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SUPER BOWL SQUARES - 2015
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Last year finally seemed to work the best for me so far running this game so it’s back this year.
This is how it works - I have 2 grids each with a 100 squares on - one grid is £5@square and total prize fund is £496 (-£4 from the pot for raffle book/pens etc.) and the other grid is £2@square with a total prize find of £180 (-£20 from the pot towards photo-copying grids, envelopes and postage etc. to send grids out).
The reason the games are different in the way I cover my costs and how the prizes work is I never planned originally to do the £5 one like this so hence never factored out costs for having to copy up many grids and sending multiple copies out by post etc. but that is why I am explaining this difference in how I am covering my running costs.
In the £2 game all costs are included - I just have to hope that it works out either most of these squares will be bought by people that I see in person or by people who are also having a £5 square.
But either way hopefully the £20 taken from that game will cover all my postage and other associated costs and if not hopefully have a few mates that could perhaps help send a few grids out for me from their work on my behalf - but that’s on me to sort out.
With the £5 grid only £4 comes out of this prize pool so that just covers the highlighter pens, raffle book and photo copying the original chart a few times. So for this reason any one wanting their own personal copy of the grid to be sent to them who will not see me in person before the game - either in the pub before Super Bash or at my work, in my day to day life etc. then I will ask them to add just an extra £1 to the total cost of all the squares they want when they PayPal me their entry money. Then I will make sure they are sent their own copy of the grid the Monday or Tuesday before the Super Bowl. This way any one can have the fun of not only knowing their numbers but see every ones numbers on the grid and anyone who is on the NFLUK forum or THE FAN PUB site I will use their forum or TFP name on the grid - only non NFLUK/TFP members (like some of my work colleagues) will non forum/TFP names be used. That way it should be much more fun for most people on the NFLUK forum or THE FAN PUB site to see who’s square it’s on at any time but especially who’s square it is on at the pre-designated points during the game - that being the end of the first 3 quarters and the final result of the whole game - including O.T. (overtime) as they are the winners.
Now as I won’t see most people in person have adapted these grids as follows to make it random - I have numbered every square on the £5 grid from 1 - 100 and on the £2 grid 101 - 200. That is to match the raffle tickets in the books I bought from Tesco’s.
I will place all the raffle tickets in two different bags - one for the £5 grid (Blue) and the other the £2 grid (Yellow).
Now this is the clever bit and how I can start selling the squares right now (before even the S/B finalists are known) as normally I would sell all the squares before numbering the grid randomly in front of a witness. However I numbered the grid at work on Monday in front of a witness by using playing cards. I did this by taking an Ace (representing 1) thru to 10 (representing zero) from a pack of playing cards - I got the witness to shuffle them up and then start to turn them over and as he did so I numbered across the top of the grid the columns in the order the cards come out - which represent the AFC teams numbers. I then had them repeat the process for the rows which represents the NFC teams numbers (down the side).
However so I can start selling squares now and to people I do not see in person yet still make it random luck what numbers you get came up with the raffle ticket system last year. No one gets to pick their own numbers on the grid - they select a raffle ticket from the bag - or a proxy does this on their behalf (most likely a work colleague or personal friend of mine). The raffle ticket corresponds to the same numbered square on the grid and that becomes their square - they write their name in the square - or a proxy does on their behalf if they are not present. If I know their NFLUK forum or TFP name that will be used on the public grid (but will also keep a separate note myself of who each entrants real name is so I can pay out the correct winners after the Super Bowl itself).
Doing it this way means people can know their squares numbers as soon as they have drawn them - or a proxy has on their behalf. The reason this can be done now before even the actual Super Bowl teams are known is because the AFC team always goes on the top of the grid - so is represented by the column numbers and the NFC team goes down the side so is always represented by the row numbers. I can inform people right away what their numbers are - or if they are drawing in person their numbers will be written on the back of the actual raffle ticket(s) they draw. When the Super Bowl teams become known I can add them to the grid itself. When both grids are sold out I can copy them up and send/give copies to all who want one - so rather than just knowing your own numbers you can see every one else’s and check who’s square it’s on as the Super Bowl game progresses.
Using the raffle ticket system insures no one gets to pick their boxes numbers - it’s all still random luck what numbers you get and again is down to the actual scores in the real game at the predesignated points - so even more luck as to which squares actually win.
In case you don’t understand how the game works here’s a synopsis:-
Each grid has a 100 squares, which I randomly number the columns and rows of by using playing cards.
Across the top (when known) goes the AFC team (columns), down the side goes the NFC team (rows). The scores at the end of the first 3 quarters and the final result of the game (to cover the eventuality of O.T.) decides the wining boxes. Every score in the game changes the winning box and what box it’s on at those predetermined points of the game (end of the first 3 quarters and final game score) wins the prize for that point.
The prizes are:-
£2 Grid
1st QTR - £15
2nd QTR - £30
3rd QTR - £45
FINAL - £90
£5 Grid
1st QTR - £124
2nd QTR - £124
3rd QTR - £124
FINAL - £124
I explained above the reason for the different prize structures between the grids and am being completely up front about them - if you don’t think it’s fair then no one’s forcing you to partake. I will have to cover (put in for) any unsold squares (but seriously hoping that won’t be an issue this year) however if I manage to sell 98/99 of the squares on either grid then will put in for the last one or two left - that is if no one has any objections to this?
I don’t get to pick my squares I just take the last two left on each grid - as after all I love a gamble to.
Now this is how the winning squares are determined.
Example:
If the score at the end of the first Quarter is AFC team 10, NFC team 3 you would go to AFC column zero (0 - because you just take the last digit of the teams scores) and NFC row 3 and where the two meet on the grid is the winning box for that Qtr. and this is how it works for the whole game. In effect (and it has happened) the same box can win more than one prize.
I first encountered this game on the champ train from Chicago to Champaign, Ilonis the season the Bears played at the University of Ilionis stadium while Soldier Field was being renovated. I got them to teach me how it worked as it was nothing like what we run on our sports here. There they do it in office pools and in bars or what have you on regular season games - or any games if there’s enough punters - however they do it for bigger bucks $10 or $20 a square. NICE 
In the past here in the UK I have found it a real headache selling all the boxes so was not going to run it last year but having come up with the above system of making the internet work for me gave it a go and found it worked pretty well - so as the interest was there and it worked decided to run it again this year - possibly may make it an annual thing but if it all goes Pete Tong (wrong) especially if I loose money or have trouble selling all the squares before Super Bowl Sunday will not do it again in future years.
Now the raffle tickets are to make it completely random what numbers you get even after the grids columns and rows have been randomly numbered by me. I plan to send copies of the grids out to people requiring them the Monday/Tuesday before the Super Bowl giving the postal service plenty of time to get them to everyone. Also (worst case scenario for me) should the grids not be fully sold out by then the people who I send a grid to I will follow up with an e-mail later on in the week with the numbers of the blank boxes on their grid and who they now belong to having been sold later so they can fill them in and still have a complete grid come game day itself. This is just a back up plan if I have not managed to sell them fully by the time I start posting the grids out which I wish to do early to make sure everyone has them before the game takes place - so buying squares sooner rather than later really helps me and takes the pressure off. Hopefully this worst case scenario will not need to be put into action (but is my contingency plan to make sure all people I don’t see in person have a copy of the grid before Super Bowl Sunday as it’s the most fun checking the chart live as the game goes along as each and every score changes who’s box it’s on).
Payment & prize pay outs - anyone I don’t see in my day to day life - so 99% of all NFLUK / TFP forum members I ask to pay me by PayPal but make sure to avoid fees you select you are just sending money to a friend. If you don’t and some of the funds are taken by PayPal as a service charge I will have to chase you to make good the missing amount as I need the full funds to cover the prizes and my costs etc. to run this game.
Prize Pay outs to the winners will be by the same way they paid to enter - so if someone I see in person paid me in cash (most likely work colleagues) I will get them the cash but any one who paid by PayPal will be paid their winnings by PayPal by Tuesday (following the Super Bowl) at the latest. The reason I say Tuesday is I plan to go to the Super Bash party and it’s a nightmare getting home afterwards - plus most likely will be rather suffering from a hang over so will probably not get to bed till 8-9am nor surface to Monday evening - as I always book that Monday off work to recover. So will - when I awake - double check the game scores and sort out who had the winning squares and then arrange payment - so most likely Monday evening but if I am really suffering (the after effects of the Bash) no later than Tuesday morning.
So if after reading all that you are willing to have a go I urge you to buy squares sooner rather than later so I can sell the grids out in plenty of time to send them out fully completed. When you send payment across by PayPal I just ask in the message section you tell me your NFLUK or THE FAN PUB username as this is what I will use on the public grid (one that gets copied and sent out to all) but also - just for me - will keep a note of your real name to link to your NFLUK or TFP username so I pay out the correct winners after the event. In the message section just say how many £5 boxes and or £2 boxes you want and I will get a work colleague, personal friend or acquaintance to draw the applicable grids raffle tickets on your behalf. Also if you want to be sent your own copy of the £5 grid by post please include an extra £1 - However if your buying squares on both grids then this is not necessary as the £2 grid square covers your postage costs (I hope) and so it’s no extra to send the £5 one along with it.
That’s it - now it’s over to you peeps - you just have to ask yourself ‘DO YOU FEEL LUCKY?’
best regards,
Noel (bluelionman)
PS - PayPal me using this e-mail address - blmfantasygames@hotmail.co.uk
I think I may have won multiple times then 