Rules for The House of Simmons Dead Pool

Goal:
Pick 15 celebrities who you think (or hope) will die prior to midnight, December 31, 2010. Points will be allotted based on the age at death for each person who dies on your list: the absolute value of the person’s age subtracted from 100 (e.g., when either a 95 year old woman or a 105 year old woman dies in her sleep, you get five points if you had drafted her). No valid death shall count less than 1 point. The person with the most points at the end of the year wins.

Rules:
Pick a name for your team, and then think of a list of 25 to 30 celebrities. Be sure that your list is prioritized in the order of draft preference, and has your contact information (mailing address, e-mail, phone number, etc.) YOU WILL BE ABLE TO DRAFT 15 PEOPLE FROM YOUR LIST!

You will draw a number out of a hat to determine your drafting position. If you cannot attend our drafting celebration, a number can be drawn for you, and we will draft for you in your absence.

The person who draws the number 1 out of the hat submits their first draft choice. The person who draws number 2 submits second, and so on. When everyone has submitted their first nominee, number 1 submits their second choice, etc.

Once a celebrity has been selected, no one else may draft that person. If a celebrity is mistakenly drafted under two different names (ie. an alias vs. a given name) the first person to draft them under either name will win those points and the person drafting the duplicate can select another individual.

Valid submissions must meet the following criteria:
• They cannot already be dead.
• No fictional characters, businesses, animals, etc. Only real people.
• National fame. Their obituary or announcement must appear in a nationally (or internationally) recognized publication; radio, TV, press, etc.
• You cannot have a hand in the person’s dying.
• If a person dies on death row by legal execution, points will not be awarded. However if said person should die of other (un)natural causes, then points will be awarded.
• THE SADDAM HUSSEIN RULE: If a person is drafted prior to being tried and sentenced to death, and dies within the year (legal execution or otherwise) points will be awarded.

Bonus:
If the police rule the death a suicide, points DOUBLE! (Hint: Look for those people living a little too close to the edge.)

Amputations without fatality will not be given points.
All points are awarded as whole numbers according to year of birth (i.e., someone who dies at age 20, the day before their 21st birthday is still worth 80 points)

NEW RULE: The Sequential Rule for Old People: The Oldest Person or Man or Woman and the Oldest Man or Woman in the US are all acceptable entries, but not the 2nd oldest person, man or woman. When the oldest person of their respective category dies, the formerly 2nd oldest person now becomes the new oldest person, etc. For example: If a player chooses all the oldest women in the world, the celebrity will only be conveyed to the then oldest woman. If the second oldest woman dies before the oldest woman, no points will be given to the 2nd oldest woman's passing.

Late contestants will be accepted, their lists subject to the same screening and drafting as everyone else’s.

During the course of the year, watch the obits. You never know when one of your favorites will be visiting St. Pete. Let the Life Guard know if you find that someone died, and once it’s confirmed, points will be awarded.

At the end of the year, the winner receives great accolades (and maybe some bad karma) and drafting will begin again for 2011. We will follow the same drafting procedure.

Any contestant who does not live in the Denver/Boulder area or who moves during the course of the playing year may still participate, as long as I have a working address. If the Life Guard cannot notify the winner, the award goes to the contestant with the next most points.

In the event of a tie, the winnings shall be split equally.

As the Life Guard is not participating, but only coordinating, any questions shall be ruled upon by the Life Guard alone.

If you need more help putting together your list of draftees, please visit these sites on line:
http://www.whosaliveandwhosdead.com/

you may email your list to dpslifeguard@gmail.com if you cannot attend in person.

FAQs

1) WTF?!? Are you guys messed up or what?
A) We are perfectly sane, we're not worshiping death, and in many cases we are deeply saddened when one of our favorite people passes on. We also recognize that people are going to die whether we have points on them or not. In this case we take an inevitable event and make it more interesting--perhaps even fun.

2) Who can play?
A) The game is open by invite only. Any participant can invite a friend, but the Life Guard has to approve and accept the invitee.

3) What are the rules? How do I play?
A) Read the rules. They are in the next post. Look at them. Adopt them as your own.

4) What if I can't be at the Annual Hangover Recovery and Dead Pool Draft Party, but I still want to play?
A) Then you are in a sad and pityable condition, indeed. Why would anyone want to miss such an event? But if circumstances outside of your control keep you from The House of Simmons on New Year's Day, you can email the Life Guard your list ahead of time to be a part of the draft. If I get the list after the draft (open throughout the rest of the year) you will get the celebrities still available and still alive. Read the rules.

5) What do the winners win?
A) There is a trophy. There may be Karma.

6) Who is in charge of this thing?
A) The Dead Pool Life Guard is in charge. The Life Guard makes all final decisions, can interpret the rules however the rules need to be interpreted, and for all of this power DOES NOT participate in the game.