FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)
Introductory Questions
What is Primester’s Pools? – A small pool consisting of family, coworkers, friends and their friends. I have pools that cover mainly NFL football, March Madness, and if there is enough interest, NBA and MLB.
When was Primester’s Pools launched? – I started the pool as an office pool back in 1995 or so. All the work was done manually. There was no computer or software to help me!! I gradually expanded the pools to include friends, and friends of friends, etc. I believe I went paperless in 2001 and the pools have evolved since then.
Who can join the pools? – Invited and referred players only! Only people that I know and people that the current players know, can play in these pools. No random person will be allowed in. I don't advertise, it is strictly word of mouth. I only want honest paying players that enjoy participating in pools. I am not a collection agency and don't have the time nor the desire to hassle people over money. This is supposed to be for fun for everyone including me!
Who are you? Why do you waste your time doing so much work on this nonsense? –
I am but your humble servant. I exist mainly to make your life better by having some pools to play in. I love running and organizing pools…mainly because it upsets my wife!! :)
I am a so-called professional (financial planner, so I legally gamble every day in the market), married with two awesome kids. My hobbies include gambling, watching sports, bowling, gambling, travelling, playing and organizing poker tournaments and gambling.
Pricing Questions
How much does it cost? - The entry fee for all the pools will be posted in the rules. Make sure you read the rules for the different pools as it might be different from other pools that you may have been in.
How do I pay for my pool entry? - You can pay your entry fees in a number of ways. I prefer e-payments since it is much faster for me to receive the fees and mark you as “paid” and because it can be tracked by both of us. Also, it allows you to get your winnings faster!! Here are the options:
1- Google Wallet - billprimester@gmail.com
2- Apple Pay - 908-400-6093
3- Zelle - bill@gurnanis.com or 908-400-6093 - See if your bank participates in Zelle: https://zellepay.com/partners
4- Venmo - @GurnaniBill; comes up as Bharat Gurnani
5- PayPal - billgur1968@gmail.com
6- Snail Mail - email me for my address - least favorite option!!
How come/why are you so concerned about what's goes in memo field of e-payments? Cause after players being told numerous times, NOT to put pools, box pools, NFL, gambling, etc in memo field, people still did that and now I have been blocked on Cashapp, Venmo and Paypal in the past. The financial companies (per government regulations) do want to facilitate any payments that have to do with pools and gambling.
So, remember when sending e-payments... DO NOT PUT ANYTHING RELATED TO POOLS IN MEMO FIELD. EITHER PUT NOTHING OR LOAN REPAYMENT, LUNCH, DINNER, ETC.
How soon after I register do I need to pay the entry fees? – ASAP! The accounting portion of running pools is a nightmare! Don’t want to keep chasing people to pay. I am pretty flexible but I would prefer you can pay ASAP; also, the deadline will be posted when fees are due. I want everyone to be in the pools…if you cannot pay all at once, I am open to you doing a payment plan.
When do you pay out the winnings? – For the NFL season, the winnings are paid out every Tuesday. For all other pools, the winnings are paid out the day after the event is completed. When you register for my pools, I will ask you “how do want to get paid if you win”. I will pay via one of the options mentioned above.
Pick Deadlines
What is the pick deadline? - The pick deadline is the day and time by which all pool members must finalize their picks for the week. This deadline is set by me and is clearly shown on my website and on RunYourPool.
Can I enter picks only for the Thursday game and enter the rest later? NO and YES! All picks for NFL are due by Thursday night. However, you can go back in and change ANY of the picks for unplayed games up until 1pm Sunday kickoff. No more changes after that deadline.
What happens if the Thursday game starts before I enter my picks? - If you miss picking a Thursday game, you get a "loss" for that game. You can still enter your picks for the Sunday games up until the 1pm deadline.
Can I change my picks? - Yes, you can change your picks as often as you like, but only up until the pick deadline of 1pm Sunday. After that time, no picks can be made or changed. Obviously, you can never change a pick for a game that has already started.
Standings and Scoring
When are scores and standings updated? – RunYourPool updates picks and standings as soon as the game is completed.
Is the MNF tiebreaker the closest to the total without going over? - No. The software takes the absolute difference between your prediction and the total combined score on Monday night. You can be over or under the actual total. The person closest to the actual total is the winner.
What if my Survivor pick ends in a tie? Do I get a win or a loss? – LOSS! All games that end in a tie are counted as a loss.
Point Spread Questions
How do point spreads work? - Point spreads are always shown relative to the favorite. Don’t know how to explain this any further. But here is a good explanation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spread_betting
Who sets the point spreads? - I get the football spreads from www.vegasinsider.com. I use the consensus and either add or subtract a 1/2 point to the line to avoid ties in the weekly pool. I delete 1/2 points to have whole numbers for the High Five pool.
When do the point spreads get set? – I set the lines on Monday night during the game. ALL scores, standings, and new pickshet will be available after the game ends.
Do the point spreads change during the week? - No. Once the line is set, it never changes. However, in the rare instance (since I never make mistakes) where I type the line in wrong, I will change it, profusely apologize, and have people resubmit their picksheets.
Special Options and Pool Operation Questions
Can other people see my picks? – NO. I opt to hide everyone's picks until after the pick deadline. Not fair if a player can see your picks and changes his picks accordingly. Picks are always viewable once the games start or once the pick deadline passes.
How many people can join my pool? - There is no limit to the number of people who can join the pool. My favorite saying is…the more, the merrier, the bigger the pots, the bigger the payouts!!!
What is the best way to invite people into my pool? – Send me an email with your friend CCed on it. I will add them to my distribution list. If down the road, they don’t want to get my emails, they can simply “unsubscribe”.
Miscellaneous Questions
What if I still have some questions? - You can email me at bill@gurnanis.com
Can I use site with my mobile phone? - Yes, absolutely!
Should I use my real name or an alias in the pools? – Well, you don’t have to use an alias, but you should. Be creative with your pool username.
What if I have an idea for a new pool? – Pass it along!! I will see if I can incorporate it into the current pools. A few of the pools (High Five, Margin, the now extinct 5-3-1, Draft and some of the box pools) were ideas and suggestions from players.