The classic 100-square office pool on one page — names in the boxes, numbers drawn after it fills, winners on the last digit of each score. Works for any game of the season, including the big one.
| TEAM / HOME → (draw numbers 0–9 after the grid fills) | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st quarter | Halftime | 3rd quarter | Final |
|---|---|---|---|
Squares is the pool that needs no football knowledge at all, which is exactly why it works at parties. Sell the hundred squares — players write their names in any open boxes. Once the grid is full, randomly draw the digits 0–9 across the top for one team and down the side for the other. Filling first, drawing second is the integrity of the whole thing: nobody can chase the good numbers.
At the end of each period, take the last digit of each team's score and find where that row and column meet. 17–14 at the half: the square at column 7, row 4 wins the halftime payout. Four standard payout moments — each quarter and the final — with the split written in the payout row before a single square is sold. A common split is 20% per quarter and 40% for the final; house preference rules.
Price every square the same. Let people take multiple squares. Draw numbers in public — cards, a hat, or dice, but visibly. If the grid doesn't fill, either let players double up or scale the payouts down proportionally; decide before kickoff. Some digits are famously better than others once numbers are drawn — 0s and 7s over 2s and 5s — which is precisely why the draw comes last.
Does it work for any game? Any game with scores — pro, college, playoffs, and of course the big one in February.
What about overtime? Standard practice: the final payout uses the actual final score, overtime included. Say so up front.
Can two periods pay the same square? Absolutely — same digits, same winner, both payouts.