Barker's Cappers Challenge 
 

News & Info | Official Rules | Prizes | How to Join | Promotions

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT THE COLLEGE BOWL POOL

Barker's Pools has not been updated lately, but the pools continue!

I have been very busy lately, but I am still running more pools than ever through our
new hosting site, and right now, we are taking new entries for the latest competition:

2008 College Bowl Pool

Pick the winner of all 34 bowl games, rank your winners, and the player with the most points will win a BIG cash prize (there are actually several cash prizes).  It is $20 per entry, and the deadline to join is Saturday, December 20th, at 10:00 a.m. Central.

To join, just send me an email, and I will get back to you with the details. 

Get in-depth sports gambling information from Doc's Sports!
 

News & Info
 

   
Latest News
 

September 1st (12:00 p.m.):  I have FINALLY uploaded the entire website for football season, so everything is up-to-date!  I deeply apologize for the long delay entering the season, but we still have a week before the competitions begin, so that should give us enough time to get everyone in!  Now, the main reason for the delay is the fact that I have moved all of the pools to a third-party host.  This site will remain up, because I still generate some revenue from it that helps keep the pools running, so I ask that everyone visit here as often as they can to keep the traffic up, even though you will be playing the pools from another site (now, even though this means less work for me, the new host charges a fee, so I will still have to take 10%-20% from each pool fund).  The Barker's Pools site will contain all of the details and rules about our pools, you will use it to sign-up for the pools, the prize winners, Hall of Fame, and Pool Archives will still be listed at my site, and there will be a few pools that will be entirely ran from here.  However, I know everyone is tired of delays, and the last 2 weeks should be the end of them.  The players that tried out the college pool test run this weekend really loved the new site, including the real-time updates to the standings (and right when a game begins, you can see all of the other player's picks for that game). 

Basically, once you fill out the Join form, I will email you your confirmation with the details on paying your entry fees, and you will also receive an invitation email to the Office Football Pool site.  This is where the pools are being hosted, and you will use the link and password in your invite email to add your entries to this new site.  As far as the entry fees, I am allowing PayPal payments this year, but if you are able to mail a check/money order, I ask that you do that so that we can keep the PayPal activity to a minimum.  I will need PayPal payments by next weekend, and if you are using a check, please try to have it postmarked by this Saturday, September 6th.  (Since we are running late, I will accept payments a few days late if you are a regular pool player.)  Now, let's get to the pools for this football season:

Barker's NCAA Football Pool - Our classic weekly college football pool!  Pick the winner of 20 games each week, rank them confidence style, and earn points for your correct picks.  We start in Week 2 (which will be our Week 1), and there will be 14 weeks in the pool.  We will have weekly and yearly cash prizes, 20 in all!  Each entry is $5 per week or $70 for the whole season (this year, there is a 4-week minimum).

Barker's NFL Pick'em Pool - This is just like the college pool, but with the 17-week NFL season (it also uses confidence scoring).  There will be a cash prize each week, and the Top 8 players overall at year's end will also win cash prizes!  We start this week (you can join up until the games begin on Sunday, but there is an early game on Thursday... if you miss it, you will receive a random pick for that game, and it will be ranked 1).  It is $5 per week/$85 for the season (it also has a 4 week minimum).

Barker's NFL Survivor Pool - Our most popular football pool is back!  Pick one NFL team each week that you think will win their game (you cannot pick each team more than once!).  If they win, you keep playing; if they lose, you are eliminated!  Each entry will be $20, and you are encouraged to purchase multiple entries.  Instead of having a winner-take-all prize like last year, this year we have 3 cash prizes!

Barker's Cappers Challenge - This is for those that like to gamble on sports!  With your entry, which costs $40 (multiple entries are allowed), you will receive a "play" wagering account with $5,000.  You will wager on NFL and college games, sides or totals, and you can bet up to $1,000 per wager (you can place a maximum of 25 bets per week, but there is no minimum).  Throughout the year, you will receive an additional $5,000, in case you lose it all at some point.  After the Super Bowl (yes, you can wager on bowl games and playoff games as well), the Top 5 cappers will win cash!

That is a total of 53 cash prizes!  I am also going to have 1 to 3 fantasy football leagues, and each team for it will be $100.  When you are ready, check out each pool page, the rules for each pool, and go to the Join page to request your entries!  You need to join the NCAA Pool by Saturday, the Pick'em and Survivor pools by Sunday, and the Cappers Pool by Monday!  On each pool page, you will find a link to our Promotions.  You can take advantage of those for free pool credits (we have our usual Bodog promo for 2 free Survivor entries, we have a new Refer A Friend promo, and starting in a couple of weeks, we have Barker's Trivia starting up, where you can visit each pool page once a week for a trivia question, and at the end of the year, those with the most correct answers will have a shot at $100... this is something I came up with to keep people coming to Barker's Pools during the year).  I hope everyone joins us for football season... let me know if you have questions or comments!  (I will be a bit busy tonight, so do not expect your entry confirmations until Tuesday, but the rest of the week, you should have it quickly).

You need to sign-up ASAP, so do not delay!
 

Looking for a reliable sportsbook/casino/poker site?  Check out BodogLife.com!
 

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Official Rules
  

POOL FORMAT
Barker's Cappers Challenge enters its 4th season, and each year we have used a different format.
This year is no exception, but I think this format is the best yet and will help us find the best capper!
The pool covers the entire NFL and NCAA football seasons, including the postseason, and each week,
you will place wagers on games (against the spread), choosing the amount to wager on each pick.
You receive a $5,000 account when you sign-up to wager out of (you will receive an additional $5,000
during the season), and after the Super Bowl, the five best handicappers will receive cash prizes!
The format is fairly simple, but you need to read all of the rules below, as there are several details.
 

JOINING THE POOL
This year, we are using another website to host this competition: www.officefootballpool.com
You will still use this site to access the official rules, the join form, the prize winners, etc.  However, the
new site will make the pool more organized, with real-time updates to the pick sheets and standings.
After you have read all of the Rules, go to the Join area to sign-up for your entries in this competition.
Once I receive your entry information, I will send you a confirmation by email within 12 hours.  It will
contain the details on paying your entry fee, along with instructions on creating an account at the new
pool webpage (your email will have the link and password you will need to add your entry to the pool).
If you have more than one entry in a pool, and you would like to keep them under one account, you can
add an Alias to your account at the Office Football Pool site, go to My Aliases under the Home menu.
Note:  If someone referred you to Barker's Pools, when signing up for your account, place the person's
name in the Reference field (you can find this at My Pool Settings under the Pools menu, if you
forget when joining).  If you refer someone to play, have them do the same, and you can earn pool
credits that you can use to join future competitions.  You can find the details in the Promotions area.
 

ENTRY FEE & DEADLINES
The pool begins on Tuesday, September 2nd, as that is the day when the lines for the first week are
available, and the pool ends on February 2nd, 2009, one day after Super Bowl XLIII, which is the final
game you can wager on.  Each week of the pool runs from Tuesday through Monday.  The entry fee is
$40 per entry, and this covers your entry for the entire year.  Multiple entries per person ARE allowed.
Due to the amount of work involved with running a pool of this format, along with the fact that we are
paying a fee to our new pool host (this wagering format actually has a higher fee than the other pool
formats), I will be taking 20% of the entry fees for administrative costs, rather than the usual 15%.
 
The deadline to join the Cappers Challenge is Monday, September 8th, at 9:00 p.m. Central.
That is when the final game for Week 1 begins (Monday Night Football), so you can wager
on that one game to be eligible for the week.  (If we do not have very many entries by the
time we reach the deadline to join, we may extend that deadline by TWO additional weeks.)
 
About submitting your pick...  This competition does not really have a weekly pick deadline, as you
are allowed to wager on any game that has not yet started.  Once a game begins, it locks, and no one
can place a wager on it anymore.  So, you can place a few wagers each day if that is your preference.
The MAXIMUM number of wagers you can place per week is 25, and again, each pool week runs from
Tuesday morning (when the lines are posted) until late Monday (when the Monday Night game ends).
To recap, you can wager on ANY college football game or ANY NFL game, as long as:  A) The game has
not started yet.  B) You still have funds remaining to wager with.  C) You are under the 25 wagers per
week maximum.  If you meet these three requirements, you are free to wager on the game!
You ARE NOT obligated to wager on a certain number of games each week, so you can sit back and see
how others are doing if you wish, but keep an eye on the Standings to see who is hitting their wagers.
The MAXIMUM amount you can risk on each wager is $1000, so you do not want to get too far behind!
Each week, all of the players will be emailed a reminder whenever the lines are posted on Tuesday.
 
About paying the entry fee...  You can pay by mailing me a check or money order, or you may be
allowed to use PayPal, however, I would prefer a check/money order.  We sometimes have trouble if
we use PayPal, as they do not like sites such as this, but if you live out of the country and cannot send a
check easily, or if you just really need to use PayPal, you can select it on the entry form when joining.
If you pay with PayPal:  I MUST receive your entry fee BEFORE the entry deadline has passed!
(When using PayPal, always wait for me to send you an invoice from PayPal before sending payment.)
If you pay with a check/money order:  You must have your check POSTMARKED on or before the
entry deadline of September 8th, and I must RECEIVE the payment within 7 days of the deadline!
Once I receive your payment, I will mark your entry as PAID, and you will be eligible to play in the pool.
In the Standings, you can see which players have not yet paid; if their entry fee arrives within 7 days
and is postmarked correctly, I will mark them as PAID, and they will be eligible for the competition.
Even if their payment hasn't arrived, a player may still place wagers until the 7-day wait has passed.
If it does not arrive within 7-10 days, their entry will be disqualified and removed from the pool.
 

HOW TO PLAY
In this pool, we are looking for the best football handicapper, so all picks are against the spread.
Each week on Tuesday, the lines for the upcoming games for the week will be posted on the pool page.
(REMEMBER, you will not use the Barker's Pools website to submit your pick; instead, the pool will be hosted from a third-party website.)  The Office Football Pool site will determine the lines (they base
them on several websites out of Vegas).  All of the lines will be adjusted so that they all will end in a
half-a-point (a line of -7 will be adjusted to -7.5, for example).  This way, no one will receive a PUSH
on any of their wagers.  The lines you see on Tuesday will remain the same all week, so if several
players wager on the same team/game, each of them will receive the same point spread for that bet. 
(The OFP website does say that on rare occasions the line may be changed for a game where the
incorrect line is posted, but they say they will email all of the players that picked that game to inform
them of the line change.  If this happens, I will do my best to fix this issue if I am able to do so.)
The rules for placing a wager are as follows:
 
When you create your entry at the pool page, you will receive $5,000 in "play money" (the OFP site
refers to the gambling funds as shares).  Your goal is to wager this money on football games, which
can include NFL or NCAA games.  Again, you are placing all of the wagers against the spread.  You
can bet on a side (pick the winner of a game against the spread) or on a total (you choose whether
the game goes over or under the total).  (If you do not know what these terms mean, you might be
lost if you play in this pool... you should have a basic understanding of wagering on sports if you join.)
The pool host offers parlay cards as an option for wagers, but we WILL NOT be using this option.
As I said above, each week runs from Tuesday through Monday night, and you can place a maximum
of 25 wagers EACH week.  The MAXIMUM amount you can risk on each of your wagers is $1,000.
We DO NOT have "juice" on our wagers, so if you risk $100 and win, you will receive $100 (along
with your original $100 wager back... if we used juice, it would take a wager of $110 to win $100).
I am not sure what the minimum wager amount is at the site, but I believe it may be as low as $1.
Finally, every month, each player will receive additional money in their account, so we can keep
the competition interesting.  Everyone starts with $5,000 and receives another $5,000 as follows:
       -- Everyone will receive $1,500 on Tuesday, October 7th, 2008.
       -- Everyone will receive $1,500 on Tuesday, November 4th, 2008.
       -- Everyone will receive $1,500 on Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008.
       -- Everyone will receive $500 on Tuesday, January 6th, 2009 (this deposit is much lower, as
           there are only a few games in January/February).
So, by the end of the year, everyone will have received deposits totaling $10,000 to wager with!
(This is a totally different format than what we have ever done, and I just put the rules together
the best way I knew how.  Next year, we will likely keep this format, but I know some of you may
not like some of the rules, so I am open to all suggestions.  I just ask that everyone remain open
to the rules this year, because once we begin, the rules will have to stay the same all season.)
 
As far as how you complete the process of placing a wager, it is pretty much straightforward once you
reach the pick sheet.  You will just choose College or NFL, then select the game you want to wager on,
type in how much you want to wager, click Submit, and then it will ask you to confirm your pick.  After
you submit your wagers, you can review them on the site or in the pick confirmation email that will be
emailed to you.  Unlike the other pools, once you confirm a wager, it is FINAL and cannot be changed.
I realize this is harsh, but this is how any sportsbook works, so I'm sure most of you are used to this.
It is YOUR responsibility to ensure that your wager is exactly the way you want it before confirming.
Tip:  At the pool website, click on Analysis to find some great info on all of the games each week,
rankings of each team's offense and defense, and much more to help you choose great wagers!
 

AUTOPICKS
With our new pool host, we have a feature called Autopicks to help those that forget to submit their
picks before the deadline.  The Autopicks system will give the player random picks so they will not end
up with nothing for the week.  If you are in one of the other three pools, you will know all about this
setting, HOWEVER, this competition DOES NOT use Autopicks at all.  It all depends on your picks and
your picks alone, so we do not want the computer randomly making wagers for you, which you would
not like either.  And because there isn't a true deadline each week, the Autopicks aren't really needed.
 

SCORING & WINNING
At the pool page, you can see the wagers by other players by clicking Standings on the main menu.
You can view your own wagers at any time, but you can only see the wagers from other players once
each game has started.  In other words, at kickoff of each game, you will be able to see how many
players wagered on each of the teams in that game.  However, you will be able to see how many
wagers the other players have placed, along with the total amount of cash wagered, but you will not
see any details of the wagers until each game begins.  With the new site, the results will be updated
in real-time throughout each day of games.  The point spread format works like at any sportsbook:
  
If your team/wager covers the point spread, you WIN your wager, and your winnings will be added to
your account (you receive the amount of your wager, along with your original wager amount back).
If your team/wager DOES NOT cover the spread, you LOSE your wager and the amount you wagered.
Again, no one will receive a PUSH for a wager, as all of the lines are adjusted to have a half-a-point.
As the weeks roll by, your account balance will go up and down as you win and lose wagers, and at
FOUR different times during the season, you will receive additional funds in your wagering account.
Your goal is to have the highest account balance by the time the Super Bowl is over in February.
 
The 1st Place player will receive a large cash prize (the next three places will also receive cash prizes).
5th Place will receive a pool credit prize.  These cash prizes will be based on who has the most funds
in their account.  In addition, we will give a cash prize to the player with the Best Pick Percentage
at the end of the competition (however, this player must have placed at least 60 wagers throughout
the season).  The cash prize amounts will be determined by the final number of players in the pool.
If we have enough players, we may even add a couple of extra cash prizes.  Go to the News & Info
area to see the current number of players/prize amounts, and the Prizes area contains a breakdown
of the prizes we will have if we have 50 players this year, which is close to our total from last season.
Cash prize winners will receive their winnings within a maximum of 35 days from the date in which they
won their prize (I will mail out a new batch of prize money at the beginning of every month).  I usually
pay the winners with a check or money order, but on request, I may be able to pay a prize using PayPal.
 

TIEBREAKERS
At the end of the competition, if two or more players are tied, the following tiebreaker will be used:
     1.  The player with the best pick percentage (with at least 60 wagers placed) will win the tie.
If there is still a tie between players after the tiebreaker is enforced, then the prize will be evenly split.
 
On the off chance that any of the Top 5 players have lost all of the money in their account, that same
tiebreaker will be used to determine who gets what prize.  If the tiebreaker cannot break a tie because
neither player placed at least 60 wagers, then the winner is the player with the MOST winning wagers.
If we reach a situation at the end of the year where the top player(s) have not placed a bet all year,
and they currently lead the standings with their original $10,000 wagering fund, then they are required
to bet on BOTH the side and total of the Super Bowl (the maximum wager amount will not be used, but
each wager must be a minimum of $1,000).  This way, to win any cash, everyone will be required to
wager on the final game of the year at the very least.  (The players that have to complete these two
final wagers will email the details of each bet to me, and I'll reveal the results after the Super Bowl!)
I am quite certain that none of these special tiebreaker rules will need to be used, as this competition
is definitely going to require several smart wagers to win, so you will not want to fall too far behind!
 

OTHER RULES
You must provide a full name and email address in order to join the pool.  Don't worry though:  These
will never be displayed on the site.  Only your anonymous username/alias will appear in the standings.
Barker's Pools will NEVER sell or distribute the contact information of our members to a third-party.
I do send occasional emails regarding our upcoming pools.  To stop receiving, just let me know.
On each pool page, we have a message board called the Trash Talk Board where you can chat with
other players and do a little bragging/trash talking, but please keep it clean, fun, friendly!  If you go
too far and attack or harass another player, you will be removed from the pool without a refund!
Also, do not use this board for your complaints/problems with the pools; please email me instead.
 
IMPORTANT:  I reserve the right to make changes to the Rules midway through the competition in
order to maintain the integrity and fairness of the pool.  This could include adding new rules, doing
away with rules, and making changes to incorrect results or standings.  Changes will only be made if
absolutely necessary, and we will hold a vote for any major issues, if possible.  Any changes to the
picks or results will be flagged in the Standings, so you will know if any changes are made.  Finally,
in order for everyone to know I run honest pools, I had a policy that I would not play in the pools.
However, with the new pool host, they automatically give the pool creator an entry, so I will have
entries in the competitions from now on, under the name of BARKERS POOLS (I will be paying for
my entries like everyone else).  Like I said above, the site shows any changes that are made to the
standings after the results are in, so you do not have to worry about anything suspicious going on.
In fact, I am not even able to see anyone's wagers until AFTER each kickoff, just like everyone else.
 
By joining this pool, you are stating that you have read and understand the Rules entirely.
If you have any problem with the rules, you can request a refund BEFORE the games have been played,
and your entry will be removed from the competition.  If you have any questions or comments, do not
hesitate to contact me at barker@barkerspools.com.  You can also call 801-790-4236 - just leave
a message, and I will get back to you ASAP!  Most importantly, have fun this season and good luck!
 

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Prizes
  

Below, you'll find the prize breakdown we will use for the Cappers Challenge.  The
first chart shows the prizes we will have if we have 50 players, which is the number
that we had last season.  The Top 4 players, which are determined by the amount
of cash each player has in their wagering fund after the Super Bowl, will receive a
cash prize!  The player with the Best Pick Percentage will also receive a cash prize!
If we have more entries than last year, the cash prizes will be increased, and we
may add a cash prize or two, but first, we will boost the current prizes!  Below the
prize breakdown, we will list the best handicappers/prize winners at season's end.

With 50 players and $2,000 in entry fees, the following prizes would be awarded:
  
The handicapper in 1st Place at season's end would receive $1,000.
The handicapper in 2nd Place at season's end would receive $250.
The handicapper in 3rd Place at season's end would receive $100.
The handicapper in 4th Place at season's end would receive $50.
The handicapper in 5th Place at season's end would receive a $20 pool credit.
 
The handicapper with the Best Pick Percentage would receive $200.
 
The remaining 20% of the prize pool will be used to support and expand this website.
Unfortunately, running this site takes time and money, so a small portion of each pool's entry fees
will be used to offset my expenses.  This portion will be between 10%-20% of the collected entry
fees, depending on the pool.  The administrative costs include: domain registration, hosting fees,
PayPal & banking fees, pool software, web design software, and other miscellaneous expenses.

The prize winners will be listed here at the end of the season!
 

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How to Join
  

Below, you will find the instructions on joining one of the football pools for 2008.
Remember, there are three other football pools for you to join, along with fantasy
football leagues.  You can use the same entry form to sign-up for all of the pools.

•  The entry fee for Barker's Cappers Challenge is $40 per entry.

• You can purchase multiple entries, so try a different strategy with each entry!

• The entry deadline is Monday, September 8th, at 9:00 p.m. Central.

• If you want to wager on a game played before September 8th, sign-up early!

     Click here to join!    
 

After you have completed these steps, all that is left to do is kick back and enjoy
the games, hope your wagers cover the spread, and try to win cold hard cash!
Don't forget, there are three other football pools for the regular season, so check
them out on the other pages of this website and go to the Join page to sign-up.
Also, the Promotions area has information on how you can earn free pool credits,
including a great promotion where you can receive TWO free entries for Survivor!

If you are interested in Fantasy Football, I am running 2 or 3 leagues
with available teams, so email me for all of the information on joining!

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Promotions
 

This football season, Barker's Pools is offering three BIG promotions!

Check them out below and see how you can earn pool credits that you
can use to join the current competitions or save to play in future pools:

PROMOTION #1

~ BARKER'S BODOG PROMOTION ~
  
Would you like a $40 pool credit for the 2008 football pools?
  
Barker's Pools has partnered with BodogLife.com to bring you this special offer:
  
  1.    Open a new Bodog account by clicking on one of my Bodog links/banners.  
2.    Within 30 days, deposit $20.00 or more into this new gambling account.      
3.    Then email the date & amount of your deposit to me, and I will validate it. 
4.    Within the next 24 hours, I will email you and confirm your $40 pool credit! 
  
To start Step #1 (open a Bodog account), click here!
  
To qualify for this promotion, be sure to read the following requirements:
A)  This promotion is ONLY available to those that are new players at Bodog.
B)  Your initial deposit MUST be $20 or more and made within 30 days of signing up.
C)  Fraudulent behavior, such as opening a second account, requesting a chargeback,
or immediately withdrawing your deposit, will result in you being banned from this site!
D)  You will not qualify for this offer if you fail to use one of my links to open your account.
E)  If you do not follow these instructions properly, I will not be able to verify your deposit,
and you will not receive your entries, so email me with any questions you have beforehand.