how do squares work in football
In football “squares,” you’re talking about the classic Super Bowl / football squares pool , a simple 10×10 grid game where your square’s numbers either match the last digits of each team’s score or they don’t—pure luck, no football knowledge required.
The basic idea
- You start with a 10×10 grid (100 total squares). Each small box is a “square.”
- One NFL team is labeled on the top (columns) and the other on the side (rows).
- People “buy” or claim individual squares by writing their name in them (often before any numbers are assigned).
- After all squares are filled, the numbers 0–9 are randomly assigned along the top and side, so every square corresponds to one digit for the home team and one digit for the away team.
- At the end of each quarter (or just the final score, depending on house rules), the last digit of each team’s score is checked against the grid; whoever owns the matching square wins that quarter’s prize.
Quick example
- Say Team A vs Team B.
- End of the game: Team A 24, Team B 21. Last digits are 4 (Team A) and 1 (Team B).
- You find the column for 4 (Team A) and the row for 1 (Team B); the square where they meet is the winner.
How to set one up step‑by‑step
- Draw or print the grid
- Make a 10×10 grid (100 squares) on paper, whiteboard, or a printable/template sheet.
* Label the top with one team’s name and the side with the other team.
- Let people claim squares
- Friends, coworkers, or family put their name in any open square(s), usually for a fixed price per square (like $1, $5, $10).
* Some pools limit how many squares each person can buy so one person doesn’t take the whole board.
- Randomly assign the numbers 0–9
- After all squares are claimed, randomly assign the digits 0–9 across the columns and 0–9 down the rows.
* Each square now corresponds to a pair like (Home 7, Away 3).
- Decide the payouts
- Common format: pay out at the end of each quarter (Q1, halftime, Q3, final), with the biggest prize for the final score.
* For example, if there are 100 squares at $5 each, the pot is $500; you might pay $75 for Q1, $100 for halftime, $75 for Q3, and $250 for final.
- Match scores to the grid during the game
- Look only at the last digit of each team’s score at the chosen time (end of quarter, half, or game).
* Find those digits on the top and side of the grid and see whose square is at that intersection. That person wins that round’s prize.
Common variations and twists
- 25‑square boards
- Smaller grids (5×5, 25 squares) are used for small groups; rules are similar but each number may represent multiple digits or score ranges.
- Alternate scoring rules
- Some versions pay only on the final score instead of each quarter.
* Others might pay on special events, like last touchdown or final field goal.
- Non‑cash / casual games
- Many groups play just for bragging rights, small prizes, or office fun instead of money.
- Strategy & “good” numbers
- In the NFL, certain last digits—like 0, 3, 7—tend to show up more often because of how scoring works (touchdowns + extra points, field goals, etc.), so squares with combinations like 7–0 or 3–0 are generally considered more valuable in analytics‑style guides.
Why people like football squares
- It keeps everyone engaged, even people who don’t follow football, because any random play can change the last digit and flip who’s winning a quarter.
- It’s simple: once the grid is set, there’s no decision‑making or skill—just checking digits at the ends of quarters.
- It scales easily for big parties, offices, or online pools using printable or spreadsheet templates.
In short: you buy a spot on a 10×10 grid, random numbers get assigned, and if your square’s two digits match the final digits of each team’s score at the right time, you win. 🎯
TL;DR: Football squares are a 10×10 grid game where each square maps to the last digit of each team’s score; when a quarter (or game) ends, the square matching those digits wins the prize.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.
