If you find yourself looking for a bit of extra fun during the Super Bowl, you’re going to want to keep an eye out for a squares game.
Featuring a 100-square grid, with each square a representation of a score during the game, Super Bowl squares is a great way for fans without a rooting interest to stay invested during the Big Game.
The best part about something like Super Bowl squares is that you don’t need any knowledge about the two teams playing, or football itself.
Super Bowl squares is a game of luck. But, there are ways to know if you’ll be in the running for some cash beforehand.
How Super Bowl Squares Work
Super Bowl squares is a 10x10 grid. Each square in the grid represents the last digit in each team’s score. At the end of each quarter, there can be a winner based on their assigned square.
So the rows and columns get assigned a value of 0–9. Typically, players will buy squares before the numbers are assigned, making the game entirely random. The cost of the square is determined by the person or group running the pool.
After all the squares have been purchased the numbers are added, meaning every player has two digits assigned to their square(s). Each of these digits are team specific and will be marked accordingly.
Depending on the game, payouts might occur at the end of every quarter, or just at halftime and the end of the game.
Some games will give 25% to the winner at the end of each quarter, while others will boost the prize given to the winners at halftime and the end of the game. A payout structure like that could look like the winners of the first and third quarters receiving 20% and the halftime and final score winners would get 30%.
Let’s say at halftime the score was Team A 21 and Team B 16. The winning square would have Team A 1 and Team B 6.
Seems like a total crapshot? Because it is. After all, sometimes it’s way better to be lucky than good.
Why Certain Numbers Are Better for Super Bowl Squares
Once you’ve purchased a square (or two or three) and the numbers get assigned, you’ll have a fairly clear picture of where you stand.
You’re going to want 0, 1, 3, 4 and 7. Those are the most-common numbers found in NFL scores, simply due to the fact that field goals are worth three points and touchdowns (with an extra point) are worth seven.
The Harvard Sports Analysis Collective found that the best square is 7 on the favorite’s side. Another great spot to have is 0 on the underdog side.
Numbers you don’t want to see are 2, 5 and 9. Generally speaking, it’s because these numbers are only attained through safeties, missed extra points and other rare occurrences. These plays are well outside the typical scoring trends of NFL action.
The numbers 6 and 8 fall somewhere in between the good and the bad. These numbers are certainly attainable and somewhat common, but not nearly as common as the others.
How To Increase Your Odds Of Winning
Unfortunately, there’s nothing anyone can do to increase their odds of winning Super Bowl squares. That’s part of the charm to the whole game.
If your group allows the purchase of multiple squares, that would obviously increase your odds. The more squares you buy, the better your chances of getting favorable numbers. But everything is still random, which means you’ll need plenty of luck.
Smaller pools with fewer players can technically increase your odds, but because every square needs to be sold it likely means that every player can purchase as many squares as they want.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as The Best Numbers for Super Bowl Squares: Strategies for Ideal Placement.