Revised August 7, 2011

 Second Chance Rules - Click Here

1. Commissioner.

a.  Commissioner will be Kurt Alderson (“Commissioner”), and can be reached via email at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  (This email address is protected from spambots.  JavaScript must be enabled to view it.)  Please feel free to contact me with any comments, questions, or concerns.

b.  Seven percent of the total prize pool will be retained by The Smartest Loser to cover administration, advertising and management costs ("Net Prize Pool"). 

2. Entry Terms.

a.  Entry fee is $40 per entry.  Once users have registered, they must log in and pay the entry fee via the "PAY ENTRY FEE" link on the home page.  Please note that your registration is not complete until the entry fee has been paid.
b.  Entries will not be accepted after 11:59pm Arizona time on Wednesday, September 7, 2011.
c.  Contest will begin with Week 1 of the 2011 season.
d.  Please review ALL rules on this page, as payment of entry fee implies acceptance of all official rules of the contest as listed on this page.
e.  Cash tips and gratuities to the Commissioner will be accepted with great appreciation.  You will be smiled upon for your generosity, but please note that any such tips or gratuities will not increase chances of winning.
f.  If you chose to enter more than once, you must register once for each entry, and all deadlines mentioned will apply to each entry.  Each entry requires a separate email address and is subject to entry fee listed in Rule 2a.
g.  There are no re-entries, re-buys, or late entries to the main pool once the contest has begun.  A Second Chance pool will begin in Week 8 if you miss the deadline to enter the main pool.  Refer to Section 11 for Second Chance rules.

3. Double Elimination Format.

a.  Each contestant will begin the season in the Championship Bracket.  When a contestant selects a pro football team that either ties or wins, that contestant will be moved into the Consolation Bracket.  If a contestant in the Consolation Bracket selects a pro football team that either ties or wins, that contestant is eliminated from The Smartest Loser.

b.  Winning Scenarios.  Below are a list of scenarios and how they will be managed.

i.  The Consolation Bracket cannot end as long as there are multiple contestants in the Championship Bracket.  If there is only one contestant left in the Consolation Bracket while there are multiple contestants in the Championship Bracket, the contestant left in the Consolation Bracket must continue to make successful selections each week until a winner is declared in the Championship Bracket.  Refer to Rule 7b for Championship Prize calculation.

ii.  The Championship Bracket will conclude when there is only one contestant remaining or the conclusion of Super Bowl XLVI, whichever comes first.  Once the Championship Bracket concludes, the Consolation Bracket may follow its natural course to determine a winner.  A winner will be declared in the Consolation Bracket when there is one contestant remaining, or the conclusion of Super Bowl XLVI, whichever comes first.  Refer to Rule 7b for Consolation Prize calculation.

iii.  In the event that all contestants in the Consolation Bracket are eliminated and there are multiple contestants in the Championship Bracket at the conclusion of Super Bowl XLVI, the entire Net Prize Pool will be split equally among the remaining Championship Bracket contestants. 

iv.  In the event that the Championship Bracket has concluded and there are multiple contestants in the Consolation Bracket at the conclusion of Super Bowl XLVI, the Consolation Prize will be split equally among remaining contestants in the Consolation Bracket.

v.  If all remaining contestants in the Championship Bracket are eliminated in the same week, those contestants will fall into the Consolation Bracket.  Under this scenario, the Championship Prize will be combined with the Consolation Prize and the Total Prize will be awarded to the winner(s) of the Consolation Bracket.

vi.  If all remaining contestants in the Consolation Bracket are eliminated and there are multiple contestants in the Championship Bracket, the Championship Bracket will continue as normal until contestant(s) are eliminated and fall into the Consolation Bracket.  Once this happens, the Consolation Bracket will continue as described in Scenario 3bi.

vii.  If the Consolation Bracket has concluded while there are two contestants remaining in the Championship Bracket, the Championship Bracket will continue as normal to declare a winner.  If one of the two remaining contestants gets eliminated from the Championship Bracket, that contestant will be declared the winner of the Consolation Bracket and the contestant remaining in the Championship Bracket will be declared the winner of the Championship Bracket.

4.   Selecting Football Teams.

a.  Select a pro football team each week that you think will lose.  Refer to Section 3 for rules regarding Double Elimination Format.

b.  Point spreads, odds, or other people’s opinions are not a factor in this contest.  The only opinion that counts is yours!
c.  You may not choose the same football team twice in the regular season, whether you are in the Championship or Consolation Brackets.  The Commissioner will track your picks to verify compliance with this rule, but please keep track of your own selections!  The Commissioner is under no obligation to notify contestants of any duplicate or erroneous selection(s).
d.  If your football team selection has been used in a previous week or the football team you select is on their bye week, your selection will be automatically changed in accordance with Rule 5c without notice.
e.  In the event that the contest continues into the playoffs, contestants will be allowed to start over with their choices.  Contestants will be able to select teams that have been selected in the regular season, however, the same rule will apply in the post season; you will not be allowed to select the same football team twice in the post season, as the losing football team is eliminated from the playoffs.
f.  Contestants are entitled to change football team selections as many times as desired before the weekly entry deadline (Rule 5a).  The selection in the email that is most recent will be deemed final, providing that it is received prior to the deadline described in Rule 5a.

5. Announcing Your Selection.

a.  Selections must be made no later than 11:59pm Arizona time on the day before the first game of the week, or Saturday, whichever comes first (Please be aware that Arizona does not participate in Daylight Savings Time).  When logged in, users must use the "Submit Selection" link on the home page.  View the current year pro football schedule here.

b.  No emails, faxes, phone calls, text messages or verbal announcements will be accepted.  Only selections submitted via The Smartest Loser website will be accepted.  NO EXCEPTIONS!

c.  Failure to comply with the required weekly deadlines or selecting a football team in the regular season results in your selection being assigned to the home team of the Monday night game of that week.  This rule applies to contestants in both the Championship and Consolation Brackets.

i. Since Week 1 has two Monday night football games, the assigned team will be the home team of the Thursday night game (Green Bay Packers).
ii. Since Week 17 does not have a Monday night game, the assigned team will be the Arizona Cardinals.
iii. If the home team for the Monday night game (or Arizona Cardinals for Week 17) has already been selected by the contestant, the contestant will be automatically eliminated (Rules 4d & 4e).

d.  Contestants in the Championship Bracket who fail to submit their loser selection by the applicable deadline (Rule 5a) during the postseason (playoffs) will automatically be moved into the Consolation Bracket.  Contestants in the Consolation Bracket who fail to submit their loser selection by the applicable deadline (Rule 5a) during the post season (playoffs) will automatically be eliminated from The Smartest Loser.

e.  In the event that you are eliminated from the contest, you will be notified by email following the last football game of the week thanking you for your participation.
 

6. Verification of Loser Selection.

a.  As long as loser selections are made prior to the deadline as indicated in Rule 5a, your selection will be recorded for that week as such.
b.  Your loser selections will be posted online after the deadline, but prior to the start of the first football game of the week.

7.   Winning the Contest.

a.  The contest will continue until there is only one contestant remaining in the Championship Bracket and one in the Consolation Bracket, or the conclusion of Super Bowl XLVI, whichever comes first, with the exception as mentioned in Rule 7c.
b.  The last remaining contestant in the Championship Bracket will receive seventy percent (70%) of the Net Prize Pool ("Championship Prize") and the last remaining contestant in the Consolation Bracket will receive thirty percent (30%) of the Net Prize Pool ("Consolation Prize").  Refer to Rule 1b for Net Prize Pool calculation.

c.  In the event that there is more than one contestant left in the Championship Bracket after the conclusion of Super Bowl XLVI, the Championship Prize will be split equally among those remaining contestants.  In the event that there is more than one contestant left in the Consolation Bracket after the conclusion of Super Bowl XLVI, the Consolation Prize will be split equally among remaining contestants.
d.  If, and only if, one contestant is declared the winner of the Championship Bracket, he/she will be rewarded with a free entry into next year’s contest as a bonus above and beyond the prize described in Rule 7b.  If there are multiple winners for the contest, this reward will be nullified.

8.   Claiming Prize.

a.  Contest winners will be notified via email of their triumph following the conclusion of the week in which they win.  This will mark the conclusion of the contest.
b.  Once the contest has concluded, Commissioner will deposit entire prize into the same PayPal account that the winner used to pay for the entry fee.

c.  All registered users must keep Commissioner informed of any PayPal account changes that may affect depositing prize as the inability to deposit prize due to user's account modification or deletion will result in forfeiture of prize.  In this unlikely event, Commissioner will continue to attempt to deposit money for 30 calendar days from conclusion of contest.  If, after 30 calendar days, Commissioner is still unable to deposit prize into winner's account, the prize will be forfeited.

9.   Rule Changes.

a.  The rules listed on this page are the only governing rules to the contest for the 2011 season.
b.  Rules will not change during the course of any given season.  Any changes or additions to these written rules will take effect with subseqent seasons.

10.   Second Chance Survival Pool.

All rules contained on this page will apply to the Second Chance Survival Pool.  The following rules have been rewritten and shall apply to only the Second Chance Survival Pool and will not apply to the Survival Pool that begun with Week 1 of the 2011 season (changes underlined):

2b.  Entries will not be accepted after Saturday October 29, 2011.

2c.  Contest will begin with Week 8 of the 2011 season.

Section 3 is omitted in its entirety.  The Second Chance pool will follow a single elimination format.  If the team a player selects either ties or wins, they are eliminated from the Second Chance pool.  All references to Championship Bracket or Consolation Bracket are omitted.

4e.  This rule is omitted in its entirety and replaced with the following:

In the event the contest continues into the post season (playoffs), contestants ARE NOT allowed to start over with their choices.  Contestants must continue in selecting football teams to lose that they have not yet chosen during the entire Second Chance Survival Pool.

5d.  This rule is omitted in its entirery and replaced with the following:

Failure to select a football team in the post season (playoffs) by the deadline mentioned in Rule 5a will result in automatic elimination from the contest.

7b.  This rule is omitted in its entirery and replaced with the following:

The last remaining player in the Second Chance pool will receive the entire Net Prize Pool.  Refer to Rule 1b for Net Prize Pool calculation.

7d.  This rule is omitted in its entirety.

11.   Privacy Notice.

a.  All information sent to the Commissioner will remain private and confidential, except as mentioned in these Official Rules.
b.  Email addresses of contestants will remain hidden in any emails sent from the Commissioner to field of eligible contestants.
c.  If you have played, or are playing in The Smartest Loser contest, you may be invited to participate in subsequent seasons via email.  If you do not wish to receive an invitation, please notify Commissioner to remove your email address from Commissioner’s email address book.
d.  This contest is open to all with internet access.  If you know of a friend, colleague, mother, father, sister, brother, teacher, student, roommate, classmate, cousin, aunt, uncle, grandparent or drinking buddy that is interested in participating in this incredible game, please feel free to forward Commissioner’s email address and/or website address to them.  The more people that play, the more YOU can win!
e.  Commissioner hates spam as much as you do, therefore, it will not happen!  Your personal information will not be sold, or used in any way other than described on this page.

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