This weekend marks Super Bowl LIX between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles. The Super Bowl is a huge day for gambling, as the Big Game represents the most bet-on single event in the United States. According to the American Gaming Association, nearly $1.39 billion is expected to be legally wagered on Super Bowl LIX.
One of the most popular betting games involves Super Bowl squares. Football novices and experts can play in a squares’ pool, making it an appealing game for a Super Bowl party. How do you play? Below you’ll find information on how to play Super Bowl squares.
What are Super Bowl squares?
Super Bowl squares begin with a blank 10×10 grid with 100 empty squares. As you can see in the grid (via ESPN), the Philadelphia Eagles (home team) are on the horizontal axis at the top, and the Kansas City Chiefs (away team) are on the vertical axis at the left. Participants will pick a random square and mark it with their name. Each square is one entry. The size of the pool and the cost of each square will vary from group to group. Buy as few or as many squares as you like. It all depends on your budget.
With every spot filled, it’s time to draw numbers. The horizontal and vertical axes will be labeled with numbers 0-9. These numbers are randomly selected and then assigned to a column or row. To pick the numbers, use a hat, deck of cards, or online number generator. Just make sure it’s a random process to determine the numbers of each column and row.
How do Super Bowl squares work?
Let’s use this completed square (via FanDuel) as an example. The object of the game is to have a square that matches the end digits of each team’s point total at the end of each quarter. For example, let’s say the score after the first quarter is Chiefs 7, Eagles 3. Using the grid, the person with the square that corresponds with “Chiefs 7” and “Eagles 3” is Gabby. Therefore, Gabby is the winner of the first quarter.
Let’s go again. At halftime, the score is Chiefs 17, Eagles 14. Remember that only the last digit matters. Looking at the grid, the person with the square that corresponds with “Chiefs 7” and “Eagles 4” is Anne, who wins the second quarter. Anne keeps that square for the entire game, so if the final score is Chiefs 27, Eagles 24, Anne wins again.
Prizes are typically awarded at the end of each quarter and for the final score. The amount one can win depends on your prize pool. Make sure to know the winning purses for each quarter before the game starts.
What are the Super Bowl squares?
After the squares are assigned, several have significant advantages over others. ESPN broke down the scores per team by quarter. The results stated that 0 and 7 are the best numbers to own during the Big Game. Behind those numbers are 3, 4, and 6. If you own several of these five numbers on Super Bowl Sunday, your chances of winning will increase.
Watch Super Bowl LIX at 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 9, 2025. The game will air on Fox.