The Test of the Computations
The third race of the Triple Crown is the longest and most difficult of the three to capture. Likewise, November is the month in autumn’s most beloved sport that separates the playoff contenders from the playoff pretenders – each game seemingly more important than the last. Fortunately, for the Analysts playing along at home, there is a mathematical formula to simulate that trial: hence, the Fibonacci Stakes!
Analysts compete for *lame* and *base* trifecta points as defined by the General Rules 2.0. In addition, beginning in the second week, the Analysts are able to earn *bonus* trifecta points — that increase in value over the prior week — for each team picked two weeks in a row. Trifecta Points are earned over the course of five grueling legs – weeks 10 to 14 – and the winner declared based on total Trifecta Points accumulated during the Fibonacci Stakes.
Race Rules
Each week, Analysts predict three teams to win from the slate of games that include at least one Home Team. An Analyst may Pick any team EXCEPT the opponent of the game that includes their own Home Team. Correctly Picking three winners earns an Analyst *base* Trifecta Points for a week. Correctly Picking two winners earns an Analyst *lame* Trifecta Points for a week.
In addition, Analysts earn *bonus* Trifecta Points with a *lame* or *base* Trifecta for each team that the Analyst also Picked in the prior week (in other words, two weeks in a row). From Legs 2 to 5, the *bonus* points increase making the final Legs more valuable than the early Legs of the Fibonacci Stakes.
Analysts are NOT required to Pick any team(s) two weeks in a row. Picks earn the *lame* or *base* Trifecta Point(s) regardless of consecutive weeks. Teams coming off bye weeks cannot earn *bonus* Trifecta Points (even if picked before the bye week). Un-claimed opponents on the Slate of Games two weeks in a row may earn *bonus * Trifecta Points when Correctly Picked.
Trifecta Point System
Per the General Rules 2.0, in The Fibonacci Stakes, the *base* Trifecta for Correctly Picking three teams to win their respective games is worth six (6) points and the *lame* Trifecta for Correctly Picking two teams to win is worth three (3) points.
In addition, beginning in the second week of The Stakes, an Analyst who earns a *lame* or *bonus* Trifecta will earn *bonus* Trifecta Point for each team the Analyst selected in the prior week according to the Fibonacci sequence: 1, 2, 3, 5. Thus, a Fibonacci *bonus* Pick in Leg 5 is worth five times a Fibonacci *bonus* Pick in Leg 2.
The results of the prior week (win or loss) have no bearing on the *bonus* points of the current week. An Analyst who Picks the same three teams two weeks in a row and gets two or more Correct in the second week will earn the *lame* or *base* points plus *bonus* points.
The maximum possible point values for each Leg depending on Analysts’ Picks are then:
Leg 1 = *base* Trifecta points (6) plus 0 points (6 total).
Leg 2 = *base* Trifecta points (6) plus 1 point per Fibonacci *bonus* Pick (9 total).
Leg 3 = *base* Trifecta points (6) plus 2 points per Fibonacci *bonus* Pick (12 total).
Leg 4 = *base* Trifecta points (6) plus 3 points per Fibonacci *bonus* Pick (15 total).
Leg 5 = *base* Trifecta points (6) plus 5 points per Fibonacci *bonus* Pick (21 total).
Hypothetically, the maximum points possible in the Fibonacci Stakes is 63 Trifecta Points – provided an Analyst picked the same three teams five Legs in a row AND all three teams won five games in a row (with no bye week to interrupt the sequence).
Third Tiebreaker
If the Fibonacci Stakes ends in a Trifecta Point tie between two or more Analysts AND the first two tiebreaker criteria do not determine a winner, then the third tiebreaker is:
3. The number of Correct Picks for the teams carried two weeks in a row (Fibonacci *bonuses*), regardless of whether the Analyst had a winning trifecta for that week.
If there is no clear winner after the third tiebreaker, the Fibonacci Stakes Purse is split evenly.
Fibonacci Stakes Scoring Example
From start to finish, The Fibonacci Stakes becomes a two horse race between The Strategist and The Bookie when both earn the only *base* Trifectas in Leg 1 (6 points each).
In Leg 2, The Strategist keeps her three teams, including her Home Team and earns 9 more Trifecta Points (6 *base* plus 3 *bonus* points) for 15 total. The Bookie’s Home Team goes on a bye week in Leg 2, so she is forced to select a different team. The new team loses and The Bookie earns 5 points (3 *lame* plus 2 *bonus* points) for 11 total.
In the third Leg, The Strategist’s Home Team loses, but she earns the 3 *lame* Trifecta Points with 2 Fibonacci *bonuses* (2 points each) for 7 points — and 22 total. The Bookie adds her Home Team off the bye week and earns 6 *base* points plus 2 Fibonacci *bonuses* (2 points each) for 10 points — or 21 total. Both Analysts fail to earn a *lame* Trifecta in the fourth Leg of the Fibonacci Stakes when both Home Teams and one other Pick lose. The scores remain 22 for The Strategist and 21 for The Bookie.
In Leg 5, The Strategist keeps the same three Picks as in Leg 4 including her Home Team. One of her Picks other than the Home Team loses, but she earns the *lame* Trifecta with 2 Fibonacci *bonuses* – 3 points plus 10 for 13 points, 35 points total. Since a tie is not possible, The Bookie drops her Home Team for a more likely winner. Her strategy works and she gets a *base* Trifecta with 2 Fibonacci *bonuses* — 6 plus 10 for 16 points, 37 total.
The Strategist has the stronger Home Team tiebreakers, but The Bookie takes the outside rail to win the Fibonacci Stakes by 2 points!
