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Congratulations to ‘PERSONAL GOURMET,’ winner of the 2018 Las Vegas SuperContest and $1.422 million!

PERSONAL GOURMET, a 44-year-old from Southern California, scored a perfect 5-0 in Week 17 to rocket into the lead after entering the week in a tie for third place. It was PERSONAL GOURMET’s first year in the SuperContest and he did have to hold off ‘@PIGSKIN_JUNKIES’ to earn the title and life-changing payday on Sunday night.

Entering Week 17, @PIGSKIN_JUNKIES was a half point back and holding a Tennessee Titans (+3) ticket. The Titans lost to the Indianapolis Colts by a score of 33-17, failing to cover and officially crowning PERSONAL GOURMET as the 2018 Las Vegas SuperContest champion.

The Westgate Las Vegas SuperContest is the largest pro football handicapping contest in the world’s largest race and sports book, the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook. This year’s entries have approached 1,000 contestants – down from years’ past due to Covid-19. Contestants will pick 5 games each week against the point spread throughout the 17-week regular season.

1. Las Vegas SuperContest ® Standings. View your standings for the 2020 football season's SuperContest®. Visit the SuperContest® main page for pictures, and to keep an eye for exciting updates and information about the season. Return to the SuperContest® Main Page.
2. FantasySuperContest - a platform for following the Westgate SuperContest.

Interestingly, it wasn’t the first time PERSONAL GOURMET and @PIGSKIN_JUNKIES were battling for a chunk of change in the SuperContest. All the way back in Week 8, the two split the SuperContest’s $15,000 Halftime Bonus after they each posted 32-8 records through the first eight weeks of the season. Doing so earned them each $7,500, but it wasn’t without a little excitement that involved @PIGSKIN_JUNKIES doing what couldn’t be done in Week 17. To split the Halftime Bonus, @PIGSKIN_JUNKIES, sitting one point behind PERSONAL GOURMET at the time, needed the New England Patriots (-13.5) to come in. New England covered late and the two finished in a tie to chop the bonus money.

PERSONAL GOURMET finished the 2018 SuperContest with a final record of 59-25-1 for 59.5 points and a winning percentage of 70.2%.

2018 SuperContest Top 10 Standings and Payouts

*SuperContest standings are unofficial until confirmed by the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook.

Entering Week 17, @PIGSKIN_JUNKIES were in pole position. A 2-3 result in Week 17 followed, dropping them into a finishing position that was a tie for second place worth $409,424. In similar fashion to @PIGSKIN_JUNKIES, fourth-place finisher ‘AL THE SLY 2’ also had the Titans.

Contestants within the top 10 to benefit from the Colts’ Sunday night cover were ‘7_OUT,’ ‘SQUAREPANTS,’ and ‘WEURDONTHESTREET.’ Indianapolis’ cover allowed 7_OUT to finish in sole possession of fifth place for $193,938. SQUAREPANTS and WEURDONTHESTREET were able to jump up and into a tie for sixth to take home $147,608 each.

PERSONAL GOURMET’s Road To SuperContest Victory

PERSONAL GOURMET started the 2018 SuperContest season with four straight 4-1 weeks. After back-to-back 5-0 weeks in Week 7 and Week 8, PERSONAL GOURMET was in first place. He stayed at the top for three weeks, but then slipped back a few spots in the weeks ahead. Coming into the final week, PERSONAL GOURMET was in a three-way tie for third place, alongside fellow contestants ‘AL THE SLY 2’ and ‘TEAM CLEVELAND 1,’ but it was PERSONAL GOURMET’s 5-0 result at the end that propelled him to victory.

PERSONAL GOURMET’s final card of the season, the winning card, had the Dallas Cowboys (+6.5), Kansas City Chiefs (-13.5), Philadelphia Eagles (-6.5), Cleveland Browns (+6), and Chicago Bears (+4.5).

One team you won’t see on PERSONAL GOURMET’s Week 17 card is the Los Angeles Chargers, but that doesn’t mean PERSONAL GOURMET didn’t crush when taking the Chargers. On the 2018 season, PERSONAL GOURMET was a perfect 6-0 when picking the Chargers. Other teams PERSONAL GOURMET performed very well with were the Detroit Lions (5-1), Chicago Bears (4-0), and Kansas City Chiefs (4-0). PERSONAL GOURMET was also 3-0 with each of the New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, and New Orleans Saints.

When taking home underdogs this season, PERSONAL GOURMET was a perfect 7-0. With road underdogs, PERSONAL GOURMET was 29-14-1 for 67.4%. He was 15-5 for 75% with road favorites and 6-5 for 54.5% with home favorites.

We also find that PERSONAL GOURMET attacked certain teams at a highly successful rate. PERSONAL GOURMET was 6-1 when picking against the Oakland Raiders, 4-0 against both the Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Rams, and 3-0 when selecting against the Arizona Cardinals.

Brent Musburger Finishes Tied for 56th

Legendary sportscaster, Brent Musburger, who entered the 2018 Las Vegas SuperContest as ‘VSiN 1,’ finished in a tie for 56th place after a final 3-2 performance in Week 17. Musburger ended the 2018 SuperContest with an impressive record of 53-31-1 for 63.1%.

For the final week, Musburger had the Philadelphia Eagles (-6.5), Buffalo Bills (-3.5), and Indianapolis Colts (-3) as winners. His two losing sides were the Baltimore Ravens (-6) and Minnesota Vikings (-4.5).

On the season, Musburger did the best when taking the Seattle Seahawks, going 5-0 when doing so. He also went a very impressive 6-1 with the Chicago Bears and 5-1 with the Minnesota Vikings. Musburger’s only loss with the Vikings came in the final week of the season.

Like the winner, PERSONAL GOURMET, Musburger performed well with home underdogs. Whereas PERSONAL GOURMET went a perfect 7-0 with home dogs, Musburger was 8-2 for 80% on the season.

Another Impressive Result for 2015 Winner

In 2015, James Salinas, who played the SuperContest that year as ’rounding again,’ won it all for $914,175. That year the SuperContest had 1,727 entries. Salinas nearly pulled off the remarkable feat of winning the contest the next year when it had 1,854 entries. Playing as ‘ANTON CHIGURH,’ Salinas finished in a tie for third and scored another $116,199 in prize money. This year, Salinas was in the SuperContest as ‘IT’SSAULGOODMAN’ and finished in a tie for 26th place.

Will the SuperContest’s Record-Setting Pace Continue?

With 3,123 entries and a prize pool of more than $4 million, the 2018 Las Vegas SuperContest was truly one for the record books. Both the field size and prize pool set records, as did the $1.422 million first-place prize. The top 100 places, pending ties, paid in what was the eighth record-setting year for the SuperContest in terms of field size.

Back in 2011, the Las Vegas SuperContest set a brand new record with 517 entries. Every year since, the field has grown larger than the past, as you can see via the graphic below.

The quantifiable numbers of the Las Vegas SuperContest aren’t the only things that have reached new heights, as the contest’s popularity has never been greater. The SuperContest receives coverage from mainstream outlets such as ESPN and its notoriety continues to grow with the growth of the sports betting industry. The 2018 field of 3,123 entries is a high bar to pass, but we’re certainly not going to bet against Jay Kornegay and his team at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperContest setting another record in 2019.

Be sure to stay tuned to SharpSide.com for continued coverage of the world of sports betting.

The Westgate SuperBook is gearing up for the 2018 edition of the Las Vegas SuperContest, a $1,500 buy-in football pick’em extravaganza widely regarded as the most prestigious handicapping contest in the world. This past week, Westgate hosted SuperContest Weekend, which featured a ring ceremony for all past SuperContest winners (seen above).

Registration for this season’s tournament is open until Sept. 8. Westgate hopes to beat last year’s record of 2,748 entrants. The top 100 will players get paid a minimum of roughly $4,000. Last year’s winner, Briceton Jamar “Granny’s Boy” Branch, walked away with $1,327,284.

Points in the SuperContest are earned by picking five games a week for the full NFL regular season. Every game picked correctly is a point earned and losses do not count against a player’s score. If a game pushes, a player earns a half point.

Branch finished the 2017 season with a 58-22-5 record to earn 60.5 points. Only one player in SuperContest history, Steve Fezzik (2008,2009), has managed to win twice.

Varying strategies propel new blood to the winner’s circle each year. Sometimes, the eye test is as good as the numbers. And others have opted to avoid watching the games altogether, instead relying on data.

TheLines caught up with three SuperContest winners who shared their plan of attack in the year they conquered the NFL odds jungle.

Damon Graham – 2016

The story of the Starbucks-barista-turned-football-sharp floored competitors in 2016. Graham’s rise to $900,000 was done through careful planning combined with an acute gut instinct.

Two seasons of experience in the SuperContest served as a learning tool for Graham to improve his performance.

“I think some of the strategies you pick up is to look at scheduling,” Graham asserted. “Tough divisional games, injuries and how they affect teams. You pick up more of the numbers and just a feel for teams you know.”

Graham is originally from Maryland and holds an eye on the NFC East while living in AFC West territory.

When the lines were released by Westgate each week, Graham would immediately choose six or seven games he wanted to dig deeper into. Those six or seven were whittled down to the five Graham submitted each week.

Twitter served as a place of finding for Graham. He used beat writers covering the games he liked for the week and drained their fountain of up-to-the-date injury reports.

Graham says he researched for one hour daily before work and then a few hours every night picking up nuggets.

“I look at those beat writers for the matchups to see if they have any inside information,” Graham said. “Mostly, I had a feeling about six or seven games I wanted to go deep into. I would then research and narrow it down to five. If I didn’t find five great ones, I would narrow it down to three.”’

James Salinas – 2015

“It’s the eye test,” says James Salinas. The 2015 champion won in his first time entering the SuperContest and devoted all of his free time to the $906,675 cause.

“I watch all the games on Sunday and record them and then go back and watch during the week. I’m not a statistical guy. I don’t look at the mathematics. Football is a very emotional game and that’s my perspective on it.”

Salinas is a youth football coach with more than 20 years of experience. Not many have the locker room insight that plays a role in Salinas’ thought process on a week-to-week basis. If a team is ready for a huge letdown, Salinas is there to scoop up the value.

“I try to get in the heads and the locker room of those players and that team,” Salinas told TheLines. “It’s only 16 games a season but they definitely don’t bring the same level of intensity in every game.”

The underdog mentality teams are ostensibly equipped with is on the mind of Salinas.

No betting distractions got in the way for Salinas midway through the season. A sports bettor from his late teenage years, Salinas eliminated basketball and playoff baseball from his mind. A sole focus on the NFL was required to watch the games as many times as possible.

Salinas offered one more rule he imposed.

“I’m flexible and probably the biggest thing was not doing Thursday games,” Salinas said. “I really need to see the injury and practice reports. It’d be a disservice if I put Thursday plays in because you have to put all five plays in. I’d wait until the last minute on Saturday morning.”

Robert Burns – 2006

The third SuperContest winner we talked to didn’t even need to watch the games. Robert “Jarhead” Burns beat 416 entries by using the NFL Gamebook as his primary source of reference.

According to Burns, the Gamebook is the best place to access the stories behind the numbers.

Each Gamebook contains all pertinent information for the respective game including lineups, play-by-play, and all pertinent statistics.

Burns’s strategy still revolves around the Gamebook to this day.

“The data hasn’t become any better,” Burns stated. “The Gamebook is the only source for NFL data. The people at Pro Football Reference take from the Gamebook and massage it differently but it is still the same data.

Numbers behind a player’s name are a fool’s errand to evaluate without being aware of the context. Burns navigates the Gamebook and assigns his value system to what the stats really mean.

2018 Supercontest Results 2019

“Most of the stuff in a boxscore is not independent. You can’t use things like rushing yardage or passing yardage because the plays that are called during the game are dependent upon the score and the time remaining. They’re not independent of score.”

Westgate Supercontest Results 2018

Burns wraps his strategy around number inefficiencies he finds during the offseason. Week-to-week preparation is a minimal chore.

“I would spend a very small amount each week because you would isolate on a certain statistic which you can pick up on in a half hour. The time taken up is after the season is over until the new season starts trying to get better independent variables and get a better one to massage the data.”

2018 Supercontest Results Fantasy

Since winning, Burns added two more SuperContest cashes, finishing in the top 10 in 2010 and 2013.

Cash or bust in 2018, Burns is prepared to take on the beast.

2018 Supercontest Results 2020

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