Six or seven years ago my friend Alec ran an Oscar Pool.
You just filled in a little piece of scrap paper, paid Alec five bucks, and then whoever got the most picks right took home the big $25 pot. Then maybe they celebrated by buying a whole pizza or pre-paying the next five pools or something.
Anyway, when Alec moved away, I started up my own Oscar Pool to fill the void. First it was on paper, then in Microsoft Excel, and then last year my friend Chad took the whole thing online with live tracking during the actual Oscars.
But yeah, honestly, isn’t it all about that one guy at the office or girl in the classroom who takes the pool way too seriously? You know who they are because they’re drawing out March Madness brackets with odds written in and researching Survivor cast members on the Internet so everyone can guess who’s gonna get the raft next. Sometimes they even start pools about when the pregnant lady is gonna give birth or when the guy who sleeps in the bathroom stall will get fired.
Either way, that Pool Guy or Pool Girl is putting in their blood, skin, and sweat so we can all enjoy some friendly gambling. They’re programming Excel macros, photocopying entry forms, and cornering you in the elevator for your ten bucks because they love you lots.
So if you’re lucky enough to have a Pool Guy or Pool Girl in your life, today’s the day to stand up and throw them a sturdy smile, firm handshake, and a quiet, respectful nod.
AWESOME!
I… don’t understand. “Pools” confuse me. o__O
But I don’t want to seem weird, sooo… YEAH! AWESOME! WOOOO!
I am confused also. I had to read the thing about three times to understand it. I think how the Oscar Pool works is, around the time of the Oscar Awards, everyone puts down their names and which movies they think will win an award on a list or something, and put some of their money into a big pile with everyone else’s money, for some reason called a pool. Whoever’s movie guesses win the most awards, they win the pool of everyone’s money. In this case, pool just means “a collection of everyone’s money”. Like in poker. I think.
Aahhh! You are a wise and learned elephant, Max. (What’s that? You’re not REALLY a fuscia elephant? Oh, disappointing…)
I never said I wasn’t a fuscia elephant.
Fantastic. :D
Wow… You must own a massive keyboard.
I do indeed.
Pools are like Max described it, but its not only for the Oscars. My office does it with football. (American football) Before the season starts, you put together who you think will win each game and then who will end up in the playoffs. The person who guessed the most right gets all the money that people paid to be in the pool.
An actual pool in an office. That’s my kind of office pool.
LOL…office pools are fun! Wish I was in an Oscars pool this year.
Bekah, the icon is the little cartoon conversation bubble at the top of the page…on the top right in the black bar, right next to the search magnifying lens. Click the cartoon bubble (it’s shaped like a box) and you’ll see all of your notifications! So I wasn’t the only one who hadn’t known of it!
I am sad. I do not have that. The only ‘bubble’ I have on my page is the one about the Webby awards on the right. I don’t have a black bar on the top of the page.
:(
I just throw my money in and tell my friends to let me know if I win. (Unless it’s the football pool..that, I am all over!) It doesn’t happen often, but it’s a pretty nice surprise when it does. ;)
The only pool I participated in… and it was more of a bet kind of thing…. we guessed what the opening price was going to be for Facebook when it opened a stock last year. I work at a bank… what do you expect?
I hate office pools. Never works for me, I always end up kissing that money goodbye and getting nothing in return. Feels too scammy!