Super Bowl Squares: How Much Are Your Numbers Worth?
Super Bowl Squares are the second most popular office sports betting tradition in the United States (No. 1: March Madness brackets), maybe because the outcome is based entirely on luck. Here's how it usually works:
Players pay a fixed amount and write their name somewhere in a 10 x 10 grid. After all 100 spaces are filled, the digits 0 to 9 are randomly assigned to rows and columns. Payouts are based on the last digit of the score of each team at the end of the first quarter, half, third quarter, and game.
So now that you know your numbers, what are they worth? The folks at Minyanville did a comprehensive calculation and came up with the following chart. The numbers are based on a $50 a square game, with a $625 payout for the 1st and 3rd quarters, a $1,250 payout for halftime, and a $2,500 payout for the end of the game. (The cells are colored green for valuable, red for not valuable, and yellow for middle, with gradations.)
In this example, if a square is worth more than $50, it's better than average. Less, and you probably won't be leaving your Super Bowl party with some extra money in your pocket.
To see how your squares hold up for each quarter, and to read more on the methodology of the creation of the above chart, see the complete article about Super Bowl Squares on Minyanville.
Good luck!
