Nugget’s ‘Showdown’ most comprehensive game in town
When going through a buffet line, Tony Miller does not limit himself to prime rib and ignore everything else. He wants as many options as possible, so he applied that philosophy to football betting.
Miller, the Golden Nugget sports book director, is running the most comprehensive handicapping contest in Las Vegas this season.
The Friday Football Showdown, a $2,000-entry-fee event, is unique in the market because it allows contestants to select plays from all college and NFL sides and totals posted on the betting board. Anything goes, and may the most well-rounded handicapper win.
“We will get a true champion, because you’ve got every game on the board, every total on the board, so the handicappers have so much to choose from in this contest,” Miller said.
Winning the popularity contest is not Miller’s immediate goal, and that’s beyond his reach right now anyway. The SuperContest at the Westgate sports book is king of the contest hill — with a history dating to the late 1980s — and will dwarf all competitors again this fall in terms of prestige and the prize pool.
The Golden Nugget contest, which had a Tuesday registration deadline, drew 87 entrants for a prize pool of $174,000.
The SuperContest, which requires a $1,500 entry fee, attracted 1,550 entrants as of Thursday night. The deadline to sign up is 11 a.m. Saturday, and Westgate sports book director Jay Kornegay is expecting a field of around 1,700, putting the prize pool in the $2.5 million neighborhood.
Aside from large potential payoffs, the simplistic nature of the SuperContest rules appeal to the average public player. Contestants select five NFL sides against the spread each week. There are no totals — and, of course, no college games — on the weekly contest card.
“I definitely think more people follow the NFL than the college game,” Kornegay said, “and most people are more comfortable with the NFL because it’s easier to follow with the amount of media coverage it receives. You don’t have to follow 130 college teams as compared to 32 teams.
“Overall, there is no doubt the NFL is king. The people who follow college football are generally more hard-core gamblers.”
In recent years, the SuperContest has experienced a popularity explosion, surging from 745 entries in 2012 to 1,034 in 2013 to 1,403 last year. If it reaches 1,905 entries, the winner will receive $1 million.
“It’s just the popularity of sports betting,” Kornegay said, citing national media coverage and social media outlets such as Twitter as contributors to the growth of football betting in all areas.
“More people from across the country have found out you don’t have to live in Nevada to enter the SuperContest. It’s not like we ran a campaign in New York, Chicago and Florida. Social media has helped spread that word for us.”
The contest landscape in Las Vegas is mostly about the NFL. Station Casinos is offering players a free contest, Gridiron Glory, and putting $750,000 in prize money on the line. Entrants select the winners of NFL games with no point spreads. Stations also hosts a small college Last Man Standing contest.
The Golden Nugget contest, which will be aired weekly on ESPN Radio in Las Vegas, is the only one in the market that combines college and NFL handicapping.
The Friday Football Showdown requires contestants to select seven plays per week for the first eight weeks. After 56 plays, the top eight contestants advance to a head-to-head bracket format, which begins with Week 9 of the NFL schedule, creating showdowns similar to the World Series of Poker Main Event.
Miller is optimistic the new format will have a magnetizing effect on serious football handicappers.
It can be argued a higher percentage of luck is involved in picking spread winners in the NFL. Most skilled bettors believe the real edge lies in finding soft spots on the more expansive college board.
Miller said combining expertise in both college and the NFL is what makes a true handicapping champion.
“The SuperContest is great,” Miller said, “but I like our contest because of the aspect of picking college football. People need a contest with college football.
“So many people have come up to me and said how much they like it. Who knows what can happen in the future? Everyone is going to love this, and I know it’s going to get bigger and bigger.”
Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. Follow him on Twitter: @mattyoumans247
