So you want to lose play money and you have some measurable affinity with this website. Or, perhaps a gloating MMA for Real would leave you confused and doubting your self worth. I can sympathize with all of that. The new season of MMA Playground's betting game is starting at the end of this week with the historic UFC 100 and you can view this as an opportunity to exercise all your baser urges in a safe, fantasy format. In the extended entry you will find a short walkthrough of the MMA Playground experience in an attempt to better orient your access to our little game. If a lack of familiarity with the Playground setup is what is giving you pause before joining us, please see below the jump.

The Playground lines for UFC 100 are also in the extended entry so that one may plan his or her bets.

Important: If you wish to join the Bloody Elbow betting ensemble, send me a message or leave a comment in this thread so I can send you an invite. Please make sure your MMA Playground login name is the same as your BE name or as close as possible so we can give you the proper credit.

UFC 100 coverage

There are two things by which you are measured in the betting game: points and cash. Points are awarded when you correctly pick a fight's winner, ending time, and type of finish (KO, sub, etc). Earning points also earns you Playground dollars. This is a helpful offset to any losses incurred during the early part of the season when cash is low. If you bet away all of your cash picking is your only means of bringing it back in , so do not forget to make your picks for each event.

A season on MMA Playground's betting game lasts ten UFC events. You can place bets on other major promotions, such as DREAM and the WEC; however, the results of those bets and picks in the secondary league are not counted toward our camp standing, and I care about that standing. Those secondary league bets and picks will also not earn you any of our fat loot. The next season of the betting game starts with UFC 100.

Money earned through the placement of bets is what, in the end, we are all after, however. Something to keep in mind: the odds used for Playground are not necessarily reflective of any actual betting line. They are "based entirely off of MMA Playground fantasy game user data".

Another thing worth noting is that the line for a bout is not locked in when you make a wager on that fight. The lines move with your bet on them until the actual start of the event. I would suggest making initial bets a week out from an event and checking the lines a day or so out. This strategy will prevent you from forgetting to make that play green and will also allow you to make any needed changes before fight time.

Placing Wagers

Playground kindly does the math for you and displays the possible earnings and losses from the bets you have placed. It is up to you, however, to decide which fighters to ride. A parlayed bet is indicated by checking the box to the left of the fighters (up to three) you believe will win in synchronization:

The total win/loss of a parlay wager is displayed at the bottom of the wagering interface. An event summary for your wagers is also provided:

Our Competition

MMA for Real (MMA4Real?), in some malformation of a good idea, accepted my challenge to see which group championing their favorite MMA site's flag has the best prognosticators and bettors. It is my hope that that site is Bloody Elbow. I can only be convinced of this if you actually pull through for me for the entire season. I am willing to talk a great deal of talk if you, reader, can back me up. Standings and event results will be posted after each event.

Prizes

Other than an oblique sense of pride at seeing BE's furthered dominance, you can also win something out of this. This part of the deal will be fully fleshed out after UFC 100's Fan Expo because I really do not know what I can expect to get out of it that can be used as a proper goad. It is the first of its kind, after all. I am hoping things will be signed (gi belt, gloves, hat, etc.). If that does not work out, or if I only get Bruce Buffer to sign something, there will be DVD's. Stay tuned.

Prizes will go to the leaders in wagers and points awarded through correct fight predictions at the end of the season (ten events). You must have a Bloody Elbow user name to win.

Joining

Shoot me an email on MMA Playground after creating your account there or leave a message in this thread indicating your desire. Please note your BE user name if you are contacting me through MMA Playground.

The Quick Links are your friends:

UFC 100 Early Lines