How to Figure a Winner in a Squares Pool

Office football pools make it easy for rabid and novice football fans alike to have a vested interest in the outcome of a football game, such as the Super Bowl. Squares are drawn up on a sheet of paper, competing teams are assigned to either the side or top, then participants choose a square before numbers are assigned to those squares and pay a fee to enter the pool. Depending on the outcome, participants can earn their money back several times over. Determining the winner in a squares pool requires knowing how the scoring occurred in the game.

Instructions

    • 1

      Find out the score of the game in question at the end of the first quarter, halftime, third quarter and at the end of the game.

    • 2

      Find the number that corresponds with the visiting team's score at the end of first quarter and the score of the home team at the end of the same quarter.

    • 3

      Match those numbers to those found on the pool chart and determine whose name or initials are marked in that square -- that is the person who won the money for the first quarter.

    • 4

      Repeat steps 2 and 3 to determine the square with the score at halftime, at the end of the third quarter and at the end of the game. The score at the end of the fourth quarter is not used if the game goes into overtime.