Tool 01 · Squares
The big game squares
A hundred boxes, four payouts, one room that came for the food.
How it works
- 01
Set the game
Name the pool and type in the two teams. Everything else is optional.
- 02
Get the names in
Tap squares one at a time, or paste a list like “Jamie x5” and draw at random.
- 03
Draw the numbers
Do this after the squares are sold. Both axes are drawn with your browser's secure randomness.
- 04
Print or send it
A clean sheet as PNG, PDF or paper. No ads, no menus, no site chrome.
Running it in a room
A squares pool is the only football pool that works on people who do not follow football, which is exactly why it ends up on the wall at parties, in break rooms and behind bars. Nobody has to know a single player's name to have a stake in the fourth quarter.
For a bigger room, three things save the evening. Take the money before you draw — chasing it afterward is miserable. Print two copies, one by the food and one wherever the game is on. And put the payout split in writing on the sheet itself, so the argument happens now, at the start, while everyone is still cheerful.
Also useful: a blank sheet to fill in by hand, or the rules written out for whoever needs them explained.
Questions
Is this the same sheet people use for the big game?
Yes — it is one pool with one set of rules. A hundred boxes, digits drawn after the boxes are sold, and a payout at each quarter. It works for whichever big game your room is watching: a championship, a rivalry game, a bowl, or a Sunday in November.
How many people do I need?
A hundred boxes fills comfortably with fifteen to thirty people buying several each. If your group is smaller, use a 50 or 25 square sheet instead — every possible score is still covered, and nobody stares at forty empty boxes.
When should I draw the numbers?
After every square has been claimed. If the digits are known while squares are still being sold, people can pick the good ones — that is the whole reason numbers come last.
How does a square win?
Take the last digit of each team's score at the end of a quarter. Find that digit across the top and down the side, and the square where they meet wins. A 17–13 score pays the square at 7 across and 3 down.
Can one person own several squares?
Yes. Write “Jamie x5” in the name list and the draw will give Jamie five squares at random.
Is anything saved to an account?
No. There is no account. Your sheet is stored in this browser, and a copy travels inside the share link if you copy one — never on a server.
Does Pickani handle the money?
No. You can type a square price and payout notes so they print on the sheet, but Pickani never collects entries or pays winners. Organizers handle that themselves.