Football squares rules for a pool that runs cleanly

A standard pool uses a 10×10 grid with 100 squares. One team is assigned to the columns, the other to the rows. Players claim squares before kickoff. Once every square is taken, the digits 0–9 are drawn once for the columns and once for the rows. The last digit of each team's score at the end of a period selects a column and a row, and the square where they meet wins that period's prize. That is the whole game; the rest of this page is detail and dispute prevention.

Squares are sold or assigned before the draw. A player can claim one square or several, depending on the house rule. Names or initials go in the square; if money is involved, keep a separate paid/unpaid list. The board is full when every square has an owner. If you reach kickoff with empty squares, either draw anyway and leave those squares dead, or reduce the prize pool to the number of squares actually sold. Announce which rule you are using before you take the first entry.

The draw happens after the board fills and before kickoff. Write 0–9 on ten slips for the columns, draw them one at a time without replacement, and write the order across the top. Repeat with a fresh set for the rows and write the order down the side. Keep the slips until the game ends in case someone asks to see them. The randomizer on this site does the same thing and shows a timestamp, which is useful if someone wants proof that the draw was not staged. Do not redraw because a player dislikes their digits.

There are four standard payout moments: end of Q1, halftime, end of Q3 and the final score. At each one, take the last digit of the column team's score and the last digit of the row team's score. Find the column and row, and mark the winning square. Only the ones digit matters: 3 and 13 both end in 3, and 17 and 7 both end in 7. Write each quarter's winning square on the board so players can see the history.

The final prize normally uses the score after overtime. If the game is tied at the end of regulation and goes to an extra period, the final result is the score when the game ends, not the end-of-regulation tie. Some pools use the end of regulation for the final prize instead. Either rule is fine, but it must be written down before kickoff. The same applies to a game shortened by weather or an unusual finish: use the last official score and say so.

Two splits cover most pools. The even split is 25 percent for each of the four periods. The weighted split is 20/20/20/40, which doubles the final prize. On a $10 board with 100 squares sold, the pot is $1,000: $250 per period on the even split, or $200, $200, $200 and $400 on the weighted split. A reverse-winner side prize pays the square with the row and column digits swapped, usually for the final only. If you add a reverse prize, take it out of the stated pot rather than pretending it is extra.

A Super Bowl squares pool uses the same rules as any other board, but the party setting makes a few details more important. Draw the numbers only after every square is claimed, even if guests are still arriving; a late square after the draw is not valid. Announce whether the final prize includes overtime, because the Super Bowl can go to an extra period and the answer changes the last payout. Print the four payout amounts on the board, not just the percentages, so guests can see what each quarter is worth. If the board is not full at kickoff, say in advance whether empty squares are dead or the pot shrinks. These are the same house rules you would use in September; they just get asked more often at a party.

The 5×5 board has 25 squares. Each row and each column is assigned two digits instead of one, so every square covers four digit combinations. A square wins when both last digits fall inside its row and column groups. The draw still uses 0–9 on each axis, but the digits are grouped into five pairs. This version fills faster, suits small groups and often pays one or two periods rather than four. The rest of the rules do not change.

In this variant, the pool pays whenever a score change moves the winning square to a new position. It can produce dozens of small payouts in a high-scoring game, so set a fixed amount per change and a cap on the total. It is more admin than a standard pool and works best with an online board that highlights the current square automatically. If you run it on paper, appoint one person to track changes and announce them.

Write these down and read them to the group:

• The buy-in and whether squares can be bought on credit.
• The payout split and the total pot.
• Whether the final includes overtime.
• What happens to unsold squares.
• Whether one person can claim multiple squares.
• Who draws the numbers and when.
• What happens if a game is cancelled or shortened.

A single index card with these answers prevents nearly every dispute. If the pool is online, put the same rules in the pool description so remote players see them too.

Most disputes come from a few situations. A player claims a square after the draw: return the entry, because the board is closed. Someone misreads a score: use the official game log or a photo of the scoreboard, not memory. A winner is declared before the final play: wait for the clock to reach zero and confirm the score. An unsold square would have won: follow the rule you announced, either the prize is void or the pot is reduced. If two people wrote in the same square, the earlier entry stands and the second person picks another square before the draw. Keep the written rules and the board photo together; a calm reading of the rule resolves almost everything.

Check your state and local laws before running a pool for money; many offices play for fun or donate the pot. Keep the buy-in small enough that nobody feels trapped, and never let the person holding the money also be the only person who can verify the draw. Publish the payout split, record who paid and pay winners promptly. A pool that is transparent and cheap to enter stays fun even when the game is bad.