Super Bowl Squares Rules

Block pool basics

The short version: 100 squares, a random digit for every row and column, and four winners: one each at the end of the first quarter, halftime, the third quarter and the final. The last digit of each team’s score points to the winning square.

The board

A Super Bowl squares board, or block pool, is a 10×10 grid: 100 squares. One team goes across the top, the other down the side. Players buy squares and write their initials in them.

The numbers

Once every square is taken, the digits 0 through 9 are drawn at random and written across the top, then drawn again for the side. Each square now stands for one pair of digits, one for each team. Because the numbers come out after the picking, every square starts with the same chance of landing good numbers.

Finding a winner

At the end of each scoring period, look only at the last digit of each team’s score. If the team across the top has 17 and the team down the side has 10, the winner is the square where the top’s 7 meets the side’s 0.

• Q1: the score at the end of the first quarter.
• Half: the score at halftime, both quarters together.
• Q3: the score at the end of the third quarter.
• Final: the final score, usually including overtime.

The same square can win more than once if the last digits don’t change.

Payouts

The pot is 100 × the price per square, split across the four winners. The most common splits are 25% each, or 20% / 20% / 20% / 40% so the final pays the most. Some pools pay only at halftime and the final.

Common variations

Reverse winners

The square with the digits swapped (the top team’s digit on the side, and the other way round) also wins a smaller prize each quarter.

Neighbors

The squares touching the winner (above, below and beside it) each win a small prize, so more people get something.

Every score change

A small payout every time the score changes, not just at quarter ends, with the rest of the pot paid on the usual quarters.

New numbers each quarter

The numbers are redrawn after every quarter, so a bad draw doesn’t sink a square for the whole game.

Unsold squares

If the board isn’t full and an empty square wins, the payout usually rolls to the next quarter. Agree on it before the draw.

Want to know which numbers you’re hoping for? See the best and worst Super Bowl squares numbers. Running the pool yourself? Read how to run a block pool.