There's no shortage of ways to gamble on Super Bowl LV, which pits the Kansas City Chiefs against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. You can study the game's point spreads and any number of prop bets. If you're looking for another way to engage in some Super Bowl fun, many fans turn to Super Bowl squares.
Ahead of Super Bowl LV kickoff from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, here's how the game works.
Format:
The setup for Super Bowl squares is relatively simple. A pool consists of 10 vertical columns and 10 horizontal rows, both numbered from zero to nine. One Super Bowl team—in this year's case either the Chiefs or the Buccaneers—gets the columns and the other gets the rows.
Each of the 100 squares inside are then purchased individually with each square priced equally.
In most pools, the members of your respective Super Bowl party can then buy as many squares as they'd like in each quarter. The more squares that are bought, the greater the payout for the winner.
Once every box of the pool has been sold, the numbers assigned to each row and column are selected at random.
How to win:
At the end of every quarter, the person whose square corresponds with the intersection of the second digit of each team’s score wins a prize (for example, a 14–7 score at the end of the first quarter pays out the owner of the square at row 4, column 7). If a square is unowned, many people usually roll over the money to the next quarter.
The final score usually pays out the highest sum.
Super Bowl squares are often a fun game to play amongst peers. But as The MMQB's Conor Orr reported last year, it also was the centerpiece of one of the strangest kidnapping cases Western New York had ever see.
FAQs
How to win Super Bowl squares. Winning typically involves the score by the end of each quarter. The numbers on each side of the grid represent the last digit of the AFC team's score and the other represents the last digit of the NFC team's score, and whoever has that square when the quarter ends, wins.
What is the strategy for Super Bowl squares? ›
The same rule applies for Super Bowl squares — three, six and seven are common occurrences. Zero, one and four are more common than three, but less common than six and seven. Traditional logic suggests that betting a square with a combination of those numbers gives a bettor the best chance to win.
What are the best numbers to get in the Super Bowl squares? ›
The theme is that zero, seven and three are the best digits. Four is a solid fourth-best number. One has some value as a good final score chance, but isn't very likely in the first half.
How do you know who wins at Super Bowl Squares? ›
It is a random draw. Winners are traditionally determined by the second digits of the score at the end of each quarter. For example, if the 49ers have a 17-10 halftime lead, the player whose initials occupy the square with a "7" for the 49ers and a "0" for the Chiefs is the winner.
What are the rules for squares in football? ›
Players can pay an ante for a square and, once each square has been assigned to a player, each square on the grid will then randomly be assigned a number, 0-9. At that point, players at home will then eye the last number of the score: Whichever square corresponds with the last number of both teams will win.
Is it illegal to do Super Bowl Squares? ›
Given the pervasiveness of legal sports betting, most employees (and their employers) assume sports betting in all forms is legal. But it is not. In fact, Super Bowl squares are illegal in 37 states. And even the states that do permit office pools have different requirements.
What's the best square to pick in a football pool? ›
The best squares to have are 0, 1, 3, 4 and 7 because they are the most frequent last digit numbers, since touchdowns are worth seven points and field goals are worth three. In a 2013 blog post, the Harvard Sports Analysis Collective wrote that the single best square to have is seven on the betting favorite's axis.
How do you win at Squares? ›
When squares are auctioned after the column and rows are numbered, owners want boxes that correspond with totals of scoring plays, such as touchdowns and field goals. To win, a person needs to own the box that corresponds to the last digit of the score for each team.
How do you divide money for Super Bowl squares? ›
Although some square formats and payouts vary, the standard scoring is the winners of the first, second, and third quarters would receive 20% of the pot each, and the final score (4th quarter) would receive the remaining 40%. Check with the square organizer for specifics.
Which squares win the most? ›
It's the most lucrative square to own, followed by 7|0; 0|7; 0|3; 3|0; and 7|7. In general, the more 0, 3 and 7 squares you have, the better, because they never go out of style.
Super Bowl odds at BetMGM currently price the Kansas City Chiefs as +550 betting favorites. The 49ers, who just won the NFC, are second in the table at +600.
How many points is a touchdown? ›
Touchdown. A touchdown is worth six points and is the most common way to score in football. A touchdown is scored when a team either carries the ball into the opposing team's end zone, catches a pass in the end zone, or kicks the ball through the opponent's goalposts.
Is there a strategy to Super Bowl squares? ›
Because squares are chosen at random before the numbers are filled in, there is no strategy in selecting your squares. Picking a square in the middle of the board vs. picking a square in the corner of the board will give you the same odds of winning.
How do the squares work? ›
A winner will be chosen at the end of the first quarter, second quarter, third quarter, and fourth quarter. The winner is decided by looking at the last number of each team's score, matching that number to a square on the grid, and seeing which square those two numbers are in.
Are football squares luck? ›
In Super Bowl Squares, there's no real skill to winning. It's mostly luck. However, there are ways to maximize your chances of winning.
How does a Super Bowl Square fundraiser work? ›
Picture a 10×10 grid, creating 100 squares, where participants can purchase individual squares. Each row and column is randomly assigned a number from 0 to 9, correlating to the last number of the score for each team playing in the game. Winners are determined at the end of each quarter based on the current score.
How does a 50 square Super Bowl pool work? ›
During the Super Bowl game
A winner will be determined at the end of the 1st quarter, 2nd quarter, 3rd quarter, and Final Game score. The winner is determined by looking at the last number in each teams' score, and then matching those numbers on the grid and seeing which square intersects those two numbers.
What happens if you don't fill Super Bowl squares? ›
What happens if the Grid doesn't, or won't fill up? When it comes to potentially not filling up a Grid, it is up to the Admin to decide how to handle it, but we usually recommend simply reducing the price of your squares and letting your existing Users select more Squares at the same price.
