MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (NEWS CENTER Maine) -- Fairfield, Maine native David Dostie relies on a little bit of luck to get a ticket to the Super Bowl.
Instead of scouring websites for cheap tickets, Dostie backs his way in -- and this unconventional method has worked.
Dostie has secured seats to five Patriots' Super Bowls (1997, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2012). Now, he's in Minnesota, and has a ticket for Sunday's matchup against the Eagles in Super Bowl LII.
He travels to the host city, and crosses his fingers.
”Hope and pray that somebody that you know will have an extra one," Dostie said.
Dostie said he sets a budget before he arrives. If he can get a ticket for that price, he buys it. Last year's Super Bowl in Houston proved too expensive, with prices around $7,000 according to Dostie, so he watched from a bar instead.
”With Brady getting older, you never know how much longer he’s going to have. You want to take it in while you can," said Dostie.
Tickets for Super Bowl LII cost a minimum of $2,900 on sites like Ticketmaster and Stub Hub, and they do not get any cheaper.
Fans like Greg Asbelkian use those prices to their advantage. Asbelkian bought a ticket in the nosebleeds, then sold it for a profit, and bought an even closer seat.
"Now I get to see Tom Brady without a pair of binoculars. I’ll be right under is his mouth!" said Asbelkian. ”It’s only something you do once in your life. I’m young – might as well do it now, right? Last chance to see Tom Brady, maybe.”
Those memorable moments are worth the gamble for diehard fans like Dostie.
”All of my friends back in Central Maine are encouraging me, 'live in the moment,' and 'you can’t take it with you,' and that is so true.”
Dostie has a ticket to Super Bowl LII, which he said was a little over his $2,500 budget, but still less than $2,900.