The Frogs O' War Best Bettor Challenge

For those of you out there that love to sports bet, we have just the competition for you. From now through the end of the season I'll be posting ten college and NFL games of interest along with their spreads, and contestants will make their picks.

The way it works:

Everyone will start with $1,000 of FOWCASH (this is a one time starting point, not a per week starting point). The Contestant with the most FOWCASH at the end of the season wins (and maybe Fungo will be kind and there will be a prize for the winner).

You MUST bet all of your money each week. Invest wisely.

If you run out of money, you're out of the contest (but still come make picks if you'd like).

Each week, contestants will pick five college and five NFL games based on their spread (or Money Line), and will assign a dollar amount to their bet. Contestants will also pick one college and NFL game based on the O/U.

Make your picks by commenting, and posting in this format (TEAM NUMBER, MONEY LINE or SPREAD or O/U, DOLLAR AMOUNT).

I'll keep a running tally of who wins/loses each week and how much money they've made/lost.

So, with all that in mind, here are the first 20 games. Due to formatting issues, note that the money line is listed next to the team, while the spread odds are listed next to the spread. Also, all O/U bets will be even money payouts.

(FYI all odds come from either Bovada.lv or the Vegas Insiders consensus line)

College

NFL

Don't know what half these numbers mean? '92 gives you some 'splainin.

To bet on football, tell the ticket writer the bet number of the team you wish to bet, with the point spread and the amount you wish to wager. The payout, unless stated otherwise, is figured at odds of 10/11. This means that a wager of $11 would win $10 and return $21.

This is called a straight bet. A straight bet is the most common type of football bet.

The point spread: When betting on football, the team you bet on must “cover the spread.” This means the team must win or not lose by a predetermined margin of points.

Example:

Bet No. Team Line
101 Jets
102 Dolphins -6

Note: The bottom team is always listed as the home team unless otherwise noted.

The point spread is always placed to the immediate right of the team that is favored. If you bet the Dolphins, the Dolphins must win by 7 points for you to win your bet. If you bet the Jets, any of the following will declare you a winner.
(a) The Jets win the game.
(b) The game ends in a tie.
© The Jets lose the game by not more than 6 points.

If the Dolphins win by exactly 6 points, the wager is declared a push and all money is refunded.

Point spreads change constantly. The listed point spread at the time you make your bet may be different from the point spread when the game starts. The point spread that is listed on your ticket is your official spread.

Bet No. Team Line Total Money Line
101 Jets 40 +160
102 Dolphins -6 -180

Total: Total points scored in a game. Also called the over/under.

You may wager that the total score of the game will be more or less than the number listed. It makes no difference which team covers the spread. Simply add the final score of each team. The payout, unless stated otherwise, is figured at odds of 10/11.

In some cases, bettors have the option to discard the point spread and bet on which team will win. This is called betting on the “Money Line”

The Money Line: Odds for a game based on $1.00. A “minus” (-) preceding the number indicates the team is a favorite. A “plus” (+) preceding the number indicates the team is an underdog.

Bet No. Team Line Total Money Line
101 Jets 40 +160
102 Dolphins -6 -180

The Dolphins’ odds are -180, meaning an $18 bet would win $10 for a return of $28. The Jets’ odds are +160, meaning a $10 bet would win $16 for a return of $26.

LET'S PRETEND GAMBLE.