How to Figure a Winner in a Squares Pool

Participating in a football pool makes watching the games more interesting.

Office football pools make it easy for rabid and novice football fans alike to have a vested interest in the outcome of a football game, such as the Super Bowl. Squares are drawn up on a sheet of paper, competing teams are assigned to either the side or top, then participants choose a square before numbers are assigned to those squares and pay a fee to enter the pool. Depending on the outcome, participants can earn their money back several times over. Determining the winner in a squares pool requires knowing how the scoring occurred in the game.

Instructions

1. Find out the score of the game in question at the end of the first quarter, halftime, third quarter and at the end of the game.

2. Find the number that corresponds with the visiting team's score at the end of first quarter and the score of the home team at the end of the same quarter.

3. Match those numbers to those found on the pool chart and determine whose name or initials are marked in that square -- that is the person who won the money for the first quarter.

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 to determine the square with the score at halftime, at the end of the third quarter and at the end of the game. The score at the end of the fourth quarter is not used if the game goes into overtime.

Tips & Warnings

• If a score lands on an empty square in the event you were unable to sell all of the squares, create rules in place to determine the winner. For example, any scores that end up on a blank square at the end of the first three quarters should have the winnings from the quarter in question carry over to the next quarter. If the final score ends up on a blank square, create a tiebreaker system in place where you use the final digits for another aspect of the game, such as total yards gained from scrimmage or total first downs earned.

• Use caution if you are running a football pool at a business, as sports pools such as football squares and basketball brackets are considered gambling and may not be allowed. Check with your superiors to see if they have any issues with you running a football pool at their establishment.

References

• Fun Office Pools: How To Run An Office Pool
• Sports Betting Acumen: Football Office Pools - Free Printable Templates and Instructions
• LegalZoom; Is Your March Madness Office Pool Legal?; 2008