Written By: Summer Clarkson 
Solving the Survivor Pool
Brian Bettwy (Loyola Marymount ’87) on His New Book
Alex Beaven (Pennington & Company), contributing writer
“One of my biggest hopes is that the book gives newcomers the confidence to participate in a pool and provides a shortcut around some common pitfalls that took me years to learn.”
Competition drives individuals to keep striving for improvement. Brian Bettwy (Loyola Marymount ’87) has spent years managing and participating in football survivor pools, stemming from younger years playing sports with his brothers. In his recently released book 50 Commandments for Winning Your Pro Football Survivor Pool, Brian shares his secrets to success against even the smartest competition.
Brian’s Background
As the brother of a founding father, Brian was naturally drawn to Epsilon-Sigma Chapter at Loyola Marymount University. The Fraternity experience was his first opportunity to be part of a group operated by people in his age range. Brian learned about the “other side of life” and how brothers had to apply critical thinking skills to handle matters without adult supervision.
“As a legacy, it was meant to be,” Brian said. While he already had a group of friends from his university’s soccer team and other sports, Brian naturally gravitated toward Sigma Pi brothers and appreciated their camaraderie from day one on campus.
Brian recalls annual road trips to Candlestick Park with Sigma Pi brothers to watch the Rams face the 49ers. “So many brothers from Northern and Southern California led to great drives, fun, and rivalries.”
The Pool System Explained
Brian began participating in football survivor pools when he and his three brothers started to manage large pools for family and friends. Pool participants pay a one-time entrance fee before the football season begins, and every week, each entrant selects one NFL team to win their game. Entrants can only select a team one time per season. Survivors advance with each selection’s win while losers are eliminated for the season.
“The rush you get when you have put yourself in a position to win a survivor pool is like no other. That, and the possibility of a massive payout, is what keeps me playing.”
Most pools allow up to 10 or 20 entries per participant. Survivor pool rounds continue throughout the NFL’s regular season until one winner remains or surviving entrants agree to split the prize pot. “So simple a challenge, to select only one winner a week with no spread, but such a brutal ending for most!”
Brian’s Survival Guide
During the COVID pandemic, Brian searched for a new creative outlet while his film production work came to a halt. Instead of running a set, Brian spent time at home thinking about the secrets to survivor pool success.
“I spent the majority of the 2023 season collecting the rules and developing them⎯by season’s end, the core information was done,” Brian said. The writing process provided a new challenge as Brian documented ideas and refined the book through peer review. “Fortunately for me, this book is really a textbook—an educational book written for veteran survivor pool players and first-timers.”
Brian’s years of survivor pool experience showed him what leads to failure, and he began documenting his “commandments” to crack the code to success and avoid prior pitfalls. With nearly 70 rules documented, he used his assistant director skills to trim and organize the list for publication.
“Life is full of challenges, and everything was able to be worked out,” Brian said about the creative writing and publication processes. He looks forward to hearing audience feedback as new pool participants adopt a survival mindset and learn the difference between close calls and life-changing payouts.
Brian is also interested in the idea of writing commandments for other subjects to share his wealth of knowledge. “If the book can have any measure of success, the possibility of future works excites me.”
Taking the Plunge
Survivor pools are easy to join or operate through various websites like My Office Pool or Run Your Pool, and all it takes is one winning selection each week. Brian appreciates the friendly competition and connections formed through survivor pools, and he is grateful for one Sigma Pi brother’s winning experience that helped shape the 50 commandments.
“It connects you to pro football in a way fantasy football doesn’t. Because it’s about teams winning games and not individual player stats divorced from game outcomes, it feels ‘purer’ in a way. You’ll also come to realize just how competitive most NFL games are.”
Surviving with Sigma Pi
“I appreciate all the support from Sigma Pi Fraternity,” he added. With each copy sold until the start of the NFL season on September 8, 2024, Brian will be donating 25% of his royalties to Sigma Pi. “Get the book to not only give yourself a chance at winning your survivor pool but also to support Sigma Pi Fraternity and all of its chapters.”
You can connect with Brian at mobiletwee@icloud.com and purchase a copy of 50 Commandments for Winning Your Pro Football Survivor Pool at amazon.com/dp/B0D25PD4DD.