On Friday nights in the fall for more than a decade, football bettors would crowd a small, smoky sportsbook on the Strip to see two handicappers go head to head in a $10,000 winner-take-all contest. The contestants’ names were lit up outside on the marquee, adding an element of prestige to being a part of the Stardust Invitational.
The contest concluded after the 2005 season -- the Stardust closed on Nov. 1, 2006 and its two hotel towers were imploded in March 2007 -- and it has been missed.
So it’s time to bring back memories of an old friend. In a tip of the cap to the Stardust Invitational, Circa owner Derek Stevens is putting up his money and putting his support behind a new VSIN-produced event, the Circa Friday Football Invitational.
The theme is the same, but the contest format is slightly different and improved. While there are still 16 handicappers in a bracket, all contestants are involved each week in a season-long competition, as opposed to the Stardust format that pitted only two handicappers a week in a head-to-head elimination duel. Stevens has boosted the prize money to $25,000.
The 16-handicapper field is officially set. Here are the contest details:
CIRCA FRIDAY FOOTBALL INVITATIONAL
Sixteen handicappers compete -- with no entry fee required -- in a season-long contest with $25,000 in prizes awarded.
When: Friday, September 9 through Friday, January, 6, 2023 (18 weeks)
Where: VSIN studio at the Circa sportsbook
Contest plays: Five plays, college and NFL sides and totals (no props, team totals, first-half plays etc.) with one designated as the Best Bet (BB).
Here are the updated standings:
CIRCA FRIDAY FOOTBALL INVITATIONAL
STANDINGS (through NFL Week 4, Oct. 1)
| Contestant |
Overall Record |
Total Points |
Best Bet Record |
|
| Chris Fallica |
14-6 |
14 |
4-0 |
4 |
| Chuck Edel |
14-6 |
14 |
2-2 |
2 |
| Marc Lawrence |
12-8 |
12 |
4-0 |
4 |
| James Salinas |
12-8 |
12 |
1-3 |
1 |
| Steve Fezzik |
11-8-1 |
11.5 |
3-0-1 |
3.5 |
| Randy McKay |
10-9-1 |
10.5 |
2-2 |
2 |
| Jeff Whitelaw |
10-9-1 |
10.5 |
2-2 |
2 |
| Doug Kezirian |
10-10 |
10 |
2-2 |
2 |
| Dan Saley |
9-10-1 |
9.5 |
2-2 |
2 |
| Erin Rynning |
9-10-1 |
9.5 |
0-3-1 |
0.5 |
| Bobby Brubeck |
9-11 |
9 |
2-2 |
2 |
| Cris Zeniuk |
9-11 |
9 |
1-3 |
1 |
| Mike North |
8-11-1 |
8.5 |
2-2 |
2 |
| Joey Fortuna |
8-12 |
8 |
1-3 |
1 |
| Paul Stone |
8-12 |
8 |
1-3 |
1 |
| Brian Edwards |
6-14 |
6 |
3-1 |
3 |