The Super Bowl prop odds are just what make Super Bowl betting odds so unique: no other sport offers these types of props. But what exactly are props? And why are they such a big deal? We’ll break it all down for you.
The numbers assigned to each row and column are selected at random once every box of the pool has been sold.
2021 NFL Season
With the 2020/21 National Football League regular season finished, there are now many available NFL Odds for the postseason, fans everywhere are sitting on pins and needles to get the new year underway. The newly crowned champions the Kansas City Chiefs will be favourites to win it once again this year. While the Green Bay Packers will be expected to be Super Bowl contenders, you can never count out some of the other powerhouses in the NFL.
This, of course, includes the Buffalo Bills, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Baltimore Ravens, and the New Orleans Saints. With quite a few teams still very much in the competition, who will be crowned championship winners in 2021?
With all of that in mind, all you bettors out there are likely lining up your best odds to put some money on the table.
However, one fun and up-and-coming betting style that’s taking over are ‘Football Squares odds‘, which is usually played at a Super Bowl Party, but can be played for single games as well. If you’re not familiar with how it works, allow us to break it down for you.
The setup for Super Bowl squares is simple. A pool consists of 10 vertical columns and 10 horizontal rows thatched together and numbered from zero to nine.
One Super Bowl team—in this year’s case either the Chiefs or 49ers—gets the columns and the other gets the rows. Each of the 100 squares inside are purchased individually.
Each square is priced equally. The members of your respective Super Bowl party can then buy as many squares as they’d like in each quarter. The more squares that are bought, the greater the payout for the winner.
The numbers assigned to each row and column are selected at random once every box of the pool has been sold.
How do Football Squares Work?
First off, let's get you informed with the football betting squares rules. You start off with an empty 10-by-10 grid, giving you 100 squares. With 10 rows and 10 columns, you then assign one team for all of the rows and then another team for all of the columns to play football squares. This is the go-to football betting squares template.
You randomly assign numbers 0-9 to each box and have your Super Bowl Squares (or regular game) participants pick their boxes, with everyone having different football squares odds depending on the number of boxes they own.
And if you're wondering what the odds are for teams heading into games, remember to always check out our Canada Betting Sites.
Once your boxes are filled out, winners are named at the end of first, second and third quarters, plus after the final score is set. Your winner is determined by the last number in each team's score.
An example would be if the Patriots were up 13-10 on the Rams in a game next year. The last number for the Pats is 3, and 0 for L.A.
You'd then go to your board and see the No. 3 for the Pats and where it intersects with the No. 0 for the Rams. Whoever has their name in that box is the winner. It might seem a bit complicated, but it's quite simple and a ton of fun. This is how to play in a squares football pool. Why not give it a shot?
Are Football Squares Legal?
Technically illegal
While there are few things more fun than participating in a Super Bowl Squares event with your co-workers or a large group of friends, that doesn't mean you're obeying the law. That's right, technically, football squares are considered illegal. Why?
Because of the entry fee
With football squares, you typically have an entry fee, a payout and probabilities of winning. According to Forbes.com, these three elements would constitute a "private lottery."
Even with prizes
Because of this, it's considered illegal to participate. While most groups may give out prizes instead of cash, that's also considered illegal.
But...
As a whole, all Super Bowl prize pools are considered illegal. That hasn't stopped millions and millions of football fans from participating in different events each year, though.
See below the top sportsbooks where you can legally wager online and choose the best one for you:
Your probability of winning in football squares certainly depends on the number of boxes you purchase. Obviously, the more boxes you buy, the better your odds will be at winning either at the end of a quarter or with the final score.
Strategize
At the same time, the less amount of boxes you buy, the less likely you'll be to leave your Super Bowl party either with some extra cash in your pocket or with a fun prize. There are different strategies for picking your boxes, but it's always important to remember looking at scoring trends.
Example 1
For example, say next year's Super Bowl is between the Patriots and Eagles. If New England scored 10 points in the first quarter in their previous three games leading up to the Super Bowl, it'd be wise to grab a 0 in their column. How about the other side?
Example 2
If the Eagles scored 14 points in the first quarter in their previous three games, you'd be wise to grab the No. 4 for Philly, with the No. 0 for the Pats. It all depends on the different odds and trends you might find leading up to the opening whistle.
Football squares have become increasingly popular in the workplace. Come Super Bowl time, co-workers are taking it upon themselves to set up the big event and collect a small fee from each participant for each box.
At the same time, many different websites also put together different Super Bowl squares events right before the big game. Keep in mind, however, that this isn't considered legal. However, there are plenty of options out there for NFL fans to participate in.
Normally, though, you'd buy your squares either at your office or in a private contest with a group of friends at home.
Super Bowl square odds
Your Super Bowl squares odds really depend on the number of participants you have, combined with the numberof boxes you purchase. Since your probabilities depend on the more boxes you have to your name, it'd be wise to buy more than less.
However, you can also improve your odds by being smart with how you pick inside the Super Bowl betting squares template. As we've mentioned above, there are 10 rows and 10 columns filled with boxes.
Rather than just randomly dropping your name in boxes, take a look at the scoring trends for both teams and which studs will be ready to make game-changing plays for you.
Also keep in mind how the offences and defences are playing leading up to the Super Bowl, or single game to pick. If the Eagles defence has kept teams scoreless in the first quarter throughout the playoffs, use that knowledge to your advantage when making your selections.
Say the Patriots advance and their defence has kept teams to seven points in the first half in their previous set of games, you keep that in mind as well when going down your rows and columns. The more you know, the better prepared you'll be to make the right call and improve your chances on Super Bowl futures.
