Super Bowl squares is a 100-square grid game decided by the last digit of the score. Everyone claims squares before the game, the numbers 0-9 are drawn randomly onto the rows and columns, and at the end of each quarter the last digit of each team's score points to the winning square. There are no picks and no skill — which is exactly why it's the one big-game party game the whole room plays. Here are the full rules, the standard payouts, and the odds behind which squares actually win.

The rules of Super Bowl squares

A squares pool runs on a 10×10 grid — 100 squares in total. One team is assigned to the columns across the top, the other to the rows down the side. The setup is always the same:

Draw the grid. A 10×10 board, one team across the top, the other down the left.
Claim the squares. Everyone takes squares until all 100 are gone — a dollar or an entry each. With 100 squares you can run it with 10 people (10 squares each), 25 people (four each), or a whole floor with one apiece.
Draw the numbers — and only now. Once the board is full, shuffle the digits 0 through 9 across the top row and, separately, down the side column.
Score every quarter. At the end of each quarter, the last digit of each team's score picks the winning square.

That's the entire game. The only decisions you make up front are the payout split and whether you add a variant like reverse squares (both below).

Why the number draw has to come last

This is the single rule people get wrong, and it's the one that keeps squares fair: you never assign the numbers until every square is claimed.

Because nobody knows which digits they hold while they're picking squares, no square is worth more than any other at claim time — everyone has an identical shot at ending up with a great square or a dead one. Draw the numbers before the grid fills up and you've handed an edge to whoever knows the good digits, and the whole game breaks. Claim first, draw second. Always.

How winners are decided (with an example)

At the end of each quarter, take the last digit of each team's score. Find that digit along the top for one team and down the side for the other — the square where they cross wins that quarter.

End of Q1, the score is 17-10. The last digit of 17 is 7; the last digit of 10 is 0. Whoever owns the square at column 7, row 0 wins the first quarter.

Repeat it at halftime, at the end of the third quarter, and at the final whistle. Four quarters, four winning squares (sometimes the same square twice if the digits don't move).

If you'd rather not draw a grid on a napkin and hand-write the numbers, the free Super Bowl squares generator fills all 100 squares across your group evenly and draws the digits in one click — no login, no spreadsheet.

Super Bowl squares payouts

Most pools pay out at the end of each quarter, with a smaller cut for the first three and the biggest for the final score. The classic split is:

Q1 — 20%
Halftime — 20%
Q3 — 20%
Final — 40%

It's your pool, so any split the group agrees on works. Some run an even 25% per quarter; others weight the final even more heavily. Common variations:

Reverse (crossover) squares. The square with the digits flipped also wins. If 7-0 takes the quarter, 0-7 wins too — twice the winners, half the payout each. It spreads the winnings around and adds a second bit of drama every quarter.
Multiple number sets. Re-draw the 0-9 on both axes each quarter so the same square can't run the table all night. Good for bigger groups who want more people to win.

Keep it friendly — the point is bragging rights, not running a book. A free, no-buy-in squares pool sidesteps the workplace-policy headache entirely and still gets everyone in.

The odds: which squares are best (and why it doesn't change your game)

Here's the fun part, and the honest catch. Not all squares are equal — but because the numbers are drawn at random, you can't choose a good one. You claim a square, then the digits land on it. So the odds below aren't a strategy; they're just why some squares end up feeling lucky and others are dead on arrival.

Football scores cluster because points come in 3s (field goals) and 7s (touchdown plus the extra point). That pulls scores toward a handful of last digits:

The best digits: 0 and 7. A huge share of scores end in 0 or 7 (think 7, 10, 14→4, 17→7, 20→0, 24→4). The single luckiest squares over Super Bowl history are the combinations of 0 and 7 — 0-0, 7-0, 0-7, and 3-0/0-3 right behind them.
Solid middle: 3 and 4. Field goals and two-touchdown-ish scores land here often enough to be respectable.
The dead squares: 2, 5, and 9. Scores rarely end in these digits, so a 2-2, 5-5, 2-5, or 5-2 square is the one nobody wants to draw. They do hit occasionally — a safety or an odd sequence of scores — which is what makes it fun when they do.

So if you draw the 0-7 square, enjoy the good luck; if you land 5-2, you're the underdog story. Either way you had the same odds of getting it, which is the whole charm of squares: zero skill, all suspense.

Frequently asked questions

What are the rules of Super Bowl squares?

Draw a 10×10 grid (100 squares), assign one team to the columns and one to the rows, and let everyone claim squares. Once the board is full, randomly draw the digits 0-9 across the top and down the side. At the end of each quarter, the last digit of each team's score points to a column and a row — whoever owns that square wins the quarter.

How do Super Bowl squares payouts work?

Most pools pay out each quarter, usually 20% for each of the first three quarters and 40% for the final score, though an even 25% per quarter is also common. Set whatever split your group agrees on before the game. Reverse squares (the flipped digits also win) is a popular way to spread the winnings across more people.

When do you draw the numbers?

Only after every square is claimed — never before. Because nobody knows their digits while picking, no square has an edge at claim time, and that's what makes squares fair. Drawing the numbers before the grid is full breaks the game.

What are the best squares in Super Bowl squares?

Historically the combinations of 0 and 7 — 0-0, 7-0, 0-7, and 3-0 — win most often, because football scores cluster on those digits (points come in 3s and 7s). The worst are 2, 5, and 9 (a 2-2 or 5-5 square rarely hits). But since the numbers are assigned at random after you claim your square, you can't pick a good one — the odds only explain which squares turn out lucky.

Do Super Bowl squares have to involve money?

No. A free, no-buy-in squares pool avoids gambling and workplace-policy issues entirely, gets higher turnout, and is exactly as fun — the suspense was never really about the pot. Make the prize bragging rights and you keep all the drama with none of the risk.

How do I run Super Bowl squares without a spreadsheet?

Use the free Super Bowl squares generator to fill all 100 squares across your group evenly and draw the numbers in one click, then run it as a live squares pool so every quarter scores itself automatically — no last-digit math, no disputes.

Ready to run your squares pool?

Skip the napkin grid. Build the board, draw the numbers, and let every quarter score itself.

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Free Super Bowl squares generator — fill the grid + draw numbers, no login
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