bit unusual since you're picking other players than you would normally, but ok, it's fine with me.

[EaglesPhan36]

I guess the big thing with this proposed point system is that I think it still maintains the basic concepts of wagering in a different manner. Whereas using lines, you'd be spending -660 on Roger Federer over Andy Roddick to get one unit. The point system would give you the 2 points for his ranking multiplied by the semi-final point factor for a Grand Slam (6) for a total of 12 points. If you chose Roddick - instead of getting +600 per one unit bet, you get his ranking (9) multiplied by the point factor of (6) for 54 points. Still a greater "payout" than picking Federer.

The key difference in this point system is that an incorrect pick simply gets you ZERO points and does not result in losing units like you'd have with lines. And it still helps to obviously pick an upset correctly versus taking favorites all the way through ... yet it does provide room for that as a strategy if you want to simply try to gain fewer points with favorites (higher ranked players) the whole way through.

Anyway, just thought I'd explain a little more as to my thinking with this set-up to help clear it up if needed. Thanks again for the input!

[The General]

I'd like to participate for fun as long as time presents itself for me. Thanks.

[EaglesPhan36]

Sweet. The way I wanted to set this up is that there is no minimum number of picks to make, so you can skip a tournament if need be and still be right in it by picking some tourney winners/upsets, etc.

Here's our field right now:

EP36
tennispro
andrewaxia
single shaker
Shark79
WestsidePete
jayc88
meganie
The General

[dlw902]

can I still get in on this?

[EaglesPhan36]

Yep. Also, please add any input you have on the structure for the contest listed above. Thanks!

[JColli32]

I am in also....Thanks

[meganie]

I guess the big thing with this proposed point system is that I think it still maintains the basic concepts of wagering in a different manner. Whereas using lines, you'd be spending -660 on Roger Federer over Andy Roddick to get one unit. The point system would give you the 2 points for his ranking multiplied by the semi-final point factor for a Grand Slam (6) for a total of 12 points. If you chose Roddick - instead of getting +600 per one unit bet, you get his ranking (9) multiplied by the point factor of (6) for 54 points. Still a greater "payout" than picking Federer.

The key difference in this point system is that an incorrect pick simply gets you ZERO points and does not result in losing units like you'd have with lines. And it still helps to obviously pick an upset correctly versus taking favorites all the way through ... yet it does provide room for that as a strategy if you want to simply try to gain fewer points with favorites (higher ranked players) the whole way through.

Anyway, just thought I'd explain a little more as to my thinking with this set-up to help clear it up if needed. Thanks again for the input!

There are other examples where that's not the case.
E.g. Soderling (17) vs. Ferrer (12): Bookies would give Soderling odds around -200 at the moment with Ferrer's crappy form, but with the point system, you get Soderling as dog. Same thing with Ferrer playing Cilic (20), Gasquet (25), Karlovic (26), Gulbis (52) etc.
That's what I meant, players who aren't in good form/hard courters, but ranked ahead like Ferrer are still handled as a fav.

[EaglesPhan36]

Gotcha. That makes sense.

Well as of right now, unless others add input - it looks like we'll go with basic lines set-up. Waiting till the end of Friday for any more input and then I'll end that and post the final format since we've got tourneys starting next Monday.

[Shark79]

what about Crazyl?? Hes not gonna participate?? Hes the self proclaimed best HC around???

Lets show some style Lou ... get in this.

[EaglesPhan36]

Alright. Here is our field right now.

EP36
tennispro
andrewaxia
single shaker
Shark79
WestsidePete
jayc88
meganie
The General
dlw902
JColli32

I'm instituting a Midnight ET cutoff to be a registered participant in this Bragging Rights Contest for this Saturday, January 31. Anyone not registered by that point will not be actively tracked in the results thread by me. Also, since it looks like going with Daily Lines is the way ... does anyone have a problem with me using Pinnacle as the source for the lines? They seem to be on top of getting them out quickly for the most part and at competitive prices.

[single shaker]

Alright. Here is our field right now.
I'm instituting a Midnight ET cutoff to be a registered participant in this Bragging Rights Contest for this Saturday, January 31. Anyone not registered by that point will not be actively tracked in the results thread by me. Also, since it looks like going with Daily Lines is the way ... does anyone have a problem with me using Pinnacle as the source for the lines? They seem to be on top of getting them out quickly for the most part and at competitive prices.

pinnacle lines are fine, and lets use american odds as well.

did you like an idea of everybody starting with the certain amount in the bank and if you go below zero you get eliminated? and maybe only do ATP tournaments?

i think that would put extra pressure on making good selections.

[meganie]

Sounds alright, Pinnacle seems to have the best lines. But don't like the idea of skipping WTA.

[EaglesPhan36]

I definitely think it should be a combo of ATP & WTA, but what I think we should do is just have a set # of maximum picks you can make for a given week. Most weeks there appear to be at least 2 tourneys per ATP & WTA. I am thinking a MAX of 24 per week should offer plenty of opportunity. No minimum on the # of ATP or WTA picks you'd have to make. It'd be your choice.