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Columnist Jeff Haney: Bettors Have Their Pick of Football Contests

The "Ultimate Edge" contest at the Stratosphere and Arizona Charlie's properties features a total purse of $400,000, with a first prize of $100,000 awarded to the season champ.

Entry fees are $15 -- buy four, get the fifth entry free.

In a departure from the norm among Las Vegas' popular "mega-contests," entrants choose NFL sides against the point spread, rather than straight up. Ultimate Edge contestants will pick 15 pro games each week, vying for a $10,000 weekly prize along with end-of-season cash awards for the top 10 finishers.

Anyone who goes 15-0 for one week takes home a $2,000 bonus -- which rolls over and accumulates if it is not won, a la a Pick Six.

Here's a capsule look at other football contests offered by Las Vegas-area casinos this year:

Station Casinos: The "Great Giveaway" carries a $25 entry fee (buy two, get the third free) and a prize pool of $1.25 million. Entrants choose pro football games straight up. In addition to $40,000 in weekly prizes, the player with the best record at season's end wins $100,000, and the player with the worst record earns $100,000. Players with a 50/50 record at season's end split $250,000. Sign up at any Station property, where computer registration is also available. Players can even make their picks for the entire season all at once on the computer system.

Coast Resorts: The 24th annual "Pick the Pros" carries a $25 entry fee (buy four, get the fifth free) and a prize pool of $1.25 million. Entrants choose pro football games straight up. There's $40,000 in weekly prizes, and the season winner collects $100,000. Register at Coast properties, including the Plaza downtown.

Reserve/Fiesta: The "Football Frenzy" is free to enter, with a limit of two entries per person. Players choose pro football games straight up, going for weekly prizes of $10,000 and season-end prizes that include $25,000 to the top finisher. Sign up at the Fiesta in North Las Vegas or the Reserve in Henderson.

Las Vegas Hilton: The "SuperContest" carries an entry fee of $1,500 with 40 percent of the prize pool (an estimated $150,000, depending on the number of entrants) going to the winner. Players choose any five NFL games against the spread each week -- sides only, no totals. A $10,000 bonus is offered to anyone who hits 67 percent or better. Standings are posted in the Las Vegas Hilton's sports book for fans who like to keep tabs on the contest.

Park Place casinos: The "College Football 101" contest carries a $50 entry fee, with the top finisher winning 40 percent of the prize pool and the top 20 placing in the money. Players pick 10 college football games against the spread each week. Sign up at Bally's, Paris, Caesars Palace, Las Vegas Hilton, and Flamingo. Also available at the Flamingo in Laughlin and Park Place's Northern Nevada properties.

Bally's: The "Eliminator" carries a $50 entry fee, and it's winner take all. Players choose one game, college or pro, each week against the spread. Only winners advance.

Boyd casinos: The "All-American" contest has established itself as the city's most popular freeroll. It's one entry per person (no fee), and contestants choose college and pro games straight up, vying for a $10,000 weekly prize. Sign up at the Stardust or related properties, including the California, Fremont, Eldorado, Joker's Wild or Sam's Town.

Barley's: The third annual "Gridiron Growler" carries a $200 entry fee, with a first-place prize of at least $5,000 depending on the number of entries. Players pick 10 NFL games against the spread and five totals each week. The contest also features bonus prizes and end-of-season cash awards.

The "College Knowledge" contest carries a $25 entry fee, maximum four per person. Players choose college games against the spread. The season-end top prize is at least $2,500, and the weekly prize for best record is at least $250.

Regent: Another "Football Frenzy," also free to enter. Players pick pro games straight up, shooting for weekly prizes of $5,000 and end-of-season prizes that include $25,000 to the champion.

Terrible's: The Terrible's contest carries a $15 entry fee (buy four, get one free) and a prize pool of $100,000. Entrants choose NFL games straight up, playing for weekly and season-end prizes. Available at Terrible's hotel-casino in Las Vegas, as well as Terrible's Town and Terrible's Lakeside in Pahrump.

Cal Neva: The "Pick Your Pros" contest has a $25 entry fee (buy four, get one free) and a prize pool of $250,000. Players pick pro games straight up, competing for a season-end grand prize of $25,000. Among weekly prizes are $7,500 for the most winners picked, $3,500 for second-most winners, and $1,000 for the least winners picked. Club Fortune in Henderson is a Cal Neva outlet.

The Imperial Palace has posted an over/under of 6 1/2 wins for the Rebels this season. Bettors must lay minus 150 on the over, and get plus 120 on the under.

Station properties have the over/under at 7 wins, with a premium of minus 155 on the under and plus 135 on the over.

In this type of wager, a half-game is said to be worth about 60 cents on the money line.

So from a purely objective standpoint, once you determine which side of the wager you like, it's probably worth it to take the "plus money" either way. In other words, play the under at the IP or the over at the Stations. By going under 6 1/2, you give up a half-game versus the 7 but gain a theoretical 75 cents on the money line. By going over 7, you give up a half-game but gain 85 cents -- also a relative bargain.

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