Winner of the SuperContest Portlander Briceton Branch (Grannys Boy) explains that handicapping is more of an art than a science. More here in the latest issue of Gaming Today.
Read a story on him the other day ( they wouldn't name him at that time )
He has a lot of self confidence in himself and his Gambling.
said that he will enter again next year, and Will Win. and any other time he enters he will Win that too.
he also said Winning is easy
I read a story as well, & his son would tell him that he's really good at picking games. The interviewer asked him what's his secret, he said if I told you that, Vegas would adjust their numbers.....no way he said is he gonna give Vegas oddsmakers any advantage.
Father Knows Best by David Purdum, ESPN
Briceton Branch Jr. had always been impressed by his dad's football prognostication skills.
They'd watch the NFL together and note how pops seemingly always picked the winner. So, in August, when his dad picked him up after high school football practice and mentioned that he was entering the nation's most prestigious football handicapping contest, Briceton Jr. smiled and told his dad, "I know you can win it."
He was right.
On Sunday, Briceton Branch Sr. clinched the Westgate SuperContest with the Atlanta Falcons' 22-10 win over the Carolina Panthers. In his first time in the contest, Branch beat more than 2,700 handicappers -- the largest field ever -- and won $1.3 million (about $950,000 after taxes). Each entry costs $1,500, and participants make five NFL picks against the spread each week.
The SuperContest has exploded in popularity over the past decade, producing a variety of winners. Last year, a Starbucks barista won. In 2013, a financial trader with expertise in math and statistics took home the title. This year, it went to Branch, a 39-year-old entrepreneur from Portland, Oregon, who started getting interested in sports betting in 2012.
He did it, he says, with a mix of gut feel and sleep therapy -- or at least that's all he'd reveal.
"I can't give up my recipe because the oddsmakers will read about it, and then that will give them some light to try to counter on me, because it's a silent game of chess," Branch told ESPN in a Tuesday phone interview. "But I can just tell you, when I do run my process and pick my teams, I do feel my gut out and I do sleep on them. I can tell you that much. But as far as what I'm looking for, this and that, I can't speak on that. That's like a million-dollar question."
In the SuperContest, contestants make five picks against the spread in each of the 17 weeks of the NFL season. Branch, who played under the alias "Grannys Boy," entered Week 17 with a 2.5-point lead. He went with the Detroit Lions, Buffalo Bills, New Orleans Saints, Jacksonville Jaguars and Falcons in the final week, going 3-2 to prevail.
Overall, Branch went 58-22-5 for 60.5 points in the contest, besting second-place finishers Schematic Advantage and Howdoiplay XX by 1.5 points.
Branch said he had no concrete plans for his winnings, except for "real estate." He's hoping to buy his childhood home, where he lived in Portland with his foster mom, the late Loretta Frison, who was the inspiration for his contest alias, "Grannys Boy."
Branch first learned of the SuperContest last year from a friend. He traveled to Las Vegas in August and signed up for this year's event. It was the start of a stressful four-month grind that he says turned in his favor in Week 5 of the season.
Branch went 1-4 in Week 4, his worst of the season, and found himself four games behind the leader. He rebounded in Week 5 with a 4-1 effort to remain in the hunt. He took over the lead in Week 12 and went 5-0 in Week 16 to secure a cushion heading into the final week.
"I kind of hid in the pack and messed around with teams like Cleveland and San Francisco," Branch said. "Once we started to come down the final stretch, that's when I took off on them."
Branch celebrated with a few friends and family at Las Vegas nightclub Tao, where they took in a Gucci Mane concert on New Year's Eve. Branch said he didn't eat dinner that night and remembered his breakfast as his only meal of the day.
"I wasn't nervous," he said. "I knew I was going to win."
So did his son.
Briceton Branch Jr. had always been impressed by his dad's football prognostication skills.
They'd watch the NFL together and note how pops seemingly always picked the winner. So, in August, when his dad picked him up after high school football practice and mentioned that he was entering the nation's most prestigious football handicapping contest, Briceton Jr. smiled and told his dad, "I know you can win it."
He was right.
On Sunday, Briceton Branch Sr. clinched the Westgate SuperContest with the Atlanta Falcons' 22-10 win over the Carolina Panthers. In his first time in the contest, Branch beat more than 2,700 handicappers -- the largest field ever -- and won $1.3 million (about $950,000 after taxes). Each entry costs $1,500, and participants make five NFL picks against the spread each week.
The SuperContest has exploded in popularity over the past decade, producing a variety of winners. Last year, a Starbucks barista won. In 2013, a financial trader with expertise in math and statistics took home the title. This year, it went to Branch, a 39-year-old entrepreneur from Portland, Oregon, who started getting interested in sports betting in 2012.
He did it, he says, with a mix of gut feel and sleep therapy -- or at least that's all he'd reveal.
"I can't give up my recipe because the oddsmakers will read about it, and then that will give them some light to try to counter on me, because it's a silent game of chess," Branch told ESPN in a Tuesday phone interview. "But I can just tell you, when I do run my process and pick my teams, I do feel my gut out and I do sleep on them. I can tell you that much. But as far as what I'm looking for, this and that, I can't speak on that. That's like a million-dollar question."
In the SuperContest, contestants make five picks against the spread in each of the 17 weeks of the NFL season. Branch, who played under the alias "Grannys Boy," entered Week 17 with a 2.5-point lead. He went with the Detroit Lions, Buffalo Bills, New Orleans Saints, Jacksonville Jaguars and Falcons in the final week, going 3-2 to prevail.
Overall, Branch went 58-22-5 for 60.5 points in the contest, besting second-place finishers Schematic Advantage and Howdoiplay XX by 1.5 points.
Branch said he had no concrete plans for his winnings, except for "real estate." He's hoping to buy his childhood home, where he lived in Portland with his foster mom, the late Loretta Frison, who was the inspiration for his contest alias, "Grannys Boy."
Branch first learned of the SuperContest last year from a friend. He traveled to Las Vegas in August and signed up for this year's event. It was the start of a stressful four-month grind that he says turned in his favor in Week 5 of the season.
Branch went 1-4 in Week 4, his worst of the season, and found himself four games behind the leader. He rebounded in Week 5 with a 4-1 effort to remain in the hunt. He took over the lead in Week 12 and went 5-0 in Week 16 to secure a cushion heading into the final week.
"I kind of hid in the pack and messed around with teams like Cleveland and San Francisco," Branch said. "Once we started to come down the final stretch, that's when I took off on them."
Branch celebrated with a few friends and family at Las Vegas nightclub Tao, where they took in a Gucci Mane concert on New Year's Eve. Branch said he didn't eat dinner that night and remembered his breakfast as his only meal of the day.
"I wasn't nervous," he said. "I knew I was going to win."
So did his son.
“You can’t second guess yourself, you’ve got to go with your gut.”
By Todd Dewey Las Vegas Review Journal:
Thirteen always has been a lucky number for Granny’s Boy, the alias of the Westgate SuperContest winner who won a cool $1.3 million for finishing 58-22-5 (72.5 percent) against the spread in the country’s most prestigious NFL handicapping contest.
Granny’s Boy, whose name is Briceton Jamar Branch, took the lead over a record field of 2,748 entries this season heading into Week 13. That’s when he noticed the first four numbers of the first-place prize ($1,327,284) were almost identical to the address of his childhood home on 1326 NE Fremont St. in Portland, Oregon.
“After I took the lead, I spent a lot of time by myself, going on hikes and doing a lot of meditation trying to tap into my intuition,” he said. “I started to pay more attention to the first-place prize numbers, and they just started looking more familiar. I remembered my childhood address.
“The race was over after that. I knew nobody was going to catch me.”
The 39-year-old father and entrepreneur said his alias was in honor of the woman who raised him in Portland, where he still resides.
“That’s what I called my mother growing up,” he said. “All of her children called her Granny. I thought that would be catchy. She was a big part of my life.”
Each entry picks five games weekly ATS. A win is worth a point and a push a half point. Clinging to a 1.5-point lead heading into Week 16, Branch went 5-0 on Christmas Eve to extend his edge to 2.5 points over HowDoIPlay XX and 3.5 over Schematic Advantage.
Needing a 3-2 record to clinch the first $1 million payday in contest history, Branch hit his first play Sunday on the Lions, who easily covered as 6½-point favorites over the Packers in a 35-11 victory before Detroit coach Jim Caldwell was fired.
“I knew they were playing for their coach, and since it was their last home game of the season, I liked that strong,” Branch said.
When HowDoIPlay XX lost his early play on the Redskins, Branch needed only one win to capture the crown from his afternoon selections on the Bills (-2.5), Falcons (-3.5), Saints (-7) and Jaguars (+3).
“I had two must wins on the Bills and Falcons. Those were my strongs,” he said. “The Bills hadn’t been to the playoffs since 1999. That was a no-brainer. And Atlanta had to win at home.”
When the Falcons beat the Panthers 22-10 to clinch a playoff spot, Branch was a millionaire, winning the SuperContest in his first attempt.
A quick study, he went a sizzling 22-5-3 over the final six weeks. He kicked off the run with a 4-0-1 Week 12 to take the lead heading into lucky 13.
The runners-up also finished strong. Schematic Advantage (58-25-2) went 5-0 in Week 17, and HowDoIPlay XX (57-24-4) went 4-1 to tie for second place, earning $398,185 apiece.
Branch wanted to tie 2014 SuperContest winner CH Ballers (64-20-1) for the fewest losses in contest history. But he settled for matching the second-highest contest score (60.5 points) after missing out on a 5-0 when he switched out Tampa Bay for the Saints and Cincinnati for the Jaguars.
“I switched for two losers. That irritated me because I wanted to tie the record, but I’ll take the win,” he said. “I’ve just got to come back next year and win it.”
While he declined to divulge his handicapping strategy, Branch did share one secret to his success.
“You can’t second guess yourself,” he said. “You’ve got to go with your gut.”
In the inaugural $5,000-entry, winner-take-all SuperContest Gold, Stag Capital beat Midwest Square by a half point to win $470,000. Stag Capital (51-31-2, 52) and Midwest Square (49-31-5, 51.5) each went 4-1 in Week 17, with Stag clinching on his final play on Tampa Bay. Midwest’s only loss was on the Redskins.
Westgate SuperContest final standings
A record 2,748 contestants each paid a $1,500 entry fee and picked five NFL games weekly against the spread. Each win was worth a point and each push a half point. The top 50 places, including ties were paid.
Contestant; Record; Points; Prize
1. Granny’s Boy; 58-22-5; 60.5; $1,327,284
2. Schematic Advantage; 58-25-2; 59; $398,185
2. HowDoIPlay XX; 57-24-4; 59; $398,185
4. Biosoft Global; 55-27-3; 56.5; $189,612
5. Grand Dragon; 55-28-2; 56; $170,650
6. Golden Soul; 53-27-5; 55.5; $142,209
6. The Candiotti Man; 54-28-3; 55.5; $142,209
8-14. Seven-way tie; 55; $74,219
15-17. Three-way tie; 54.5; $24,130
18-23. Six-way tie; 54; $25,281
24-26. Three-way tie; 53.5; $18,961
27-32. Six-way tie; 53; $13,904
33-47. 15-way tie; 52.5; $6,573
48-57. 10-way tie; 52; $1,137
By Todd Dewey Las Vegas Review Journal:
Thirteen always has been a lucky number for Granny’s Boy, the alias of the Westgate SuperContest winner who won a cool $1.3 million for finishing 58-22-5 (72.5 percent) against the spread in the country’s most prestigious NFL handicapping contest.
Granny’s Boy, whose name is Briceton Jamar Branch, took the lead over a record field of 2,748 entries this season heading into Week 13. That’s when he noticed the first four numbers of the first-place prize ($1,327,284) were almost identical to the address of his childhood home on 1326 NE Fremont St. in Portland, Oregon.
“After I took the lead, I spent a lot of time by myself, going on hikes and doing a lot of meditation trying to tap into my intuition,” he said. “I started to pay more attention to the first-place prize numbers, and they just started looking more familiar. I remembered my childhood address.
“The race was over after that. I knew nobody was going to catch me.”
The 39-year-old father and entrepreneur said his alias was in honor of the woman who raised him in Portland, where he still resides.
“That’s what I called my mother growing up,” he said. “All of her children called her Granny. I thought that would be catchy. She was a big part of my life.”
Each entry picks five games weekly ATS. A win is worth a point and a push a half point. Clinging to a 1.5-point lead heading into Week 16, Branch went 5-0 on Christmas Eve to extend his edge to 2.5 points over HowDoIPlay XX and 3.5 over Schematic Advantage.
Needing a 3-2 record to clinch the first $1 million payday in contest history, Branch hit his first play Sunday on the Lions, who easily covered as 6½-point favorites over the Packers in a 35-11 victory before Detroit coach Jim Caldwell was fired.
“I knew they were playing for their coach, and since it was their last home game of the season, I liked that strong,” Branch said.
When HowDoIPlay XX lost his early play on the Redskins, Branch needed only one win to capture the crown from his afternoon selections on the Bills (-2.5), Falcons (-3.5), Saints (-7) and Jaguars (+3).
“I had two must wins on the Bills and Falcons. Those were my strongs,” he said. “The Bills hadn’t been to the playoffs since 1999. That was a no-brainer. And Atlanta had to win at home.”
When the Falcons beat the Panthers 22-10 to clinch a playoff spot, Branch was a millionaire, winning the SuperContest in his first attempt.
A quick study, he went a sizzling 22-5-3 over the final six weeks. He kicked off the run with a 4-0-1 Week 12 to take the lead heading into lucky 13.
The runners-up also finished strong. Schematic Advantage (58-25-2) went 5-0 in Week 17, and HowDoIPlay XX (57-24-4) went 4-1 to tie for second place, earning $398,185 apiece.
Branch wanted to tie 2014 SuperContest winner CH Ballers (64-20-1) for the fewest losses in contest history. But he settled for matching the second-highest contest score (60.5 points) after missing out on a 5-0 when he switched out Tampa Bay for the Saints and Cincinnati for the Jaguars.
“I switched for two losers. That irritated me because I wanted to tie the record, but I’ll take the win,” he said. “I’ve just got to come back next year and win it.”
While he declined to divulge his handicapping strategy, Branch did share one secret to his success.
“You can’t second guess yourself,” he said. “You’ve got to go with your gut.”
In the inaugural $5,000-entry, winner-take-all SuperContest Gold, Stag Capital beat Midwest Square by a half point to win $470,000. Stag Capital (51-31-2, 52) and Midwest Square (49-31-5, 51.5) each went 4-1 in Week 17, with Stag clinching on his final play on Tampa Bay. Midwest’s only loss was on the Redskins.
Westgate SuperContest final standings
A record 2,748 contestants each paid a $1,500 entry fee and picked five NFL games weekly against the spread. Each win was worth a point and each push a half point. The top 50 places, including ties were paid.
Contestant; Record; Points; Prize
1. Granny’s Boy; 58-22-5; 60.5; $1,327,284
2. Schematic Advantage; 58-25-2; 59; $398,185
2. HowDoIPlay XX; 57-24-4; 59; $398,185
4. Biosoft Global; 55-27-3; 56.5; $189,612
5. Grand Dragon; 55-28-2; 56; $170,650
6. Golden Soul; 53-27-5; 55.5; $142,209
6. The Candiotti Man; 54-28-3; 55.5; $142,209
8-14. Seven-way tie; 55; $74,219
15-17. Three-way tie; 54.5; $24,130
18-23. Six-way tie; 54; $25,281
24-26. Three-way tie; 53.5; $18,961
27-32. Six-way tie; 53; $13,904
33-47. 15-way tie; 52.5; $6,573
48-57. 10-way tie; 52; $1,137
He did it, he says, with a mix of gut feel and sleep therapy
Fascinating story, guy uses his gut and "sleep therapy" - this guy has some real talent - Another story here:
39-Year-Old Wins $1.3 MILLION Beating Vegas’ Top Handicappers In ‘Silent Game Of Chess’ by Cass Anderson
A 39-year-old entrepreneur from Portland, Oregon just took home $1.3 million ($950,000 after taxes) in a season-long handicapping tournament against the best professional gamblers in the world. The tournament requires a $1,500 entry fee and each gambler picks 5 teams during each of the 17 weeks of the NFL season.
Briceton Branch Sr. told his son he wanted to enter the tournament while picking him up from H.S. football practice and his son was all about it. Somehow, someway, the 39-year-old dad always seemed to make the right picks. But could he beat the professional sharks in Las Vegas and take home the most coveted prize in sports handicapping? You’re damn right he could.
David Purdum of ESPN’s Chalk reports:
So, how’d he do it? That’s the question every sports gambling degenerate like myself wants to know. We all dream of making millions in sports gambling instead of giving away a few hundred each year to shitty bets. This man appears to have the secret sauce. A method that was able to best the top handicappers in Vegas. Here’s what he told ESPN:
Read a story on him the other day ( they wouldn't name him at that time )
He has a lot of self confidence in himself and his Gambling.
said that he will enter again next year, and Will Win. and any other time he enters he will Win that too.
he also said Winning is easy
Fascinating story, guy uses his gut and "sleep therapy" - this guy has some real talent - Another story here:
39-Year-Old Wins $1.3 MILLION Beating Vegas’ Top Handicappers In ‘Silent Game Of Chess’ by Cass Anderson
A 39-year-old entrepreneur from Portland, Oregon just took home $1.3 million ($950,000 after taxes) in a season-long handicapping tournament against the best professional gamblers in the world. The tournament requires a $1,500 entry fee and each gambler picks 5 teams during each of the 17 weeks of the NFL season.
Briceton Branch Sr. told his son he wanted to enter the tournament while picking him up from H.S. football practice and his son was all about it. Somehow, someway, the 39-year-old dad always seemed to make the right picks. But could he beat the professional sharks in Las Vegas and take home the most coveted prize in sports handicapping? You’re damn right he could.
David Purdum of ESPN’s Chalk reports:
In his first time in the contest, Branch beat more than 2,700 handicappers — the largest field ever — and won $1.3 million (about $950,000 after taxes). Each entry costs $1,500, and participants make five NFL picks against the spread each week.
The SuperContest has exploded in popularity over the past decade, producing a variety of winners. Last year, a Starbucks barista won. In 2013, a financial trader with expertise in math and statistics took home the title. This year, it went to Branch, a 39-year-old entrepreneur from Portland, Oregon, who started getting interested in sports betting in 2012.
With his $1.3 million in winnings he plans on purchasing his childhood home in Portland, Oregon which is a pretty dope move given how competitive the Portland real estate market is.The SuperContest has exploded in popularity over the past decade, producing a variety of winners. Last year, a Starbucks barista won. In 2013, a financial trader with expertise in math and statistics took home the title. This year, it went to Branch, a 39-year-old entrepreneur from Portland, Oregon, who started getting interested in sports betting in 2012.
So, how’d he do it? That’s the question every sports gambling degenerate like myself wants to know. We all dream of making millions in sports gambling instead of giving away a few hundred each year to shitty bets. This man appears to have the secret sauce. A method that was able to best the top handicappers in Vegas. Here’s what he told ESPN:
He did it, he says, with a mix of gut feel and sleep therapy — or at least that’s all he’d reveal.
“I can’t give up my recipe because the oddsmakers will read about it, and then that will give them some light to try to counter on me, because it’s a silent game of chess,” Branch told ESPN in a Tuesday phone interview. “But I can just tell you, when I do run my process and pick my teams, I do feel my gut out and I do sleep on them. I can tell you that much. But as far as what I’m looking for, this and that, I can’t speak on that. That’s like a million-dollar question.”
He’s not telling because his strategy appears to be defined enough to the point that sharks could then work against him and potentially capitalize on every mistake. I’m an average sports bettor at best but just reading through this story makes me want to get three friends together to each put in $500 and enter this tourney next year and compete against the best even though I know I’d just be throwing money away.“I can’t give up my recipe because the oddsmakers will read about it, and then that will give them some light to try to counter on me, because it’s a silent game of chess,” Branch told ESPN in a Tuesday phone interview. “But I can just tell you, when I do run my process and pick my teams, I do feel my gut out and I do sleep on them. I can tell you that much. But as far as what I’m looking for, this and that, I can’t speak on that. That’s like a million-dollar question.”
I wonder if he will use the same entry name next year, if he keeps winning like he said he will, I don't think Vegas would like people loading up on his games.
Agreed - He's talking smack because he won - I would too.
The sands of time will shift on him, I think now a days it will be impossible to repeat. Fezzik will be the only one.
Look at the last 4 years......Every year a different style wins
Computer program wins
Team of 4 individuals wins
Barista using his gut wins
Now this guy with " I'd have to kill ya system"
Oh well maybe it's sour grapes b/c I only shot 50% this year - but I'll back next year. I do like his strategy of sleeping on his picks, I usually have my plays ready by Wednesday, but sometimes get influenced out of them by FRIDAY. Gotta stick to my gut!
2015 SuperContest Winner and 2016 Third Place Finisher James Salinas
Here is an interview with James Salinas (rounding again) who finished first (59-23-3 ATS) in the 2015 SuperContest. James finished third in the 2016 SuperContest but was out of the money this year. Amazing that James finished in the top five in
back to back years.
Here is an interview with James Salinas (rounding again) who finished first (59-23-3 ATS) in the 2015 SuperContest. James finished third in the 2016 SuperContest but was out of the money this year. Amazing that James finished in the top five in
back to back years.
Nice 1st place prize
What a great contest. It was my first year and i cashed tied 18th. Went 54-31 with amazingly no pushes. Hit at 64% but really needed Carolina to cover vs Atlanta week 17. Everyone at the top had Atlanta - that swing would’ve propped my to solo 7th for 100+k vs 25k but I’ll take a nice cash!
Gold had much lower winning number.
Gold had much lower winning number.
