We’re already looking ahead to NFL Week 17 when the regular season will wrap up and the final playoff pairings will be finalized – but it’s also the last week of Las Vegas’ high-end football handicapping contests.
There’s a new leader in the Westgate SuperContest, which drew a record field of 3,328 entrants this year at $1,500 apiece and has a first-place prize of $1,469,644.80 plus a championship ring. A contestant using the alias of It Ain’t Breezy entered Week 16 half a point behind CRISPR (players pick five NFL games a week against a contest spread and earn 1 point per win and 0.5 per push) and moved into the lead when New England covered as a 6.5-point favorite in its 24-17 win over Buffalo on Saturday.
It Ain’t Breezy ended up going 4-0-1 on the week to improve to 55-23-2 (70.5 percent) for 56 contest points to take a 1.5-point lead over CRISPR, who went 2-2-1 and has 54.5 points. Longtime leader Tuco is still in third place with 53.5 points after covering with Green Bay as a 5.5-point underdog at Minnesota on Monday night.
For those who are curious, the record for best SuperContest winning percentage and points is held by 2014 champion CH Ballers, who went an incredible 64-20-1 (76.19 percent) for 64.5 contest points.
The Westgate also hosts a $5,000 buy-in, winner-take-all SuperContest Gold version that drew 117 entries this year for a prize pool of $585,000. A contestant using the alias of Walter Payton is currently in the lead at 49-30-1 (62 percent) and also had Green Bay on Monday night to extend his lead to 2 points over @Nickelgetter2 and IG:THISISWALKERAT.
The Circa Sports Million burst on the Vegas contest scene this season and drew an impressive 1,875 entrants at $1,000 apiece with Circa Sports owner Derek Stevens (also owner of the D and Golden Gate downtown hotels) guaranteeing a $1 million first-place prize plus a custom-made blue blazer. Booty Blockers has been in sole possession of the lead since Week 13 and went 3-2 in Week 16 to stand at 54-23-3 (70.1 percent) with a 1-point lead over second-place Ace2019, who also had the Packers on Monday night.
The Ultimate Football Challenge at the downtown Golden Nugget closed with 282 entries at $1,000 apiece and has a first-place prize of $105,416. This contest includes NCAA sides and entrants make seven plays a week instead of five like the other major contests. Team MM is in the lead heading into the final week at 70-39-3 (64.2 percent) and 71.5 contest points and has a 1-point lead over two contestants going by the aliased Core and @Ned Landers. There are five more entries just another half-point back in fourth place: three entries by Sirius and two entries by AckAttack.
Continue to follow Vegas’ high-end handicapping contests here at VSiN.com and on my Twitter feed @ViewFromVegas.
