GridBlitz Rules:
How to Play, Step by Step
Football squares is the easiest game-day pool there is. No football knowledge required. Here’s everything you need to know — from setting up the grid to reading the score at each quarter.
What Are Football Squares?
Football squares (also called Super Bowl squares, NFL squares, or grid pools) is a game played on a 10x10 grid during football games. Each of the 100 squares is claimed by a player. After the board fills up, random numbers (0-9) are assigned to rows and columns. At the end of each quarter, the last digit of each team’s score determines which square “matches” — and that player has the Score Match for that quarter.
The game is pure luck. You don’t pick numbers, you don’t need to know football, and every square has an equal chance. That’s what makes it fun for everyone — from die-hard fans to people who just showed up for the food.
Step 1: Set Up the Grid
The Grid
A 10x10 board with 100 squares. One team’s name goes on the top (columns), the other team’s name goes on the side (rows). The number headers are left blank — those come later.
Numbers (?) are assigned AFTER the board fills — not before. (5x5 section of the 10x10 board shown.)
On paper, you draw the grid by hand. Online with GridBlitz, you name the game and the board is created automatically. Either way, the structure is the same: 10 rows, 10 columns, 100 squares.
Step 2: Fill the Board
Players claim squares by writing their name or initials in empty cells. Each person can take one square or multiple — it’s up to the host to decide the rules. The board stays open until all 100 squares are taken.
Common setups:
- 10 players × 10 squares each — everyone holds an equal share of the board
- 20 players × 5 squares each — good for office pools
- 50 players × 2 squares each — big groups, low commitment
- 100 players × 1 square each — maximum players, maximum chaos
- Mixed — some people take more squares than others
Step 3: Assign the Numbers
This is the key step. After every square is claimed and the board is full, random numbers 0 through 9 are assigned to each row and each column. This is what makes football squares fair — nobody knows their numbers until after they’ve already picked their square.
Why random matters
If players could see the numbers before picking squares, some numbers (like 0, 7, 3, 4) would be more popular because they appear in final scores more often. Random assignment after the board locks means every square has an equal shot.
Now everyone can see their numbers. MJ in the top-left square has numbers 3 and 5.
Step 4: Watch the Game and Check Scores
At the end of each quarter (Q1, Q2, Q3, and final), take the last digit of each team’s score. Find where that row and column intersect — that’s the Score Match for that quarter.
Example: the score is Kansas City 21, Philadelphia 17 — last digits 1 (column) and 7 (row). The square at that intersection is the Score Match.
How Many Score Matches Per Game?
A standard game has 4 Score Matches — one at the end of each quarter. Some groups only play the final score. Others play all four quarters and split the pool accordingly.
Common Payout Structures
How the pool gets divided is up to the host. Common structures:
- Even split (25/25/25/25): Same amount for each quarter’s Score Match
- Weighted final (10/15/25/50): Final score is worth the most
- Final only (0/0/0/100): Only the last Score Match counts
- Custom: Whatever your group agrees on
The math is straightforward: multiply your total pot by each quarter’s percentage. For example, a $1,000 pot on a 25/25/25/25 split pays $250 per quarter; on a 15/20/25/40 split, the final quarter takes home $400. Settle the totals between participants outside the platform.
GridBlitz is a game coordination platform. Hosts manage all payments directly with their participants. The platform does not process, hold, or distribute money between players.
Tips for Hosts
- Set the rules before the board fills up — payout structure, tie rules, and any house rules
- Decide how many squares each player can take before opening the board
- Use a random method for number assignment — no hand-picking
- Add guest players for people who don’t have accounts (GridBlitz supports this)
- Post the board where everyone can see it — on GridBlitz, that just means sharing the link
Digital vs. Paper
Paper grids work fine for small, in-person groups. But if any of these apply to you, digital is the way to go:
- Some players are remote or in different cities
- You have 20+ people and don’t want to chase everyone down
- You want truly random numbers (not a hat draw)
- You want live score tracking during the game
- You host more than once a year and want to save time