How do Super Bowl Squares Work?

Nate Cunningham | Nov 25, 2024

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Super Bowl is one of the most bet-on events each year, with fans being able to throw money at everything from the final score to the coin toss to the color of Gatorade in the team coolers.

The biggest issue with many Super Bowl bets is that you need to have a pretty good grasp on the intricacies of the game.

Super Bowl Squares changes that, meaning that everyone can get in on the fun of winning some cold, hard cash. 

What Are Super Bowl Squares?

Super Bowl Squares is an extremely popular game that’s played during the Super Bowl, which makes the game more engaging for fans who might not have a rooting interest otherwise. 

It is a 100-square grid, with each square representing the last digit in each team’s score. At the end of each quarter and at the end of the game, there is a winner based on their assigned square. 

How Do Super Bowl Squares Work?

So we’ve established that there are 100 spots up for grabs in this 10x10 square. The rows and columns of these squares will be assigned a value 0–9. Each of those is a representation of the last digit of a team’s score.

More often than not, players will buy squares before the rows and columns are assigned a number. This makes everything random. The cost of a square is determined by the group or the person who is running the pool. 

Once every square is purchased, the numbers are added. This means that every player now has two digits assigned to their square. Each of these digits are team-specific and will be easily marked as such. 

The payouts usually happen at the conclusion of each quarter. So if at the end of the first quarter the score was Team A 10 and Team B 3, the winning square would have Team A 0 and Team B 3. 

As the old saying goes, sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good. 

How to Set Up Super Bowl Squares

There are plenty of sites with templates available to print out, or you could commandeer a white board. At the end of the day, you need a 10x10 grid that’s big enough for people to put their initials on. 

It would probably be helpful to have the prize breakdown nearby as well, so people can easily see what they’re playing for. 

Determining how many squares are allowed per person is another aspect that needs to be outlined clearly. Because if the board doesn’t fill up by kickoff, the game is ruined. 

What Are the Prizes for Super Bowl Squares?

The prizes are entirely up to the creator of the board or the group that’s playing the game. Some games could be $1 per square, while others could be $100. It all depends on what the players are comfortable with. 

That being said, since the game is based solely on luck, a smaller price per square is usually the way to go. The odds of getting more people involved greatly increases when the buy in is only a few dollars. 

One of the most common ways to divide the prize pool is giving 25% to the winner of each quarter. Another is to slightly increase the payout for the halftime and final score. In that scenario you could give 20% to the winner of the first quarter, 30% to the winner at halftime, 20% to the third quarter winner and then 30% to the final score winner. 

Some pools are a winner-take-all format, where only the final score matters. 

Super Bowl Squares Strategy: Is There a Way to Increase Your Odds?

Unfortunately, there’s no real way to increase your odds in a game of Super Bowl Squares. Technically, if you purchase the maximum number of squares allowed your odds would increase. 

But because the numbers are assigned randomly, all players can do is hope to get digits that are more common in a football game. Numbers like 0, 1, 3, 4 and 7 are more likely to hit than the rest. 

Numbers 2, 5 and 9 are the worst to get, simply due to the arithmetic of NFL scoring. When the majority of points in NFL games come by field goals (three points) and touchdowns and extra points (six to seven points), it’s easy to see why 2, 5 and 9 aren’t ideal. 

However, there’s no rhyme or reason to any of it. 

Legal Considerations for Super Bowl Squares

Depending on the state and the size of the pool, Super Bowl Squares may or may not be legal. The odds of the cops breaking down your office door are slim to none, but it still may technically be illegal. 

For example, all forms of gambling are illegal in Utah. That would include Super Bowl Squares. In Washington, there are a number of restrictions in place (including the size of the board and price of the squares). Arizona allows the game insofar as the state’s standard gambling laws are adhered to. 

Just to be safe, you probably want to confirm your local laws regarding gambling before firing up Super Bowl Squares. 

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