How Does a Super Bowl Pool Work?

Super Bowl Squares

By far the most common Super Bowl pool is known as a squares pool. An individual buys a square on a 10-by-10 grid that has two single-digit numbers associated with it, representing the last number in the game's score for each team. If the point total for each team of the Super Bowl at the end of each quarter ends with those numbers then whoever has that square wins. For example, if you purchased a square corresponding to the numbers 3 for the leading team and 7 for the team that is trailing and the score is 23-17, you have a winner. The last digits of each team's score are the ones that you are looking to match with your grid square. No knowledge of football is needed to win, which makes this a good pool to entice all types of people.

Setting Up Your Grid

Using a ruler and a marker, on a large sheet of paper, create a 10-by-10 grid, comprised of 100 squares. Write the name of one team on the top of the grid and the name of the opposing team along the left side. Write the numbers 0 through 9 across the top of the grid so they each line up with a row of squares down. Next put the numbers 0 through 9 along the left side of the grid so they line up with a row of squares across. You now have a Super Bowl pool that has 100 possible combinations of single digit numbers, along with 100 squares you need to sell to have a successful pool!

Filling In Your Pool

Whether you are touting your Super Bowl pool at the office or at a Super Bowl party, you should have no problem selling all the squares. A reasonable price is $5 per square. It's affordable enough for some people to purchase more than one. Sell your squares on a first-come first-served basis. Some squares on the grid are more desirable than others. For instance, the square corresponding with 3 and 7 has a much better chance of being a winner than many other squares because field goals are worth 3 points and touchdowns, after the extra point, are worth 7. Conversely a square of 2 and 6 has a much lower chance of being a winner, as a football score rarely ends with those numbers.

Set The Rules

If you are selling your squares for $5 each, you will accumulate $500 if you sell them all. With this large sum, you could separate the Super Bowl pool into four quarters, rewarding a payoff at the end of each quarter to the person whose square matches the score at the end of the quarter. You could divide the money equally and pay out $125 to each winner, or make the final score worth more. Whatever you do, remember that in most states it is illegal for the person running the pool to take a cut of the money before distributing the rest to the winners.