"Who goes a-borrowing goeth a-sorrowing." - Thomas Tusser

SavingAdvice.com Blog

Bridging the gap between saving money and investing

football squares

How to Play and Download a Free Super Bowl Squares Printable Chart

By 9 Comments

printable super bowl squares

The 2021 Super Bowl is coming up soon. Two teams that don’t typically appear in the season’s biggest game are playing: Tampa Bay Buccaneers and The Kansas City Chiefs. As the game approaches, many people are beginning to play Super Bowl squares. If you’re not quite sure how to play but want to get an office pool started, here’s a step-by-step guide (plus free printable Super Bowl squares).

Step One: Print the Super Bowl Football Squares Chart

printable super bowl squares

First, print a 10 square by 10 square chart. Use this link to print your free Superbowl squares chart.

Step Two: Set a Price for the Value of the Squares

If you decide to make a friendly wager on the game, you need to determine how much each square on the chart will be worth. Each participant will need to pay this amount for each square they place their name in on the chart. The amount for each square is completely up to you – adjust it according to the group of people you’re playing the game with. Below are a few examples of amounts you could determine each square to be worth, and what the total pool for that amount would be.

  • 10 cent squares would create a total pool of $10.00
  • 25 cent squares would create a total pool of $25.00
  • 50 cent squares would create a total pool of $50.00
  • 1 dollar squares would create a total pool of $100.00
  • 2 dollar squares would create a total pool of $200.00
  • 5 dollar squares would create a total pool of $500.00
  • 10 dollar squares would create a total pool of $1000.00

If you don’t want to bet cash on the Super Bowl, you may consider giving away small prizes to the winning square holders. Typically, you’ll award these prizes after each quarter.

Step Three: Assign Squares

Next, you will need to fill in the 100 squares inside the chart. As long as it is easy to determine who has claimed which square, you can organize this any way you want. The most common way to do this is to have all those participating initial the square(s) they want for the game. You can also assign each participant a color and allow them to color in the squares they’d like to claim.

The number of squares each person gets depends on the number of people playing the game. If you have 10 people playing, each would pick 10 squares (5 people playing, each would pick 20 squares, and so on).

Step Four: Randomly Assign Numbers

Have people fill in their squares before assigning numbers. Then, assign numbers 0-9 on the top and side of the chart. It is more likely for the end score for either team will end in a 0, 3, or 7 than most other numbers. For this reason, you’ll want to assign the number after people have colored/initialed their squares to provide everyone with the same odds of winning.

Step Five: Decide How to Award Prizes

There are a wide variety of ways to award prizes. You can decide which is best for you and the group you’re playing with. Most games give out a small amount at the end of each quarter, with a bigger prize for the participant that has the winning square at the end of the game. Below you’ll find some of the different ways you can award the prize money. For those who are giving away predetermined prizes rather than money, you should also determine how these will be awarded.

Ways you can payout prize money for super bowl squares

Step Six: Determine the Winners

In order to determine the winner, you need to look at the last number of the score for each team. For example, if the score is Kansas City 14 and Tampa Bay 13 after the first quarter, you would look for the “4” column from the Chiefs side, and “3” column from the Buccaneers side. Once the two columns have been determined, you run the lines together until they meet at a square which is the winner. You follow the same process with the scores at half-time, the end of the third quarter, and the final score.

Readers, are you participating in Super Bowl squares or any other Super Bowl game? Let us know your plans in the comment section below!

Read More

Free Super Bowl Squares Printable Chart for Super Bowl LI

By 4 Comments

Super Bowl Squares Printables
With the Super Bowl just around the corner, it’s common for people to begin getting ready for the game between the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons. One of the questions which often arises is, “How do you play Super Bowl football squares?” For those who only play the game once a year when the championship game comes around, it’s not necessarily obvious simply by looking at the chart. The good news is it’s not too difficult at all once you learn the proper way to set the game up. Properly setting up Super Bowl football squares is important because not doing so can give participants the chance to greatly increase their odds of winning by manipulating where they place their name in the squares. Once you know the basics, you can use if for any football game in the future. Below you’ll find a step by step instructions on how to play Super Bowl LI football squares:

Step One: Print the Super Bowl Football Squares Chart

The first step to playing is to print a 10 square by 10 square chart. You can do so by clicking on the image or for a larger printable football squares chart, you can follow this football squares link (pdf printable)

Super Bowl Squares Printables

Step Two: Set a Price for the Value of the Squares

If you decide to make a friendly wager on the game, you next need to decide how much each square on the chart will be worth. The amount you decide is what each participant will need to pay for each square they place their name in on the chart. The amount for each square is completely up to you and can be adjusted to fit the group of people you’re going to be playing the game with. Below are a few examples of amounts you could determine each square to be worth, and what the total pool for that amount would be.

  • 10 cent squares would create a total pool of $10.00
  • 25 cent squares would create a total pool of $25.00
  • 50 cent squares would create a total pool of $50.00
  • 1 dollar squares would create a total pool of $100.00
  • 2 dollar squares would create a total pool of $200.00
  • 5 dollar squares would create a total pool of $500.00
  • 10 dollar squares would create a total pool of $1000.00

For those who don’t want to bet money, another common option is to not sell each square for a certain amount, but to have the host buy small prizes which are given away to the winning square holders at the end each quarter or at the end of the game.

Step Three: Assign Squares

The next step is to fill in the 100 squares inside the chart. The most common way to do this is to have all those participating initial the square(s) the want for the game. Another common way is to assign each participant a color and they color in the square(s) they want. You can use any method you want to assign the squares as long as it’s easy to determine which ones belong to each participant.

The number of squares each person gets depends on the number of people playing the game. If you have 10 people playing, each would pick 10 squares. If you have 5 people playing, each would pick 20 squares. If you have 50 people playing each would pick 2 squares.

It’s important to not switch step three and four around, as doing so can give those who first choose squares a distinct advantage of winning.

Step Four: Randomly Assign Numbers 0 – 9 to Top and Side Rows

You want to have participants fill in all the squares before assigning random numbers to the Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots rows. There are certain numbers which are far more likely to end up being a winning number than other numbers due to the way football is scored. It’s much more likely the score for each team will end with a 0, 3 or 7 than with a 2 or 5. If you fill in the top and side rows with numbers before assigning squares, those who first fill in their squares have a huge advantage as they can pick numbers which are much more likely to appear as the game’s score. Randomly assigning the numbers (this is usually done by picking the numbers out of a hat) after all the squares have been picked ensures all have an equal chance of getting the “good” numbers.

Step Five: Decide How to Award Prizes

There are a wide variety of ways to award prizes. You can decide which is best for you and the group you’re playing with. Most games give out a small amount at the end of each quarter, with a bigger prize for the participant that has the winning square at the end of the game. Below you’ll find some of the different ways you can award the prize money. For those who are giving away predetermined prizes rather than money, you should also determine how these will be awarded.

Ways you can payout prize money for super bowl squares

Step Six: Determine the Winners

In order to determine the winner, you need to look at the last number of the score for each team. For example, if the score is New England 14 and Seattle 13 after the first quarter, you would look for the “4” column from the Patriots side, and “3” column from the Seahawks side. Once the two columns have been determined, you run the lines together until they meet at a square which is the winner. You follow the same process with the scores at half-time, the end of the third quarter, and the final score.

Finally, if you want to learn how to improve your odds of winning Super Bowl squares, check out our article here.

If you enjoyed this article please leave us a comment below or share it on social media.

Oregon vs Ohio State College National Championship Football Squares Free Printable

By Leave a Comment

free printable college championship game football squares
The first national championship for college football will be taking place Monday, January 12 between the Oregon Ducks and the Ohio State Buckeyes. While it’s yet to be seen how popular this event will become, it has the makings to create the hype and interest to become a mini Super Bowl. With college football fans gathered around the TV, it’s also a great opportunity to play football squares to make the game more interesting for all those involved. Below you’ll find a basic overview of how the college national championship football squares is played.

Print the National Championship Football Squares Chart

The first step is create a 10 x 10 football squares chart. The easiest way to do that is to simply print the free Oregon Ducks – Ohio State Buckeyes football square chart below (click on the image below for printable chart)

Oregon Ducks vs Ohio State Buckeyes football squares

Choose a Value for the Squares

If you are doing a bit of friendly wagering, you’ll need to choose a value for each football square. This is the amount of money each person who will participate in the game will need to pay for each square they claim. The value of each square is completely up to you and the group you will be playing with. Some examples and what the total pool amount are:

  • 10 cent squares would make for a 10 dollar pool
  • 25 cent squares would make for a 25 dollar pool
  • 50 cent squares would make for a 50 dollar pool
  • $1 squares would make for a 100 dollar pool
  • $2 squares would make for a 200 dollar pool
  • $5 squares would make for a 500 dollar pool
  • $10 squares would make for a 1,000 dollar pool

Playing for money is completely optional. Many people choose not to charge an amount for each square, and instead buy small prizes they give away to the winner for each quarter or at the end of the game.

Claiming the Squares

The first step is to place numbers across the top and down the side of the football square chart, to have all those participating claim all of the 100 spaces inside the chart. The most common way to do this is to have people initial the space(s) they want, but another option is to assign each person a number or a color. The most important aspect is everyone playing can easily identify who “owns” each square.

Randomly Assign Numbers 0 – 9

There’s a specific reason you assign the participants squares before randomly assigning numbers to the top row and left side row of the chart. The reason is certain numbers (0, 3, 7) are much more likely to appear in football scores than other numbers (2, 5). If participants knew where the numbers were before filling in all the squares, those writing their initials first would have a huge advantage over those who filled in their squares after them. Most people randomize the numbers by picking them out of a container. By doing this after all the squares have been assigned, the participants who get the most coveted numbers are determined by luck.

Decide How to Award Prizes

There are a variety of ways to award the prizes. In most cases a small prize is given for the score after each quarter of the football game, with a larger prize going to the winning square at the end of the game. Another option is to give the same prize for each quarter throughout the game, or to just give a prize to the person with the winning square at the end of the game. Below you can see some of the prize distribution options:

options for football squares payout

Determining Winners

The way to determine the winner in football squares is look at the last number of the score for both teams. For example, if the score is Oregon 14 and Ohio State 17 after the first quarter, you would take the “4” column from the Ducks side and “7” from the Buckeyes side. You then use your fingers to run the lines together until they meet. Where they meet is the winning square. Follow the same process at half-time, after the third quarter and the final score of the game.

Printable Prediction Game to Make Watching the Super Bowl More Fun

By 8 Comments

Knowshon Moreno tears
While most people bet on who is going to win and lose the Super Bowl, that’s only one of hundreds of bets that can be made. It’s possible to bet on virtually anything that is related to the Super Bowl if you want to, but you can also have a great time among your friends and family members making strange predictions about the game. Below you’ll find a printable game sheet with 20 weird questions that you can have everyone that comes over to your Super Bowl party fill out and play in conjunction with Super Bowl squares for some added fun.

Super Bowl Prediction Game (click on image to print)

SuperBowlPredictions

The game is pretty simple and straightforward. The printable question sheet poses twenty different questions about Super Bowl XLVIII between the Seattle Seahawks and the Denver Broncos. Each person at the gathering should fill out the sheet with their personal predictions by answering “yes” or “no” to each question. The person who gets the most correct answers out of the 20 questions from the group at the end of the game is the winner.

One of the fun aspects of this prediction game is that it isn’t focused exclusively on the football game. The questions make you consider aspects of the entire production of the game that you might not have thought too much about before getting the questions sheet. There are questions about pre-game activities and the half-time performances. It also forces everyone to pay closer attention to the game as they watch to see if their predictions come true or not. It can also lead to cheering from the group at times when there would never be any if you were normally watching the game without these questions posed. In the end, it provides a fun and interesting twist to the game which can make it a lot more fun to watch for all.

For those on a tight budget with limited funds, it’s not essential that there is a prize given, away as “bragging rights” can be considered a prize in itself. The prediction game can also make it a fun alternative for those who don’t wish to bet money. On the other hand, specialized prizes geared toward the group, much like it can be done with families and friends playing football squares, can also be awarded. This game is a wonderful compliment to the Super Bowl squares game which helps everyone focus more on the game than the squares game does.

The following questions are asked on the printable sheet:

  • Will it snow during the game? No
  • Will Renee Fleming wear gloves while singing the national anthem? No
  • Will Knowshon Moreno cry during the national anthem? No
  • Will the coin toss be heads? No
  • Will there be a scoreless quarter during the game? No
  • Will Bruno Mars wear a hat during the half-time show? No
  • Will one of the Red Hot Chili Peppers be shirtless during the half-time show? Yes
  • Will there be 3 or more first down measurements during the game? No
  • Will there be 3 or more calls overturned by replay during the game? No
  • Will there be more than 3 kickoffs returned? Yes
  • Will a defensive player score a touchdown? Yes
  • Will there be a safety during the game? Yes
  • Will one team be stopped on a 4th down play during the game? Yes
  • Will there be a blocked punt or field goal during the game? No
  • Will the Super Bowl announcers use the word “marijuana” during the game? No
  • Will “12th Man” be mentioned 3 or more times by the announcers during the game? No
  • Will the announcers use the words “Beast Mode” 3 or more times during the game? No
  • Will Peyton Manning say “Omaha” more than 25 times during the game? No
  • Will the game end up going into overtime? No
  • Will the liquid that’s dumped over the head coach of the winning Super Bowl team be orange? Yes

Denver Broncos Seattle Seahawks 2014 Printable Football Squares Chart: How to Play

By Leave a Comment

Denver Broncos Seattle Seahawks football squares

Update: For those searching for 2015 Super Bowl Squares Printable

Editors Note: Check out the Super Bowl Predictions game for another fun, free printable game for your group to play on Super Bowl Sunday.

I’ve had a few people ask, “How do you play Super Bowl football squares?” after writing the article on alternate prizes that families can use to make the big game more exciting. The process is pretty simple and straight forward, but it may look a bit confusing at first glance, especially if you’ve never previously played football squares. It’s important to learn the proper way to play because setting up the game incorrectly cam allow for people that know the odds to have a much better chance to win. Here is a simple step by step process on how it works:

Print a Super Bowl Football Squares Chart

The first thing that you need to do is create your own 10 x 10 chart, or even easier, print the Super Bowl XLIV chart below (click on image to print)

2014 football squares printable sheet

Determine the Value of the Squares

If you are playing the game for money, you next need to determine the value of each square. This is the amount that each participant will pay for each square that they want to claim. Each square can be worth any amount that makes sense for the group that you’re going to be playing with. For example, the following amounts would make for the following total pool of money to give away.

  • $0.10 squares would make for a $10.00 pool
  • $0.25 squares would make for a $25.00 pool
  • $0.50 squares would make for a $50.00 pool
  • $1.00 squares would make for a $100.00 pool
  • $2.00 squares would make for a $200.00 pool
  • $5.00 squares would make for a $500.00 pool
  • $10.00 squares would make for a $1,000.00 pool

Another option is to not sell the squares, but just have predetermined prizes that are given away to the winner(s) at each quarter or at the end of the game.

Fill in the Squares

Before you place the numbers across the top and down the side of the chart, you want to have all of the 100 spaces inside the chart filled. Most of the time, people place their initials into the space that they want, but you can also assign each person a number or a color. Basically, as long as you can identify the individual that “owns” each square, you’re fine.

Randomly Write in the Numbers 0 – 9

There is a reason that you fill in all the squares before randomly assigning numbers to the top and side rows. This is because some numbers are much more likely to appear (0, 3, 7) than other numbers (2, 5) If you placed the numbers at the top before filling in all the squares, the first people to write in their initials would have a great advantage over those who filled in their squares at a later time. By randomly assigning numbers (usually by picking out numbers from a hat), who gets the best numbers is determined by luck.

Decide How to Dole out the Prizes

There are a number of ways that prizes can be given, and there is no set standard way to do this. Most of the time a small amount of money is given out for each quarter, with the largest amount going to the winning square for the final score. However, sometimes an even amount is given for each quarter and sometimes the only winner is based on the final score. You can choose which distribution method is best for the group you’re playing the game with. Below are a few ways that you can choose to dole out the prize money (If you are giving out prizes other than money, you should also choose the way that they will be awarded).

options for football squares payout

Determine the Winners

To determine the winner, all you need to do is look at the last number of the score. For example, if the score is Seattle 10 and Denver 14 after the first quarter, you would take the “0” column from the Seahawks side and “4” from the Broncos side, and run the lines together until they meet at a square to determine the winner. You do the same with the score at half-time, the third quarter and the final score.

2018 Super Bowl Philadelphia Eagles New England Patriots Football Squares Alternatives for Family

By 2 Comments

printable superbowl squares
If you work at a company, there’s a good chance that there will be an office pool that you’ll be asked to join for the Super Bowl. The concept is pretty easy. You give $1 and you get to sign your initials into one of the 10 x 10 squares on a sheet of paper. If the last numbers of the final score lines up with the square that you placed your initials in, you’ll win the pot (sometimes there are also smaller awards for the score at the end of each quarter as well, with the final score usually being the largest amount. If the game is set up improperly, you also have a chance to greatly increase your odds of winning).

What a lot of people don’t think about is that the Super Bowl football squares can also be a fantastic family activity that doesn’t have to cost a lot of money, while putting some extra excitement into the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots. Each family member gets to choose an equal number of squares with their initials, and then keep their fingers crossed that they will be the winner. Below you can print out the football squares chart (click on image) so that you can play at home, plus some alternative prizes that you can play for besides money:

Super bowl squares odds
Download a free, printable version of this year’s game!

Movie Night

If you have a family movie night each week at home, the winner gets to pick the movies for the next month. If you have movie nights out at the theater, the winner gets to choose the next movie. You can adapt this to how your family watches movies together giving the winner the chance to have control for a period of time.

Next Trip Destination

If your family takes trips a few times a year, the winner gets to choose the next destination that you’ll go on for a trip. You can make is a special weekend trip or to a destination for a trip that you plan on a yearly basis. For example, there may be a few choices of where you think you might go next summer, and the winner would get to make the final decision.

Chores

Instead of money, you can play for the elimination of a chore. Each family member chooses which chore they would like to eliminate. Whoever wins has their chore eliminated while the other family members each take it over for one week (for example, if there are 6 family members, the chore is eliminated for 5 weeks).

Candy / Snack

If the family has a special candy or snack that everyone loves, this can be awarded to the winner. You can actually do the prize for each quarter using the football squares by handing out small amounts to the winner after each intermission. The prize for the final score would be the biggest of those handed out.

Clean-Up

The person who picks the winning square is exempt from the football party clean-up, while all the other members of the family have to do it. If there really isn’t much to clean up after the football game, then this exemption can be extended to the next big household clean-up.

The above are just a few examples to get your creativity going. Find anything that everyone watching the game desires or something that everyone would rather not do, and you have found a great prize for the football squares game. This can also be adapted to groups of friends (or any other group) who get together to watch the big game. In the end, Super Bowl squares can be a great piece of added entertainment to the game that doesn’t have to cost a lot.