On Monday, my colleague Bryan Mears introduced the Ultimate NFL Betting Contest — which features both fantasy and betting. It's an awesome idea for those interested in combining DFS, fantasy, betting and survivor into one season-long contest among friends (or internet strangers).
Well, that was the first in a series of contests we'll feature over the next week or so to give you new pool ideas for your office or group of friends.
If you're not interested in the fantasy or survivor aspects of Bryan's pool (or if you just want to keep them separate), I'd like to introduce a very unique and exciting betting-specific contest a friend of mine recently shared with me.
Meet The Bankroll Builder Pool.
The Objective
To have the highest bankroll on the last day of the contest.
The Rules
- Each participant starts with an imaginary $100 bankroll.
- You must wager at least 20% of that bankroll in Week 1.
- At least 20% of the starting bankroll balance at the beginning of each week must be wagered on a weekly basis through the end of the contest. You can achieve this by making just one bet or as many as you'd like.
- Participants can obviously wager more than 20% and even 100% of their bankroll on any given day, but they are eliminated if the balance hits zero.
Pros
- Fresh: Something new that you and your friends probably haven't done. Spice up your pool game!
- High engagement: No matter how far you're behind, you're never really out of it unless you lose your entire bankroll. At the end of the season, you can try to make up a huge deficit by taking a bunch of longshot underdog moneyline parlays. The sky is the limit.
- Nondiscriminating: Some people love betting totals, while others prefer sides or underdog moneylines. This contest also works perfectly for all types of betting volume preferences. Your friend who likes to bet 20 games on a Saturday can compete with another who only likes to pick out two or three.
You can also include college football and the NFL to account for those who prefer one or the other.
Cons
- Requires a diligent commissioner to track the 20% rule and all picks. You can limit the picks to certain days of the week if you want to make the administration easier.
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Other Options
- Reloading: Allow for participants below a certain bankroll threshold to buy back in on a certain date and reload their imaginary money.
- Parlays: You can decide whether or not to include parlays and/or teasers as an option (make sure you clearly specify the payouts: ex. two-team, six-point NFL teaser is -120).
- Byes: Allow one optional bye week to account for vacations or other things that come up.
However you decide to customize the league, you should really enjoy this fresh face in the gambling contest space. Happy bankroll building!
