Dead Pool 2011 Rules

Submit your victims before midnight, December 31

The game begins with the new year. Drink your champagne, kiss your kissee of choice, and think ghoulish thoughts.

How to Play

Make a list of ten famous*, non-fictional people you think will die in 2010, along with one alternate. If anyone on your list dies between the time that you send the list and January 1, s/he will be replaced by your alternate. Once the game begins, your alternates are no longer relevant to the game.

Check out Dead or Alive: Over 85 for a list of the aging famous by birth year, but remember: young folks drop dead, too, especially if they lead perilous lives.

Send your list with alternates to deathpuddle@gmail.com.

Scoring works as follows: the points for each death = (number of people participating) minus (number of people who picked that goner).

Example: 20 people participate. Bill Clinton dies. Five people had him. Each person gets 15 points.

Example: Eight people participate. Bill Clinton dies. Three people had him. Each person gets 5 points.

Once the deadline has passed, I will post everybody's lists at the Dead Pool Blog (http://deadpuddle.blogspot.com). If you register on the blog you can post deaths and trash talk. Trash talk is key.

I will also set up a Google document and provide a link to that document on the blog.

I am playing, too. You're just going to have to trust that I'm not going to sneak peeks at your picks before I submit mine. (Mine are already submitted.)

Once you have submitted your list, give me $20. You can give it to me in cash, by check (made out to me), or via PayPal to deathpuddle@gmail.com. (PayPal will take a small percentage.) If I have not received your $20 by midnight on 1/31/11, you are not in the game. (PayPal takes a small cut of all money paid using it, so the pot will be slightly smaller than all the money submitted.)

Throughout 2011, when someone on one of our lists dies, I (or someone faster) will post on the blog. Subscribe to its RSS feed or check in regularly to stay updated.

The Dead Pool closes at midnight 12/31/11. I will announce final scores and the winner on New Year's Day, 2012. I will send the winner his ill-gotten booty the following day.

*Famous for something other than being really, really old. I'm not going to define "famous."

**Yes, this is the same as Holly's note from the year before last, more or less.