SportsBox
Side Pools > Sportbox
Before we begin, do not become intimidated by all the buttons, options etc. A sports box is easy to use, in fact it is easier to run than the regular pool.
The Office Sports Box allows pool administrators to run a Sports Box the way that large sport bars have been doing for years. A Sports Box is guaranteed to breathe new life into your pool and increase membership. Since the Sports Box plays like a sort of lottery, players do not have to be skilled in picking NFL games.
The Office Sports Box is simple to use. Following is a quick walk-through to get you started. Make sure to read the Tips, Tricks & Ideas section in order to get the most out of the Sports Box
Using the Sports Box throughout the season:. Although most pools use the Monday Night game as the SportsBox game, you are free to choose any game on the schedule as the SportsBox game.
Sending Out the Sports Box Selection Sheet: The first thing you need to do is print the entrysheet. It can be found under the Main Menu item Reports.This will print one sheet (which is all you will need). I've tried to make the boxes large enough so a player can print their name. HINT: If your pool has many player changes, it would be wise to send out this report as late as possible. You are given the option of whether you want the digits 0-9 to be printed on the top & left side of the box. If you are going to be randomizing the digits (explained later), do not print the digits.
Entering Players into the boxes: The Sports Box uses the drag and drop method to easily enter players into the grids. Use this method if you are going to manually enter players in the SportsBox. Simply select a player from the list box by clicking on that persons name. Hold down the mouse button and drag the icon to whatever square you wish. Release the mouse button, and the player is entered into the square. If you want to clear a square, the first item in the list box is always the clear box. Simply drag this to the square and drop it. HINT: To get to a particular player in the list box quickly, click on any persons name and then use the keyboard up & down arrow keys or PgUp/PgDn keys to quickly move thru the listbox.
HINT: Anytime you want to know what player owns a particular box, simply double click on that box, and a small message box will pop-up and display the persons name.
The Option Buttons:
One Per Box: Every player in the SportsBox gets one random box. The rest of the boxes remain blank. This option is useful if you would want the pot (prize) to grow every week if no one wins. See the section on Tips, Tricks & Ideas on why you might prefer this option.
One Per Box + Randomize: Every player gets one random box, plus the rest of the boxes are filled with random players. Every player is guaranteed at least one box, and some players will probably wind up owning more boxes than others. Use this option when you want to guarantee that there is a winner every week.
Totally Randomized Grid: Anything goes here. Every box is filled, but there is no guarantee how. Some players might win a lot of boxes, others will win less, or not win any at all. Use if you don't have a lot of sore losers in your pool, or people who are not willing to take a risk.
Randomize NFL Digits: Use this when you run your SportsBox by sending out a Sports Sheet without digits on the top & left side. Players will sign their name to a box, but will not know what digits they will own. You will then manually drag & drop players to the box they signed. You then use this option to randomize the digits. Then make a printout for every player in the pool to take home on Monday. HINT: If you prefer to manually randomize the digits, double click on the digit and a text box will pop-up and you can enter a new digit in its place. Some pools like to have their players draw the NFL digits out of a hat.
Equal Number: Selecting this will give everyone an equal number of boxes. Any boxes left over will remain empty.
Equal + Randomize: Every player gets an equal number of boxes. Any boxes left over will be filled with random players.
The Command Buttons:
Save Players to File: This button will save the players that are currently in the listbox to a file. The next time you start the SportsBox, these players will appear in the list box. You do not need to constantly add and import players if you use this option. The file they are saved to is SBPlayer.dat If you want to start with a new file, simply delete this file.
The Import Button: The Import Button will add all the players from the regular pool into the SportsBox pool. If you have a player who wants to join both pools, then use the import button, rather than use the Add Button. This way, they keep the same ID number.
The Add Button: The Add Button is used if you have a player who wishes not to join the regular pool, but would like to participate in the SportsBox. If the player is already in the regular pool, then use the import button instead.
The Garbage Can: If you have a player in the listbox that you would like to remove, simply drag the player from the list box, and drop onto the Garbage Can. The player will be removed.
The Reset Button: The Reset Button will clear the entire grid of player selections, and will also set the digits on the top & left side of SportsBox in order from 0-9.
The Clear Button: The Clear Button will clear the entire grid of player selections. It will not reset the digits if they have been randomized.
The Print Button: The Print button prints a single page showing the Sports Box and everyones selections. Make a copy for each player to take home on Monday (or the weekend, if the playoffs are in effect). If you want, after the game has been played, you can use this button to print the report showing the game score and the Box Winner.
Please Note: In order that all players always have a unique Sportbox ID number, copy All files in the NFL Pool Manager directory when running the pool on multiple PC's.
TIPS, TRICKS & IDEAS
Actually, the above heading is not altogether true. I don't have any tricks, but I do have a few ideas on how to use the Sports Box to generate interest in your pool.
Before we start, remember that some squares are more valuable than others. Squares 2, 5 ,and 8 are not very popular squares since NFL game scores rarely end in these numbers.
IDEA #1:Sell season tickets to boxes. Don't randomize the grids or the digits. Players are manually entered each week into the particular box they have purchased. Good for getting your money up front before the season starts. Naturally players are going to rush to purchase the best boxes the way they would with sporting events, which leads to idea #2.
IDEA #2:Charge more for premium boxes. As an example, a box containing a zero or seven would cost a dollar more. If they want a box that contains both these numbers, then double the price. If they want a box with a 2 or 5, the price is lower.
IDEA # 3: This involves the Totally Randomized Grid button. If everyone trusts you, you can do this by yourself. If not, just have a witness present to verify that the button was only hit once. Everyone in the pool chips in whatever the entry fee is for the Sports box. You hit the random button ONCE. However the randomizer fills the boxes, that is it! Some players might luck out and win many squares, others will probably not be so lucky.
IDEA # 4: This is not really an idea, more of a thought. You don't really need to have a winner every week. If you don't have enough players in your pool to fill every square, don't worry. Why don't you carry over the pot to the next week, if there is no winner for that week ? Sort of the way Lotto's operate in many states. When their pot gets big, what happens? Interest in the game grows very fast .