Super Bowl squares template: How to play

The Super Bowl is the biggest game in American sports, but for many people the appeal extends beyond who’s actually playing on the field. You might watch for the commercials, or the halftime show, or to find out how much money you’ll win or lose based on the outcome. These people are probably not interested in the nuances of the on-field matchup between the Atlanta Falcons and New England, and that’s just fine!

But if you’re itching to try making a buck off the game and don’t really want to dive into the complexities of sports betting, the Super Bowl squares game is for you. It’s relatively easy to set up and can keep the more casual fans in your party at least invested in the game’s outcome.

Here’s a quick and simple way to play squares.

1. Make a sheet

This doesn’t have to be complicated — just a standard 10x10 sheet will do, which will give you 100 squares to work with. You can either make one up at home or just take the easy way out and print out a sheet online.

Here’s a sample sheet from PrintYourBrackets.com.

2. Find players to fill out squares

If you’re playing offline, just pass the grid around your Super Bowl party and get people to pay in, filling out as many squares as they want (the typical going rate is one dollar per square, but you can charge different prices as you see fit). If you’re running a strictly online game, you can use sites such as this one to help coordinate the players and keep things organized.

Once the grid is full, the real fun part of the game begins.

3. Draw numbers

Whether you draw numbers from a hat or use a random number generator, this is the key part of the game. Use the numbers drawn in order to fill out the top row and left column. This is the step that determines which players will get the spoils as the game plays out.

4. Tally up results based on team scores

Typically, Super Bowl squares winnings are handed out at the end of each quarter, based on the final digit of the teams’ scores. For example, if the Patriots lead the Falcons 10-7 at the end of the first quarter, the player whose square intersects with “0” and “7” on the grid gets a share of the pot.

Obviously, there’s no one way to play this game. You could use a whole variety of rules and modifications depending on your preferences (like skipping the quarterly payouts and waiting until the game’s final score to doll out a massive pot). Either way, it’s meant to be fun, so have fun with it. Get creative and figure out new ways to split the pot, and hopefully nobody will get bored with the actual game.