The moment is finally here: tonight, the San Francisco 49ers will take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII, which will be played at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. As fans gather around the country to watch the game, halftime show and commercials, many also take part in another Super Bowl tradition - playing Super Bowl squares. Squares are easy to play and do not require any football knowledge for casual fans looking to take part.
How do you set up Super Bowl squares?
To play Super Bowl squares, you must make a 10x10 grid with 100 “squares”. A printable version of this template can be found here. If making the squares yourself, include a blank row and blank column for drawing numbers. Place one team on top and the other team on the side.
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How do Super Bowl squares work?
- Set a price per square. This could be $1 per square or $100 per square - it is up to you. The higher price per square, the greater the payout for winners.
- Get your friends, family, party guests, or any other players to select a square or multiple squares.
- After all the squares have been filled, randomly draw numbers from 0-9 for both teams. These numbers are placed in the extra row and column for each team.
How do you win Super Bowl squares?
The most common way to play squares is to have four winners, with one winner at the end of each quarter. Winners are determined by the last digit of each team’s score at the end of that quarter.
- For example: If the 49ers are winning 10-3 at the end of the first quarter, the player that has the square corresponding with 49ers “0" and Chiefs “3" would win. If the 49ers were winning 17-14 at the end of the quarter, the player with the square corresponding to 49ers “7" and Chiefs “4" would win.
- This would be used to determine the winner after the first quarter, halftime, third quarter and final score.
The payout for each winner is determined prior to the game, based on how much the group is willing to put in. For example, if each square costs $10, the total pot is $1,000. The winners at the end of each of the first three quarters could win $200 each, with the final score winner taking home $400. The payouts are up to you - it could be an even payout for each quarter, although many people make the payouts greater for the halftime and final score winner.
Players on the 49ers and Chiefs are barred from gambling in Vegas, until the game ends
Is there a strategy for picking Super Bowl squares?
Because squares are chosen at random before the numbers are filled in, there is no strategy in selecting your squares. Picking a square in the middle of the board vs. picking a square in the corner of the board will give you the same odds of winning. This makes square great to play with both intense and casual football fans.
How to get latest Super Bowl Updates from NBC Sports
NBC Sports has you covered through the rest of the NFL postseason, with PFT Live, Simms Unbuttoned, Fantasy Football Happy Hour, Rotoworld Football Show, Bet the Edge and Brother from Another breaking down the latest news and top storylines from all angles. Follow along on ProFootballTalk throughout game day, tune in to Peacock, the NFL on NBC Sports YouTube channel, or wherever you get your podcasts for all the coverage through Super Bowl LVIII and beyond.
