Contest tracker: Last Man Standing winner earns $100K

Winning Station Casinos’ college Last Man Standing contest isn’t going to change Daniel Borchers’ life — but it sure made it a lot easier.

Borchers won $100,000 in the contest last month, prevailing in a field of 3,075 entries. The 51-year-old said he is retired and has lived in Las Vegas for more than six years.

“It makes everything very comfortable,” he said. “It’s a nice little cushion to do everything I want.”

In Last Man Standing, entries pick one game against the spread each week and are eliminated with a loss. Entries cost $25 each, with a maximum of five for $100.

Borchers got the best kind of surprise after he won his pick in Week 9 with Oregon, which covered -6½ in a 26-16 victory over Washington.

The week began with six entries alive, and Borchers said he assumed at least one or two others had survived with him to Week 10.

“When I went in to pick up next week’s lines, they said congratulations,” Borchers said. “To get them all out in the same week was amazing.”

Borchers said he bets every day and considers baseball his best sport and the NFL his favorite sport. But college football will have a special place now.

“I prefer watching and betting on pros,” he said, “but I do much better moneywise on college.”

Each week, I’ll track the major handicapping contests and detail my progress. Here’s how the contests stand after Week 14:

Circa Sports Million III

Format: Contestants pick five NFL games against the spread each week ($1,000 per entry).

Field: 4,087 entries.

Leader: One entry (Hannibal Barca) at 51-19. A second entry from Hannibal Barca is alone in second place at 50-20.

Barnes’ status: 1-4 last week, 31-38-1 overall, tied for 3,281st. Winner on 49ers -1½, and losers on Browns -3, Panthers -2½, Washington +4½ and Bills +3½.

Circa Survivor

Format: Contestants pick one straight-up NFL winner each week (each team can be used only once) and are eliminated with a loss ($1,000 per entry).

Field: 4,080 entries, but Circa added $1.92 million to the prize pool to reach the $6 million guarantee.

Leaders: 23 survivors advance. No one was eliminated in Week 14.

Barnes’ status: Eliminated in Week 9 when the Bills lost to the Jaguars.

Westgate SuperContest

Format: Contestants pick five NFL games against the spread each week ($1,000 per entry).

Field: 1,972 entries.

Leader: One entry (Nomsnaiganskk) at 47-22-1.

Barnes’ status: 1-4 last week, 32-37-1 overall, tied for 1,372nd. Winner on 49ers -1½, and losers on Browns -2½, Panthers -2½, Washington +4 and Bills +3½.

Westgate SuperContest Gold

Format: Same as the SuperContest, but with a $5,000 buy-in and the winner taking all.

Field: 87 entries.

Leader: One entry (Calabasas Wise Guy) at 46-22-2.

Barnes’ status: Not entered.

William Hill Pro Pick’em

Format: Contestants pick 15 NFL straight-up winners (or selected totals) each week ($25 per entry). There are weekly and season-long prizes.

Field: 7,316 entries.

Season leader: One entry (no name given) at 144-66.

Weekly winners: 15 entries (no names given) went 15-0 and split $10,000, getting $666.66 each.

Barnes’ status: 12-3 last week, 128-82 overall.

Golden Nugget Ultimate Football Challenge

Format: Contestants pick seven NFL and/or college games against the spread each week ($1,000 to enter).

Field: 149 entries.

Leaders: Two entries (BuckNuts and The Syndicate) tied at 59-37-2.

Barnes’ status: Not entered.

COMPLETED CONTESTS

Station Last Man Standing

Format: Contestants select one game against the spread each week. Entries cost $25, but the maximum $100 gets five entries. There are separate pro and college contests. Winner takes all — $150,000 in the pro contest, $100,000 in the college.

Entries: Pro — Finished in Week 12 from starting 6,241; college — one winner out of 3,075 after Week 9.

Barnes’ status: Eliminated from pro contest in Week 5; eliminated from college in Week 3.

William Hill College Pick’em

Format: Contestants pick eight college games against the spread each week for 10 weeks ($1,000 per entry).

Field: 452 entries, but an extra $548,000 added to the prize pool to reach the $1 million guarantee.

Winners: Two entries (CastleRocker and Heatwave) tied at 51-29 and split the first prize, getting $325,000 each.

Barnes’ status: Finished 39-41, tied for 176th.

Contact Jim Barnes at jbarnes@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0277. Follow @JimBarnesLV on Twitter.