Prediction and Betting Contests
UFC 130 CONTESTS: Confidence Pick and Betting Games are LIVE
May 27, 2011 - 6:00:54 PM UFC 130 CONTESTS: Confidence Pick and Betting Games are LIVE

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By Rich Hansen, MMA Torch Columnist

Well it's that time again. It’s time to bet imaginary money in order to win nothing! It's time to pick the winners in order to, well, to win nothing. UFC 129 was a fantastic card, and here's hoping that an underappreciated UFC 130 can match its predecessor in terms of entertainment value. Also, let's hope that I don't have to delete damn near half the entries like I had to for the UFC 129 games! To clarify, read the rules at the bottom of this page. They aren't hard, yet the number of invalid entries continues to climb for every event for some reason. After consulting with Jamie Penick, I will not be informing you if you send in an invalid entry. So once again, read the rules. If you have questions, just ask.

Unpleasantries aside, let's look forward to UFC 130's matchups. Our defending champion in the Betting game is Danny Mellor. Danny will be defending his Betting championship against MMA Torch Editor Jamie Penick. I don't know about you, but I’m setting the lines at Mellor -200, Penick +160. And in the Confidence Picks game, Shaun Godric Louis will defend his title against Simon Kerry, who edged the aforementioned Penick on tiebreakers at UFC 129. Good luck all!

BETTING LINES

So, with no further ado, here are the lines we're using, courtesy of Bodog.com:

Quinton Jackson: -265
Matt Hamill: +205

Frank Mir: -140
Roy Nelson: +110

Travis Browne: -140
Stefan Struve: +110

Thiago Alves: -250
Rick Story: +190

Brian Stann: -150
Jorge Santiago: +120

Miguel Torres: -135
Demetrious Johnson: +105

Kendall Grove: -140
Tim Boetsch: +110

Michael McDonald: -500
Chris Caraiso: +300

Renan Barao: -365
Cole Escovedo: +285

Gleison Tibau: -365
Rafaello Oliveira: +285


CONFIDENCE PICKS GAME RULES

NOTE: A player does not need to play both games during each event. Players may choose to submit an entry for one game or the other, or for both, at their own choosing.

Assign a number from 1 through 12 (if a 12 fight card, 1 through 11 if a 11 fight card, etc.), with the highest number going to the fighter you are most confident in winning. Also list your prediction for method of victory, along with the round (or decision if you predict a decision)

Using UFC 124 as a template, here is how simple an entry will look:

Georges St-Pierre – 11 - decision
Thiago Alves - 10 - KO2
Jim Miller - 9 - decision
Stefan Struve - 8 - KO1
Ricardo Almeida - 7 - sub3
Mark Bocek - 6 - sub2
Joe Stevenson - 5 - decision
Dan Miller - 4 - decision
Rafael Natal - 3 - decsion
Matt Riddle - 2 - KO1
John Makdessi - 1 - decision

The first tie-breaker is the sum of confidence points. Using the example above, a Georges St-Pierre victory would earn 11 points, Thiago Alves winning would earn 10 points, etc.

If two participants earn the same number of confidence points, the next tie-breaker will be total number of winners predicted. If Player A earns 40 points on 7 winning picks, and if Player B earns 40 points on 6 winning picks, Player A would be declared the winner.

The next tie-breaker is the number of victory methods predicted correctly. Next would be predicted rounds of victory.

If both players are still tied at this point, both players will be declared winner, and they will face off again, along with the winner of the pool (to be described later), at the next event in a three way dance.

There is no money being wagered in this game, and there are no prizes, short of bragging rights.


BETTING GAME RULES

1.) Every player has $1000 of fake, imaginary, theoretical, play money to wager on each event. This is not a real money game, it is strictly for fun.

2.) Players must place a bet of at least $50, but not more than $500, on each of 3 or more different fighters. Bets may be in any denomination, as long as the amount falls in the range of $50 - $500.

3.) Players may also place a parlay bet. A parlay bet is a bet placed on multiple fighters. All fighters in the parlay must win their fights in order for the parlay to pay off. Parlay bets pay off at a higher rate than a bet on a single fighter. The parlay bet may be placed on either 2 or on 3 fighters.

4.) The minimum parlay bet is $50. The maximum parlay bet is $200. This money comes out of the $1000 allotted to each player. The parlay bet is not separate from the $1000 budget. A player is not required to play a parlay bet. The maximum number of parlay bets a player may wager is one.

5.) Whether or not a player chooses to place a parlay bet, the player must still place at least three straight bets ie: It is not legal to place two bets on individual fighters and one parlay bet. No entry is considered valid unless there are a minimum of 3 straight bets placed on individual fighters.

6.) If a fight ends in a draw, any money bet on said fighter will be refunded, with no fake money commission taken. If a fighter in a 3-fighter parlay is involved in a draw, that fighter will be removed from the parlay and the 3-fighter parlay will be treated as a 2-fighter parlay. If a fighter in a 2-fighter parlay is involved in a draw, that fighter will be removed from the parlay and the 2-fighter parlay will be treated as a straight bet on the remaining fighter.

Instructions on how to read and utilize the betting lines

7.) If a fighter has a positive number such as +150 next to his name, he is the underdog, which means a successful bet on that fighter will pay off at a higher rate. That means that if the fighter wins, the bet will payout $150 net profit for every $100 bet on him. If a player were to bet $500 on a +150 fighter, and the fighter wins, the player will profit $750. If a player bets $500 on a +150 fighter, and the fighter loses, the player will lose his $500 bet.

8.) If a fighter has a negative number such as -200 next to his name, he is the favorite, which means a successful bet on that fighter will pay off at a lower rate. That means that if the fighter wins, the bet will payout $100 net profit for every $200 bet on him. If a player were to bet $500 on a -200 fighter, and the fighter wins, the player will profit $250. If a player bets $500 on a -200 fighter, and the fighter loses, the player will lose his $500 bet.

Structure for each game

9.) For each UFC numbered event, both the Confidence Picks and Betting Game will feature a champion and a challenger facing off against one another. The winner of the head to head battle will be declared the reigning champion.

10.) All other players for each UFC numbered event will compete against each other for the right to face off against the reigning champion at the next UFC numbered event. This is known as The Pool.

11.) As games administrator, I have the subjective right to eliminate any entry for any reason I deem worthy.

12.) Entries may be submitted via email (mmatorchrich@gmail.com), or on the comment section of this post. Email is the preferred method, because if a player posts an invalid entry, I have no way to make sure I can get hold of the player so that it may be corrected. Please, under no circumstances should you both email and post on the board your entry. One or the other please, preferably email.

13.) Any questions, please email me and ask. There are no new rules in this list of rules. I just wanted to have everything listed together. But that said, if you have a question, just ask.

Most important rule

14.) If you mention being a Packer fan, you will be banned. Try me. Even in the offseason, I hate you.


*****ONCE AGAIN, ENTRIES MAY BE SUBMITTED BY EMAIL TO MMATORCHRICH@GMAIL.COM OR IN THE COMMENT SECTION OF THIS POST*****