How Football Squares & March Madness Pools Work
Everything you need to know about football squares boards and March Madness pools
What Are Football Squares?
Football squares (also called Super Bowl squares or football pools) is a popular game that combines chance with the excitement of watching football. It's perfect for parties, office pools, fundraisers, and any gathering where people want to add extra excitement to game day.
The game is simple: participants select squares on a 10x10 grid (100 total squares). Each square corresponds to a unique combination of numbers representing the last digit of each team's score. Winners are determined at the end of each quarter based on the actual game score.
What makes football squares so popular is that it keeps everyone engaged throughout the entire game, not just at the end. With four winners (one per quarter), there's always something to cheer for. New to the game? Our beginner's guide to football squares walks through the rules and a 5-minute setup.
How to Play: Step by Step
Create the Board
The board creator sets up a 10x10 grid and chooses the teams playing. With Pick My Square, this takes less than 30 seconds. Just enter the team names, set the game date, and your board is ready.
Share with Players
Share a simple link or QR code with your players. They can join from any device - no app needed. Players enter their name and pick their squares. If you have approval turned on, their picks wait for your OK.
Players Pick Squares
Players select their squares on the grid. No numbers are assigned yet, so nobody can angle for a better one. Players can pick multiple squares to increase their chances of winning.
Numbers Are Assigned
Once every square on the board is claimed, the host draws the numbers with one click. The digits 0-9 shuffle across both axes for the whole grid at once, so nobody could have chosen "better" numbers in advance.
Watch the Game
During the game, scores update automatically. You can see in real-time which squares are winning as the score changes. The board highlights potential winners throughout the game.
Winners Are Determined
At the end of each quarter, the winner is the square that matches the last digit of each team's score. For example, if the score is 17-24, the winning square is Home 7, Away 4. Four winners total!
How Winners Are Determined
Understanding how winners are determined is key to enjoying football squares. It's simpler than it might seem!
The Last Digit Rule
Winners are determined by the last digit of each team's score. For example, if the score is 17-24, you look at the last digit: Home 7, Away 4.
Four Winners Per Game
There's a winner at the end of each quarter: Q1, Q2 (halftime), Q3, and Q4 (final). This keeps excitement high throughout the entire game.
Example Game
| Quarter | Score | Last Digits | Winning Square |
|---|---|---|---|
| End of Q1 | Home 7, Away 10 | Home 7, Away 0 | Home 7, Away 0 |
| End of Q2 (Halftime) | Home 14, Away 17 | Home 4, Away 7 | Home 4, Away 7 |
| End of Q3 | Home 21, Away 24 | Home 1, Away 4 | Home 1, Away 4 |
| End of Q4 (Final) | Home 28, Away 31 | Home 8, Away 1 | Home 8, Away 1 |
Overtime Note
By default, the Q4 winner is determined at the end of regulation time. However, board creators can choose to include overtime scores in the final winner determination. This is a setting you can adjust when creating your board.
How Numbers Are Assigned
Random Assignment
Once every square on the board is claimed, the host draws the numbers with one click. The home team's axis and the away team's axis each shuffle the digits 0-9 at the same time, for the whole grid.
This ensures complete fairness - no one can strategically choose "better" numbers, because nobody sees any numbers until every square is already claimed.
Secure & Fair
Our system uses cryptographically secure random number generation. This means the number assignments are truly random and cannot be predicted or manipulated.
Once numbers are assigned, they're locked and cannot be changed. This ensures the integrity of your pool and prevents any disputes.
Tips for Board Organizers
Set Clear Rules
Before the game starts, make sure everyone knows:
- How much each square costs (if charging)
- How prizes are distributed (equal for each quarter, or weighted toward final)
- Whether overtime counts for the final winner
Start Early
Create your board a few days before the game to give players time to join and pick squares. This ensures you fill all 100 squares before kickoff.
Approve Players
Use the approval system to control who joins your board. This prevents unauthorized access and ensures only intended participants can play.
Share Widely
Use the QR code feature for in-person sharing, or send the link via email, text, or social media. The easier it is to join, the more players you'll get.
Running this for the office? Our guide to running an office football pool covers rules that keep everyone happy.
Common Questions
Absolutely! While football squares is most popular for the Super Bowl, you can use it for any NFL game, college football game, or any sporting event with scores. See our NBA Playoffs squares page for how the same grid works for basketball. Just create a board and enter the teams manually.
That's perfectly fine! You can run a board with any number of filled squares. If a winning square isn't filled, that quarter's prize typically rolls over to the next quarter or goes to the final winner. Make sure to set these rules before the game starts.
Yes, but it's generally better to close square selection before kickoff. As the board creator, you can control when squares can be selected. Closing selection about 30 minutes before the game starts keeps it fair.
Prize distribution is up to you as the organizer. Common approaches include:
- Equal prizes: Split the total pool equally among four winners (25% each)
- Weighted prizes: Give more to the final winner (e.g., 40% final, 20% each quarter)
- Progressive: Increase prize amounts each quarter
Make sure to communicate the prize structure clearly before the game starts.
It's a raffle board mode, also called a reverse raffle, where every draw eliminates a square instead of crowning a winner. Play continues until only the last square is left standing, or the last few if the host set it up that way, with an X marking each square as it goes out. Choose Knock-out as the draw type when you create a raffle board. See the knock-out raffle section on the raffle board page for the full rundown, including how milestones and pacing work.
March Madness Pools & Boards
Pick My Square also supports March Madness pools (full 63-game NCAA bracket) and March Madness boards (squares per tournament game). Create a March Madness pool or board free. Share a link, players join from any device. Learn about March Madness pools and boards. Our guide to how March Madness squares work covers setup and scoring in detail.
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