Just two weeks into the NFL season, only 27% of entries remain in Circa Sports’ Circa Survivor pick’em contest.
However, nothing is lost for those who have already bombed out. Circa has announced the “Circa Survivor Empathy Package,” awarding free stays at multiple Las Vegas resorts to anyone who was eliminated from the competition in the first two weeks.
Players with one or two entries (up to 10 were permitted) can claim a complimentary two-night stay at Circa Resort & Casino, the D Las Vegas, or Golden Gate Hotel & Casino, all owned by Derek and Greg Stevens.
Those who had three or more entries and were knocked out in the first two weeks get a three-night stay.
Key Highlights
- Players eliminated before NFL Week 3 can claim a free Las Vegas hotel package.
- In Circa Survivor, entrants pick one NFL team to win each week, with no repeats allowed.
- The contest has 3,877 entries still alive of the original 14,266.
- The eventual winner will take home the entire $14,266,000 prize pool.
Lost Your Bet? Circa Offers Free Vegas Stays to Try Again
The gift isn’t without a catch.
The stays must be booked between November 4 and December 26 and only Monday through Thursday. No weekends. Each booking also includes a day bed reservation at Stadium Swim, where guests can lounge and watch sports on a 40-foot screen.
The World Series of Poker does something similar, typically awarding the $10,000 Main Event “bubble boy,” or the last person eliminated before the money, a free entry into the following year’s tournament.
Even if you bombed out early, Circa’s Empathy Package ensures you still win a piece of Vegas with a free stay at their top resorts.
Major Upsets Knock Out Thousands in Circa Survivor
Circa Survivor is an NFL pick’em competition with a $1,000 buy-in, no rake, and a $10 million guaranteed prize pool. It smashed the guarantee, attracting 14,266 entries to generate a winner-take-all prize of $14,266,000.
Each week, players select the winner of one NFL game without the spread. If the team wins, the player advances to the next week. If the team loses, that entry is finished.
What makes it especially difficult is that entrants are not allowed to select the same team twice, so strategy and advance planning are required.
In Week 1, 5,564 entries were eliminated. The most popular incorrect choice was the Cincinnati Bengals, who lost as 7.5-point favorites to the New England Patriots, 16-10.
At the end of the season, the players with the top 100 point totals receive a share of $4.8 million, with the overall champ winning $1 million.
Another 4,825 entries bit the dust in Week 2, with the Baltimore Ravens being the most chosen losing team (2,304 entries). The Ravens fell 26-23 to the Las Vegas Raiders as 8.5-point favorites.
Circa posted on X that although there have been truckloads of eliminations already, the 3,877 remaining entries are the most entering Week 3, except for in 2023, when there were 5,924 live entries.
Last year, four contestants made it all the way through the season without an incorrect pick. They split the $9,267,000 prize evenly, each taking home $2,316,750.
Circa Million VI: A Handicapping Contest for the Pros
Circa’s other big NFL handicapping game is Circa Million VI, a true handicapping contest with a $1,000 buy-in and $6 million guarantee. It fell just short of that guarantee, fielding 5,817 entries, thus providing players with a $183,000 overlay.
In Circa Million VI, players make five NFL picks against the spread every week, receiving one point for each correct pick and half a point for a push. At the end of the season, the players with the top 100 point totals receive a share of $4.8 million, with the overall champ winning $1 million.
The last and second-to-last-place finishers also get $100,000 and $50,000, respectively.
There are also $300,000 in prizes each quarter for the top five points totals plus the last place entry. Each quarterly champ gets $150,000.
After Week 2, there are no perfect entries. Eight entries are tied for first with nine points, while another eight have 8.5 points.
A total of 21 entries have not made a single correct pick through two weeks.
Nine of them have zero points; a dozen have half a point, managing to find one push among their awful selections. Last year’s winning entry had a record of 62-27-1 across 90 picks for a total score of 62.5 points.
Sources
https://www.circalasvegas.com/circa-survivor-empathy-package/
https://www.circasports.com/contests
https://x.com/CircaSports/status/1832527612473995562
https://x.com/CircaSports/status/1833655277104840952
https://x.com/CircaSports/status/1836192037751918617
https://x.com/CircaSports/status/1836162706824654854
