BISERGS FAQ

So, you really want to play the BISERGS but want to know more about it before you commit.  In that case, these Frequently Asked Questions will help put your mind at ease.  Once you are convinced that the BISERGS is a game that you need to play, just click this link and get ready for the fun to start.  Here goes...

FAQ #1  Has anyone actually asked you any of these questions?

OK, you caught me.  These aren't questions that I've actually been asked, but I thought it would be cool to have an FAQ page and was looking for a different way to explain the rules of the game.  If you do have a question, please post it in the comments section at the bottom of this page and I'll add it.  

FAQ #2  What does BISERGS stand for?

BISERGS stands for the Biggest International Football Expert Related to Greg Samuelson.  We also stand for peace, justice and beautiful goals.

FAQ #3  Can I play the BISERGS?

Yes!  If you are related to me or the significant other of someone related to me, you are in.  Kids can play, too.  The minimum age cutoff is that you have to have been born at the time that Germany won the last World Cup in July of 2014.  So if you have a 4 year old that wants to play, sign them up, too.  Click this link and welcome to the BISERGS. 

FAQ #4  What do I have to do?

All you have to do is sign up and then at some point before June 9th, put the World Cup teams in your order of preference.  On June 10th, there will be a draft and you'll find out which countries will determine your BISERGS destiny.

FAQ #5  How should I put the teams in order?

You can make your choices based on how well you think the teams will do (recommended for people that are interested in winning), how much you like their uniforms (recommended for people who want to wear their teams' colors during matches), your favorite international cuisine (recommended for people who will determine their menus based on the World Cup match schedule) or based on the alphabet (Argentina and Brazil are good teams, so this may not be a bad idea.  But beware, Australia are definitely not favorites to win this years tournament).  I'll be adding posts to this website that will help you decide which team is best for you.  Remember you've got until June 9th to learn as much as you want to.

FAQ #6  How do we get our teams?

On June 2nd, after the registration for the BISERGS closes, every participants name will be drawn out one by one and put into the draft order.  The draft will have four rounds, so everyone ends up with four teams to cheer for.  To keep it balanced the 1st and 3rd round orders will be the same and the 2nd and 4th round draft order will be the reverse of the 1st and 3rd rounds.  So, if we have 35 participants again, the person with the first pick over all will have the 35th pick of the 2nd round, 1st pick of the 3rd round and 35th pick of the fourth round.  If you are confused, don't worry about it.  I'll explain it more clearly in the days before the draft.  On June 10th, after you've submitted your team preferences, teams will be allocated based on your preferences and when your turn to pick a team comes up.

Since there are only 32 teams in the World Cup and we will each get 4 teams, each World Cup team will be available to be drafted by multiple BISERGSers.  The number of Spains and Columbias and every other team available will be determined by this formula:

[(Number of Participants +1) x 4] ÷ 32 

Again don't worry about the details, this is just for those of you that want to geek out over the BISERGS, like me.

FAQ #7  How do you figure out the scores?  

BISERGS Super Computer and official scorekeepers

Points are awarded for every match your teams play.  In the group stage and the round of 16, every victory is worth 3 points, every draw is worth 1 point, every goal is worth 1/2 a point and every goal allowed loses you 1/4 of a point.  In the later rounds, the value of every match increases.   In the quarter-final, matches are worth 1.5 times the group stage matches. The semi-final is worth double points and the championship match is worth triple points.  In addition to points, a victory for your team earns them the right to play another round and gain you even more points in the future.  There is a third place match that will be valued the same as the group stage matches.

*In the knock-out stages of the World Cup, there can be no draws, so some matches go to penalty shootouts.  In those cases, goals scored in the shootout don’t count as goals (1/2 a point) or goals against (-1/4 point).  The losing team earns one point for a draw because they finished a full match, plus 30 minutes of extra time tied, and the winning team earns three points for a victory.

FAQ #8  How do we know who is winning?

There will be a page on this website where I will update the scores as soon as the match finishes or at least as soon as I can get around to it.

FAQ #9  Have you ever had a website before?

Yes, this is will be the third time we've had a website for the BISERGS.  If you want to check out the previous editions you can find the 2010 version here and the 2014 version here.

FAQ #10  What were the results of the previous BISERGSes (and can you make BISERGS plural)?

First of all, I think you can make BISERGS plural by adding 'es', at least I just did and it looks OK to me.  Feel free to comment below if you have another opinion.

Now for the real question:  The BISERGS has been completely dominated by my wife and her family as this list of champions demonstrates.

1998 - Sharleen Samuelson
2002 - Sharleen Samuelson
2006 - Sharleen Samuelson
2010 - Carol Barrera
2014 - Rodrigo Barrera

In 2014 my nephew, Gray Samuelson and niece, Krista Rutz, nearly ended the Barrera dominance, but so far nobody has ever managed.  Gray does sit on top of the BISERGS World Rankings based on his second place finish in 2014 and his remarkable consistency in every BISERGS since 2006.