There will be a big game before the big game. The World Championship of Handicapping will now be taking place Feb. 3-4, exclusively online at DRF Tournaments. Those paying attention will recognize that that’s the weekend of a certain world-famous NFL game. But with most racing cards nationwide coordinated with the kickoff of that event, that shouldn’t be any kind of impediment. The WCH contest is limited to 200 players, with spots available for purchase at $5,000 per seat. Assuming a full field, that means a purse of $1 million. The best news for players is that there will be no takeout in the finals, making this one of the best and coolest experiences that contest players have ever seen. While buying in directly is an appealing option, many players are choosing to qualify in, and DRFT has several ways to do so. The most direct route is through a Grade 1 qualifier. These have been happening every Saturday of late at DRFT and there will be another one this weekend. In the Grade 1’s, players put up $580 and one in 10 win their $5,000 entries to the WCH finals. Players looking to get involved for a lower buy-in might look to the Round 1 contests. These happen every operating day on DRFT and cost $95. From these games, one in seven entries advance to the Grade 1’s. There are also feeders, priced at $11 and $22, where the top 10 or 20 percent of the field move on to the Round 1’s. And most Wednesdays, players have a chance to win into the feeders for free. There will be other games this weekend as well, including matchups, winner-take-alls, and feeders for the $3,000 credit-builder coming up at the end of the month. These are all great ways to get action and fund your upcoming contest play. For a full list of the games available, go to tournaments.drf.com.