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 Week 17, Jan. 2)
Contestant |
Overall |
Points |
Best Bet Record |
|
Chris Fallica |
51-34 |
51 |
12-5 |
12 |
Doug Kezirian |
48-35-2 |
49 |
8-7-2 |
9 |
Chuck Edel |
49-36 |
49 |
6-11 |
6 |
Paul Stone |
48-36-1 |
48.5 |
7-10 |
7 |
Joey Fortuna |
46-37-1 |
46.5 |
9-8 |
9 |
James Salinas |
45-36-3 |
46.5 |
8-9 |
8 |
Randy McKay |
45-38-2 |
46 |
8-9 |
8 |
Jeff Whitelaw |
42-39-3 |
43.5 |
8-6-2 |
9 |
X-Marc Lawrence |
40-38-2 |
41 |
10-6 |
10 |
X-Dan Saley |
35-37-2 |
36 |
7-8 |
7 |
X-Brian Edwards |
33-37 |
33 |
7-7 |
7 |
X-Bobby Brubeck |
29-34-2 |
30 |
4-9 |
4 |
X-Cris Zeniuk |
26-32-2 |
27 |
4-8 |
4 |
X-Erin Rynning |
24-30-1 |
24.5 |
3-7-1 |
3.5 |
X-Steve Fezzik |
21-28-1 |
21.5 |
6-3-1 |
6.5 |
X-Mike North |
16-26-3 |
17.5 |
3-6 |
3 |
X-Eliminated