pmiles: The First Female DFS Live Final Champ
Kevin Kim, FanDuel’s Promotions and Events Manager, took the microphone. “And now, introducing for the first time in Daily Fantasy History…” – he paused for emphasis – “the first female live final champion: pmiles!”
Cheers erupted. pmiles held a $100,000 check (photo credit: FanDuel) in front of the Playboy Bunnies, and in one moment, one person represented everything good about Daily Fantasy Sports: anyone can win!
FanDuel couldn’t have scripted a better narrative. pmiles is 55-years-old and has a full-time job.
Like many others, she was introduced to Daily Fantasy Sports during football season. And Daily Fantasy Football won her a seat to the Playboy Championship. She’s a “casual player” who, as nbonaddio would later put it, wiped the floor with the pros. (His language was a tad less work friendly.)
Editor’s Note: Check out the RotoGrinders Podcast Interview w/ PMiles Here
When I approached her to congratulate her on her win, pmiles remained humble. It was unbelievable to her. She admitted her goal was to just not embarrass herself in front of the big names that were going to be at the event. She recognized my Ganondorf shirt as I approached and said “You were one of the people I wanted to meet. I also told my son I’d meet McJester.” Clearly pmiles knows a thing or two about the DFS world!
pmiles is new to NBA DFS but is no slouch. She said she spent the last two weeks doing tons of research in preparation. That involved rushing home at 5 PM from a full-time job to beat lineup lock. She admitted her strategy, which paid off well: “I just wanted to make sure I had a team full of players I knew had done well and liked.”
Two major moves were paramount in pmiles success. (For those interested, here’s a link to the contest page)
First, unlike 2/3rds of the field, pmiles avoided Tim Frazier. Given it was his first game as the starter (second of his career), he was a very tempting pick at such a cheap price. At the same time, betting on a starter in Philadelphia can bite you.
Next was the Pau Gasol-in-place-of-Anthony Davis fade. It’s hard to have any problem with this move, as 00_oreo_00 looked like an early front-runner with the same strategy. When Anthony Davis went down with injury early in the game, the fade paid off even more. Sprinkle on some good Dallas players in a game that went to OT, plus a fantastic value play in Gerald Henderson, and we have a winning lineup.
With the pmiles win, it’s hard not to feel excited for what’s to come. There is a ton of optimism about the future of Daily Fantasy Sports. The fact that a casual football fan can get a chance at $100,000 is amazing. And, the fact that a smart, talented, full-time employee, who went 55 years without playing Daily Fantasy, can cram for two weeks and take home a top prize is even more remarkable.
Daily Fantasy is appealing because every day is a new day. On any given slate, with the right research and the right picks, anyone can win. pmiles is the most recent winner, and we couldn’t have asked for anyone better.