Football Betting Board Game
Football Squares is one of the most popular Super Bowl party games, and a great way to make your next football party even more enjoyable! It’s also very easy to set up and play. Gather a group of players and ask each person to pay a set amount of money to enter the game. Football Credits Pool. Football credits pools, also known as share pools, really let you go all-in on games you are confident about. They are a cross between traditional sports betting and pick’em/confidence pools. The basic rules: Players receive a fixed number of credits at the beginning of the pool. In each NFL week, a player can wager.
If you’re a football fan, if your friends follow the NFL, or if you work in an office, chances are you’ve heard of a football pool.
A football pool using “squares,” typically a 10 x 10 grid, is an easy way to get a group of people to bet on a football game using a random assignment of numbers to names to find out who wins the pot for every quarter.
Unlike other types of sports bets, you don’t need to be an economist or calculate odds or know anything about the teams (or even the sport) to win.
- Whether it is for the Super Bowl, the Bowl Championship Series or a local game in your hometown, a football betting board adds some excitement to the experience. The board is easy to construct, and because this is game of chance, your friends don't even need to know the first thing about football to participate in betting.
- Erasable Super Bowl Squares Adhesive Wall Decal by VersaChalk (24x36 Inches) - Football Pool Betting Chart for Superbowl Party Game Decorations 3.8 out of 5 stars 21 $24.99 $ 24.
- This game is similar to the basketball game 'HORSE', you can use any football related word like touchdown, pigskin or football. Have players line up and the first person in the line throws the football to/through the target of their choice. The player behind him must repeat the same shot and this continues down the line of players.
This is a luck-based system, not a skill-based approach, and it’s designed to make a football game more fun and interesting, with some real money on the line.
Football squares pools, are especially popular for the Super Bowl. If you’ve never played before, or want to learn more, here’s our guide on how to play Super Bowl squares.
What Are Football Squares?
Football squares, also known as a football pool or football boxes, is a way of placing bets for a group of people using a basic X-Y axis (remember algebra?) Players enter their names (usually initials) into as many squares as they wish to buy into.
Each square represents a score. At the end of each quarter, the person on the square that corresponds to the score at that time is given his or her share of the prize money.
When playing Super Bowl squares, the winner of each quarter of the big game is typically given a quarter of the money paid into the pool.
The grid used to set up a squares game looks complicated but is actually quite simple to grasp once you get the hang of it. Here’s an example of one.
Essentially, the pool pays out each quarter based on the last digit of the score of each team. For instance, if the score is 17-13, the winner would be the person on the 7-3 square.
How to Set Up Your Super Bowl Squares Grid
Create a grid ten boxes high and ten boxes wide. This will give you 100 boxes, which means you can potentially have 100 people participating in this pool, although usually far fewer people are used.
Over the top of your grid, write the name of one of the teams competing in the Super Bowl.
Vertically, along the left-hand side of the grid, write the name of the other team.
Although the Super Bowl boxes layout is called a ten by ten, you do need room to write the numbers 0-9 along the top columns, one number for each column, and along the vertical left-hand side of the chart as well.
Here’s how the grids looks once the numbers are filled in.
You can choose not to enter the numbers before people pick their squares, and add them in a random order later instead. This is if you don’t want people to know what scores they are assigning themselves to.
Does the Grid Have to Be 10 x 10?
For the standard version of Super Bowl squares rules, yes. The football pool uses only the last digit of a score (for instance, if the score is Team A – 12, Team B – 15, then the grid would be followed to find out who is at the intersection of Team A – 2 and Team B – 5.
Since the ending numbers of any given score can range from between zero and nine, which includes 10 number options total, there must be 10 squares on each side of the chart.
How Many People Are Needed to Play Super Bowl Squares?
You can create a football pool using this squares method using as few as two people and as many as 100. The fewer people are involved, the more squares they can buy.
If there are 100 people, each person would be able to choose one square. Fifty participants would be able to choose two squares each, and 25 people could have four squares apiece.
However, some people may only wish to buy into one square, while others wish to buy into multiples.
You can limit the number of squares available to each participant until all players have had a chance to buy squares. You can then sell the extra squares to players who wish to play more squares to increase their chances of winning.
If you are playing with an actual sheet of paper, hand the grid around before the numbers are assigned across the top and down the left side.
If you are playing electronically, there are automatic pool fill apps that can scatter the names/initials equally across the board.
What If Squares in the Super Bowl Squares Grid Are Empty?
You may have empty squares on your board. Either only a few people are playing, or there simply wasn’t anyone who wanted that particular square. This is not uncommon.
If the score lands on a space where no one has their name, you can add that money to the prize for the next quarter. Thus, the winner of the next quarter will receive a double payout.
This is entirely up to you and the other participants. A standard buy-in is $5 per square, but it can go as low as $1 per square and as high as you want.
The more people who participate, the higher the energy, and the more fun the squares game is. So you may want to consider a buy-in that will allow as many people as possible to participate.
Yes, players will write their initials in on the squares they choose, but since the numbers along the top and left side of the grid can be entered later, the placement of the names in the squares doesn’t have to be relevant. It just depends on how you want to play.
In the example Super Bowl squares template above, the numbers were in order from 0-9. You can choose to mix the numbers up, though.
For instance, across the top ten squares, in which you will write the digits 0-9, you may choose to array them thus: 2, 4, 1, 0, 9, 5, 8, 6, 7, 3. Do the same vertically.
The reason for doing this is to make the game fairer, and to remove any benefit from those who choose their Super Bowl squares before others. Certain scores are more likely to win than others, so it can be an advantage to avoid those squares.
You can use squares grids to create a pool for any football game, from pee-wee to pro. The rules for Super Bowl squares games remain essentially the same regardless.
You and your friends may be avid Monday Night Football fans and can have a pool every week using the same grid over and over, simply changing the names of the teams on the axis or creating a new grid and placing the names in different squares for each game.
A squares games can be used to enliven a sports-themed bachelor/bachelorette party, a birthday party, or even just having friends over on Sunday for the game. This squares game, which gives all players the same chance to win, caters to football fans and non-fans alike, and in fact pulls non-football fans into the excitement by giving them some stakes in the game.
Squares pools can be used for fundraising (check local laws). You can collect the buy-in for each square, as usual, but instead of paying out the entire intake 1/4 at a time for each quarter, you could pay 1/8 of the “pot” to the winner of each quarter, which leaves you with 1/2 of the funds to give to the charitable cause.
Getting a whole office, club, or team on board with a squares pool is a solid way to team-build and start conversations. It gets people talking about the game, creates relationships, and eases the atmosphere.
You can also play squares for other sports and tournaments. March Madness, for example, or ice hockey.
With some rearrangement of the prize disbursement and how scores are calculated, they can be used for PGA Tour events and even the Olympics.
Learning how to play Super Bowl squares is not that difficult. It doesn’t take much to start a football squares pool.
You just need a piece of paper, or a pre-printed Super Bowl squares template, and some willing participants. It’s a fun way to bet on the Super Bowl among friends.
Once you’ve explained the rules for playing Super Bowl squares, and got the boxes filled out, your only real work is to watch the game!
Can you even have a Super Bowl party if you don’t have Super Bowl betting games? The short answer is no. The longer answer is definitely not.
If you are struggling to come up with ideas, The Action Network is here to help. I’ve been playing Super Bowl party betting games for years, and I’d like to share some of my favorites.
Before we get to the list, remember: Communication is key. Make sure to inform your guests in advance about what betting games you will offer (and the stakes) at your party, so that they will arrive prepared. Nobody wants to spot anybody cash for these activities.
Square Pool
This is the most famous Super Bowl betting game, and it’s one most of you have probably played at a party. If you haven’t, you just need a poster board, a magic marker, a ruler, and basic math skills.
Pro Tip: Buy two poster boards just in case you struggle in that last department. I’ve seen some botched boards in my day. Also, someone will inevitably write their name in too many squares. More on that to come.
Once you have those four things, draw 11 equal squares across the top of the board and 10 more down the left side (eleven including the already completed square in the left corner). Next, draw a 10X10 grid of squares inside of the row and column of squares you just created.
Now, divide 100 by the number of participants to determine how many squares each person gets. Once you have that number, each participant will write their name in that amount of random squares.
Pro Tip: Make sure you wait as long as possible to ensure everyone who wants in can play.
If you can’t divide 100 equally, create a house square and make up your own rule for those squares. We like to carry it over if those numbers hit before the end of the game, and give it to the party host if they hit at the end. You can also offer to sell those additional squares to increase the pot. In the example below, 10 people bought into the pool, which means each writes their name in 10 random boxes.
After you have all of the names filled in, put the numbers 0 through 9 on small pieces of paper into a hat. Have someone pick them out one by one. Write those numbers as they are picked across the top squares in order. Repeat for the squares down the left side of the board. Finally, split the first square in the top left corner with each team’s name.
The rules of the game are simple. If the Patriots win the game 24-20, STUCK would win the pot, since his name is in the square that coincides with the Patriots (4) down the side and the Eagles (0) on top. You can choose to split the pot by quarter, half or just do winner takes all at the end. I hope you avoid the 9!
Prop Pool
Football Betting Board Template
You need to have a skill-based Super Bowl betting game where the person who gets the most questions right wins the pot. As a result, I like to assign the highest buy-in to this game, but know your audience. You can create your own questions, such as…
Coin toss? (circle one) Heads or TailsCompany with first commercial?Player to score first touchdown?Leading rusher?How many times will Trump tweet?Gatorade shower color?MVP?Also, mix it up with entertainment and sports if you have a bigger crowd. Or if you don’t want to go through the trouble of creating your own prop pool, then just use our printable sheet.
Pro Tip: I have found using 20-25 questions with varying point values works best. Picking the MVP deserves a higher reward than guessing heads or tails, but it’s up to you.
Pass the Cup
This is the easiest of them all. The rules are simple:
Everyone puts in a certain dollar amount in a cup.Create an order to determine how the cup will be passed.Draw a name to determine who starts with the cup.The cup passes to the next person on the list every possession change.The last one holding the cup takes the pot.We like to divide this up into quarters to increase the excitement. The person holding the cup at the end of the first and third quarter takes a small amount out. The person at the end of each half gets a bigger payout. Divide it up however you see fit, but be prepared for the late half, meaningless Hail Mary interception cup switch.
Pro Tip: You can also use a football instead of a cup. However, watch out for your token drunk friend who is losing all of his bets.
If you want to make the game even more interesting, you can add a rule that every player must hold on to the cup (or ball) at all times when in possession. If someone gets caught putting it down, the cup changes hands. Finally, if someone passes out (or “falls asleep”) while holding the cup, make them watch the rest of the game outside through a window.
MVP Hat Draw
For those who still need more party action, you can also do an MVP draw. Just write down all of the best players’ names on little pieces of paper, put them in a hat, and draw. The person who draws the MVP wins the pot, which keeps the game interesting even in the event of a blowout.
Pro Tip: Have everyone draw 2-3 names. You never know when a Dexter Jackson might surprisingly win MVP.
Having said that, I hope you pick Tom Brady, the only player in NFL history to win four Super Bowl MVPs. Overall, quarterbacks have won the award in 28 (55%) of 51 Super Bowls. But don’t lose hope if you pick a non-quarterback. A Dallas linebacker won in a losing effort in Super Bowl 5. And if things play out like they did in 1978 when two Cowboys defensive lineman won it in the only Super Bowl to have co-MVPs, then I guess everyone gets their money back. Although, I’d think of a more creative way to decide a winner, such as beer pong or poker.
LCR
You will need to keep the action going during the never-ending halftime show. After making your play on any second half action, break out the LCR dice. If you have never played before, then go buy a set from the store or order here. Just make sure you tell everyone in advance to bring plenty of dollar bills.
Pro Tip: Get extra dollar bills. Multiple people will inevitably not bring them, so be prepared to change people out.
Football Game Betting Board
The extended halftime show will be over before you even know it.
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