snooptodd
Straight
For the last 5-6 years, I've attended an annual "Red Sox Gambling Game" with a group of guys from my home game. We play the traditional "cup game" where everyone throws in a buck and you pass the cup after every at bat. When there's a hit, the person holding the cup gets to keep the dough and everyone kicks in again.
I recently got a piece of a season ticket package, and I'm trying to start a tradition of my own with some of the MA/NH PCF degens. Last year was a preview year, with iBetOnEverything and Glider -- who I don't think we've seen here since the Great Migration -- joining me. We played essentially the same game that my home game regs and I usually play.
But this Saturday, we're upping the stakes. Bergs, iBetOnEverything and a reg from my home game who conveniently lives a quarter mile from my house (thanks for being the DD, Eric) will be at Fenway for a meaningless game between the last-place Red Sox and the Kansas City Royals, whose 12-game lead in the AL Central gives them a 99.8% chance of winning their division, according to MLB.com. But it won't be meaningless for us, as we'll be rooting hard for grand slams, double plays, strikeouts and for terrible decisions like sending Big Papi home from second on a single straight to the left fielder in the bottom on the ninth.
We'll be playing a modified version of the cup game with lots of bonuses and penalties. Of course, as a former sports stat guy, and as someone who loves to make things unnecessarily complicated, there's quite a few modifications.
I ran a simulation of what would happen under these rules during Friday's Sox game so I could prepare myself for how bad I might get slaughtered. A graph is included at the end of this post for those who might be interested.
In addition to the cup game, we'll also be making prop bets as the game goes on. (I once offered a guy 40/1 odds -- my $40, his $1 -- that the Red Sox wouldn't come back from a 6-run deficit in the fifth inning, then stupidly snap-called when he said he wanted 60/1 ... they ended up losing by 2, so I won $1, but even the 40/1 odds was probably a bit much.)
Rules for the cup game are included below. Feel free to borrow/steal these whenever you're going to a game with a bunch of degens to make things a bit more interesting. Modify stakes as necessary for your group.
Oh, and to make this relevant for the PCF boards, I'll be bringing Royal YAK chips to use in the cup instead of using cash.
RULES FOR THE MLB CUP GAME
I recently got a piece of a season ticket package, and I'm trying to start a tradition of my own with some of the MA/NH PCF degens. Last year was a preview year, with iBetOnEverything and Glider -- who I don't think we've seen here since the Great Migration -- joining me. We played essentially the same game that my home game regs and I usually play.
But this Saturday, we're upping the stakes. Bergs, iBetOnEverything and a reg from my home game who conveniently lives a quarter mile from my house (thanks for being the DD, Eric) will be at Fenway for a meaningless game between the last-place Red Sox and the Kansas City Royals, whose 12-game lead in the AL Central gives them a 99.8% chance of winning their division, according to MLB.com. But it won't be meaningless for us, as we'll be rooting hard for grand slams, double plays, strikeouts and for terrible decisions like sending Big Papi home from second on a single straight to the left fielder in the bottom on the ninth.
We'll be playing a modified version of the cup game with lots of bonuses and penalties. Of course, as a former sports stat guy, and as someone who loves to make things unnecessarily complicated, there's quite a few modifications.
I ran a simulation of what would happen under these rules during Friday's Sox game so I could prepare myself for how bad I might get slaughtered. A graph is included at the end of this post for those who might be interested.
In addition to the cup game, we'll also be making prop bets as the game goes on. (I once offered a guy 40/1 odds -- my $40, his $1 -- that the Red Sox wouldn't come back from a 6-run deficit in the fifth inning, then stupidly snap-called when he said he wanted 60/1 ... they ended up losing by 2, so I won $1, but even the 40/1 odds was probably a bit much.)
Rules for the cup game are included below. Feel free to borrow/steal these whenever you're going to a game with a bunch of degens to make things a bit more interesting. Modify stakes as necessary for your group.
Oh, and to make this relevant for the PCF boards, I'll be bringing Royal YAK chips to use in the cup instead of using cash.
RULES FOR THE MLB CUP GAME
- Initial buy-in: $100 ($5 from each player goes into the cup each time it is emptied)
- Rebuys: Encouraged but not required -- if you get tapped out, you can choose to sit out.
- Seat draw will occur prior to first pitch. Player in left-most seat starts with the cup.
- Player holding cup wins contents if batter gets a hit, then passes cup to player on his right. After the cup reaches the last person, it will be passed back to the person in the left-most seat.
- If the AB results in an out, or if the batter reaches base due to an error, player wins nothing and the cup is passed to the player on the right. [EXCEPTION: If the plate appearance does not count as an official AB (e.g., SAC bunt, SAC fly) player holds cup for the next at bat.]
- If the batter reaches base due to a BB or is HBP, player does not win, but holds cup for the next at bat.
- NOTE: Initial rulings made by the official scorer will be used, even if a scoring change is made later in the game.
- All money remaining in the cup at the end of the game will be awarded to the player who wins a PLO flip.
- If batter strikes out, player holding cup pays $1, then passes.
- If a runner on base is caught stealing or picked off, player holding the cup pays $1 but keeps the cup for the remainder of the AB. If the out is the last out of the inning, the player still keeps the cup for the next batter.
- If a player is otherwise thrown out on the base paths, player holding the cup pays $1. (e.g. Batter gets a single but is thrown out at second trying to stretch into a double -- player wins contents of cup, pays $1 penalty plus the standard $5 cup entry fee, then passes cup.)
- If batter hits into a double play, player holding cup pays $2, then passes.
- If a runner is thrown out at home, player holding cup pays $2.
- For each RBI recorded by a batter, the player holding cup wins $1 from each player (given out of pocket to that player, not placed in the cup); e.g., batter hits a 2-run double, the player with the cup wins its contents, plus $2 from all other players.
- If batter his a HR, player holding cup wins $5 from each player (given out of pocket, not out of the cup); e.g., batter hits a grand slam, the player with the cup wins its contents, plus $9 from all other players ($5 for the home run, plus $4 for the 4 RBI).
