Super Bowl Squares Contest- PLEASE EXPRESS YOUR INTEREST

[eye123]

Anyone able to set this up ?  (at $10 a square)  payout $400 at half time $600 Final score. (Where they can collect the money, show the graphic (grid with names included)..then when the grid is filled will pick two members to pick the numbers (up and across)  Just floating an idea. Any thoughts on this welcome. Something just to involve the board on Super Bowl day that might be fun. Maybe get friends and family to join in the grid for added fun. (help fill in the grid also)  Tom ?  

[eye123]

No thoughts I guess... Maybe more work then it's worth.

[tc]

Here is a free online site that seems to do what you need, eye.

I've not used it before but it does seem simple, it's free and has the functionality you will need. I'm sure there are others as well.

A simple google search for "online super bowl squares pool" will get you other options.

superbowlpoolsite.com/

[UpInClass]

[spanky]

Isn't that an oxymoron on a horse racing site Badactor? ...lol...Contest looks good to me. One thing I would like to bring up. How would I get a list of members email addresses? And I realize some members might not want that made public on the site and I get that. 

[eye123]

Jan 27, 2021 19:29:24 GMT -5 UpInClass said:

I "KNOW" this is a policy no one will adhere to !   

[eye123]

tc..I'd like to get an idea if any interest in this even exists. 100 boxes is a lot to fill. No need to go any further if no interest. (ps that site seems like a first step to the grid problem)

[tc]

I'll play.

[tc]

might be a good vehicle for picking up some new members for the site...if it goes ahead and is adequately promoted by current members.

[eye123]

I found this site www.random.org/sequences/ it will give a random number to each box in a 10 x 10 grid. What we could do is have the numbers horizontal and vertical picked first (for grid) then everyone who purchases a box will get a number 1- 100 (ie first person who buys a box gets #1..second person #2 etc) then at the very end (say the day before the Super Bowl) we run the sequence. Seems equitable to everyone playing. (for those interested check the site enter 10 in format...then hit get sequence for example of how this would work)

[spanky]

in

[tenfurlongs]

Three scenarios:

ten players sign up- each player must purchase ten squares on average. At $10 per, that's a $100 investment per player (if you want a $1000 prize pool).

fifteen players sign up- each player must purchase six or seven squares on avg= $60-$70 each

twenty players sign up- each player must purchase 5 squares on avg= $50 each

I can't speak for other potential players, but my suspicion is that $100 buy-in may be too rich to attract ten players (maybe not though). $50 might be too much as well, just based on the funding of other contests on this forum. I don't know that you can get more than twenty people interested, although we have a week to try.

Reducing the prize pool obviously reduces the buy-in required. If you sell $1 squares, you'll easily get enough interest to fill up the grid, but a prize format of $75/$15/$5/$5 (final/halftime/first qtr/3rd qtr) may not get the blood stirring. So the sweet spot is probably somewhere between $1-$10 per square.

Poll the audience. Find how many people will participate, and what is the maximum amount each player would spend to participate? Market forces will rule. I might buy $40 (8 squares at $5 each, e.g.) whereas Jane Doe is only comfortable going to $10 total (two $5 squares). If eighteen people respond, and the sum-total of the potential buy-ins is $430, then the squares should sell for $4 apiece, to fill the grid. The problem can be that fence-sitters or latecomers may want in, which would build the pool, but the grid is already filled. Set a firm deadline, say Wednesday next week.

Now the problem becomes handling the cash. If everyone has PayPal, then it's easy. One person collects the funds, and subsequently distributes it to the winners. Poll question number two. Do you have a PayPal account? 

I've run many Super Bowl Squares in my day, and don't mind doing it. If we can have some initial feedback, say today and tomorrow, there should be ample time to pull it together.

Please share your thoughts, and please respond to the POLL at the top of this forum.



TW

[tenfurlongs]

I edited the title of the thread too, Carl. Hope you don't mind, just trying to stir up interest ASAP. Thanks.




TW

[eye123]

Tom, no problem. My idea here was that maybe members would get their friends and family involved and they would have multiple boxes(their buy and friends boxes) I wanted to keep it small ($10) to have interest and an amount that most could part with easily (coffee and bagel money). $1 amount more problems then worth(collecting and pool amount not really worth going for) $100...to much to expect these days. Object was to get "as many" involved as possible. Pay Pal would be easy to do this. (didn't explore beyond that) Any ideas by members appreciated if they have interest.

[tenfurlongs]

I like the idea of each UIC player "crowdsourcing" funds from friends and family! It would be up to each player to keep track of which square/portion-of-a-square goes to "Uncle Fred", etc. I'd like to just see one UIC player name on a square. "Barb Z. & Timmy's dog" would get unwieldy, if you catch my drift. 

I'd love to see $10 squares ($1000 pool), but in the end you have to fill every box with a name, so the total amount "pledged" would determine the actual square "cost". 

The logistics of actually selecting "your" squares would be something to think about. As the outcome is completely random (purely a game of chance), it shouldn't matter which box(es) you pick. Having said that, is first come/first served the way to go? Will folks be upset that they couldn't pick earlier/later? The across columns would be A>>J and the down rows would be 1>>10. So you'd say, when it is your turn, "For my three squares I want A5, D7, and G2." 

Once the grid is filled, we can either use a random-number generator to determine the column/row numbers, or have two "non-combatants" pick numbers out of a hat, if that seems fair to everyone.

What else, logistically?




TW

[eye123]

Actually my idea was to have the columns (horizontal and vertical just be 0 thru 9 in order from upper left hand corner. Then when the pool is collected we use the random selector www.random.org/sequences/ to pick the boxes 1 through 100. This selector has a time stamp so day before at noon we hit it and post. Each person who joins (in order) will be given number 1-100. The corresponding box and number is theirs.

Example I just ran www.random.org/sequences/?min=1&max=100&col=10&format=html&rnd=new

[soundsofsaratoga]

I would be interested. For the squares I would get I would let the person running the pool to fill them in.

[eye123]

No need to fill them in. For every ten dollars you will get a number (in order ie first person gets #1, second person gets #2 and so on) to 100.(which fills all boxes) When the random selection is run you just have to look at where your number is in the grid. Look up and across and those are your corresponding numbers for the game.

[tenfurlongs]

I'm sorry, you had posted that earlier, but I didn't look at it until now. That's super! Totally works for me.




TW

[eye123]

We can create a list 1-100 of those entered with the name of the member beside (who owns that number in the grid) so that everyone can follow along and know who is close throughout the game, and who the eventual winners are. (the halftime payout and final game payout to be determined by the members ) (ie 40-60 30-70 25-75 etc)

[spanky]

I have Pal Pal and will go with the flow. Not knowing the financial status of others, I suggest something in the $25 range...

[PonyGirlJCM]

I would be willing to buy in a couple of squares if it helps the cause.....
Maybe you should post this on other threads for people who don’t venture down here .....

[tenfurlongs]

Thanks Michele! I took your advice and moved the thread upstairs...lol.




TW

[eye123]

Tried to upload an attachment here, got this message "error,this forum has exceeded it's attachment space limit" . Something new ?  


So far (looking at poll) just ten members interested.

[UpInClass]

Switched the Flip...

You have purchased the following items for this forum:
Attachment Storage Monthly Subscription - Copper

It should work now.

[eye123]

Kansas Tampa Super Bowl.pdf (26.02 KB)



If we have enough interest will run random generator to fill in the boxes. 



Tom, would you be willing to collect entries through Pay Pal for this? (think we should keep the funding and payouts Pay Pal only)

Dell, the day before, would you be willing to run the random generator to see how boxes fill ? 

[5wide]

i'm interested.

[tenfurlongs]

Yes, I'd be happy to be the banker.




TW

[eye123]

Thanks Tom !

Dell, you would just have to enter 10 in format space and hit the "get sequence" button, then copy and paste here to the forum.
This is the site www.random.org/sequences/





I'll take those numbers and enter into the pdf for download for those who entered.

[Badactor]

Got it... yes.