How Do Football Pools Work: Full Guide on How to Play & Win

The National Football League (NFL) is one of the most popular sports in the USA, with the annual championship final often attracting massive betting action. In 2025, over 151.6 million USD was staked on the Super Bowl on legal sportsbooks in Nevada alone. And one of the most common ways Americans bet on the Super Bowl is through football pools.

If you’re looking for a laid-back way to bet on football, pool betting is a great choice. Football pools foster mutual bonding in the workplace and communities, require lower buy-in fees, and promise higher returns than traditional online betting.

This guide will show you the various types of football pools, how they work, pool betting strategies, and compliance tips. Keep reading!

Understanding Football Pools: Basic Concepts and History

Football pools are contests where you predict NFL match outcomes to win a share of a prize pool. In a football pool, you can bet on the outright match winner, final score, number of goals, etc.

⚽ Evolution of Football Pool Betting in the USA

Football pools have come a long way from the days of paper pools operated by bar owners to online pools as we know them today. Below is a chronology of the football pool’s evolution in the USA from 1920 to the present:

• 1920s: Football pools emerge informally. Locals bet on scores and winners. Pool betting was illegal, but common in bars and among early NFL fans.
• 1930 -1940: Parlay-style pool cards circulate in cities. It was often tied to underground gambling rings.
• 1950s-1960s: TV expands NFL viewership. Office pools gain traction, and low-stakes workplace betting becomes a norm.
• 1970 -1980: The Organized Crime Control Act targets illegal betting. Weekly pick ’em sheets and survivor-style pools spread through offices.
• 1992: PASPA bans state-sanctioned sports betting. Legal pools are limited to Nevada, and office pools continue in legal gray zones, and online pool platforms emerge.
• 2006: Authorities restrict online gambling payments. Many offshore pool sites block U.S. users. Daily Fantasy Sports begins gaining attention as a loophole.
• 2010s: Fantasy-based pool formats gain legality in some states. Traditional pools continue offline and via private apps.
• 2018: States begin legalizing sports betting. Licensed operators (Circa Sports, BetMGM, DraftKings) launch legal, real-money football pools.
• 2020s: Legal sportsbooks run massive pool contests. Informal office pools persist under social gambling exceptions. Regulation varies by State.

How Football Pools Work: General Rules and Guidelines

Several types of football pools exist, each with a unique format and mode of operation. The following are standard components of every football betting pool:

• Format: Each football pool has its own rules, guidelines, or format. For example, the survivor pool involves weekly eliminations, while punters remain in Pick ’em pools whether they win or lose that week.
• Scoring System: Every pool has a unique scoring system, depending on the set format. In the pick’em pool, you get a point for every correct prediction in your selection, while each fixture has different points in the Confidence Pool.
• Entry Fee: All real money football pools require an entry fee. Fortunately, football pools’ buy-in fee is between $5-$500, making it relatively cheap and affordable.

• Deadline: The deadline for placing bets is usually a few minutes before the start of the first match.
• Prize Reward: Each football pool has an attached reward that depends on the entry fee, pool size, and prize structure. Generally, large pools offer bigger pot sizes or compensation. The prize distribution and structure vary too, with the most common ones being:
  • Winner-takes-all: Here, only one winner takes all the reward. Those who finish in second or third place aren’t compensated.
  • Tiered Prize System: This payout structure shares the pool prize among the top 3 or 5 winners. The prize is distributed based on the number of points accrued, with the most significant share going to the person with the most points.
  • Weekly Prize System: In weekly pools, the payout depends on your performance in that week. Prizes are paid out to top pool winners weekly, and the pool restarts every week.
  • Season-end Rewards: The prize is shared at the end of the season based on the cumulative number of points gathered weekly.
• Tie Breaker Procedures: Ties, where multiple players get the same point, are common in pool betting. Every pool format has tie-breaking rules. If two players are locked at the same point in the survival pool, the top two winners will share the prizes in the first and second place. In Pick ’em pools, however, ties are broken with the best over/under or correct score records.

Types of Football Pools

Football pools come in different structures, scoring systems, and modes of operation. Depending on your experience, here are some types of football pools you can explore:

Grid-Based Pools

Also known as a square or box pool, the grid pool is one of the popular types of football pools. It’s a once-a-year pool type for betting on the Super Bowl. This pool features a square box with a 10×10 grid or 100 holes. Each hole on the grid represents a possible score line at different game quarters.

The X and Y axes ( rows and columns) represent each team in the NFC final and are numbered 0-9. Your goal is to predict the match’s score, and your name will be written in the box that matches your predicted score. The scoring system is such that only the unit number of the points scored by the team is retained. So, if the first quarter score in Philadelphia Eagles vs Kansas City Chiefs is 21-17, the result will be read as 1-7.

In the Square pool, prizes are rolled out for correct predictions in every quarter of the game, with the final score attracting the highest rewards. Office pool participation can either be free, or you may need to pay a token if there are prize rewards. Depending on the office football pool format, the score may be assigned randomly, or you may have the chance to choose your desired score.

Survivor Pool

This is also known as the elimination pool. In this football pool, you get points for predicting weekly winners throughout the season. The survivor pool is tricky, as you only pick a team once throughout the season. Players are knocked out on a week-in, week-out basis. If you make the correct predictions, you’ll progress to the next week, but you’ll get eliminated if you are wrong. The prize is often designed so that the last man standing wins it all. In other cases, all top finishers get compensation at the season’s end.

Pick 'em Pool

Pick ’em pool is also known as a prediction contest pool. It involves predicting the winners of a selection of fixtures every week. The pool structure can be such that you’ll be free to pick the match you forecast. Alternatively, every player bet on the same selection of games.

Unlike survivor pools, there is no elimination in pick ’em pools. Instead, you get points for each correct prediction, and the player(s) with the highest points per week or season wins the prize.

Pick ’em pools are subdivided into various formats based on the scoring system, viz:

Straight Pick ’em Pool: You get points for successfully predicting outright match winners.

Handicapping Pool: Also known as against the spread, this involves predicting the winners of matches with an assigned spread. For instance, say a team A Vs B match has a +7.5 spread in favor of team A. This means that Team B has a 7.5-goal deficit and must score at least 8 goals for you to get points if you bet on B to win.

Confidence Pool

This pool involves forecasting the outcome of 12-16 football matches. You assign a confidence point to each pick based on the number of matches you selected. For example, in an entry involving 16 games, you’ll assign a confidence value from 16 to 1 to each match based on your confidence. The highest confidence point goes to the event you’re most sure of and vice versa.

Fantasy Football Pool

In a Fantasy football pool, you draft a dream team of 12 players in different positions and get points based on your players’ weekly performance. The person with the best-performing team wins the top prize at the end of the season. Usually, scorers get the highest points per game.

33 Bingo Pool

Every player in this football pool gets a random team that must score 33 points to win. The player whose team scores 33 points per season emerges as the winner. 33 bingo is low-maintenance and ideal for busy people.

How to Play Football Pools

Playing pool for the first time is easy peasy. Here are the procedures to follow

✅ Choose the Right Pool

The first step in playing football pool is to choose one that suits your knowledge, availability, and budget.

The once-in-a-year square pool or 33 Bingo is your best choice if you prefer a low-maintenance and low-stakes pool. However, if you would rather manage a dream team yourself, a casual pick ’em, fantasy football pool is your best bet. As you gain more experience, a large-sized pick ’em and survivor pool is your best choice, but it may cost up to $250.

✅ Join and Start Playing Pools

Once you decide on the type of pool to play, the next step is to choose where to play. Some of the places to find pools to join include:

• Workplace

Many workplaces and offices in America have small football pools you can join. Office pool is relatively easy, especially if you’re a beginner, as you will get all the support you need to make your first bet.

• Digital Platforms

Digital or online pool betting offers all sizes, making it ideal for those who want easily customizable pools. Some of the best football betting sites to play pool in the USA include:

• RunYourPool
• OfficeFootballPool
• ESPN Fantasy
• Yahoo Sports Fantasy, etc

Before selecting an online pool, ensure it’s easily customizable, safe, and mobile-friendly. The best online football pool also has tracking features to look up leaders and their picks. Finally, the football pool platform must offer seamless cash transfer and an excellent payout record.

• Sheet or Paper Pool

The paper or sheet pool may seem old-fashioned, but it is still one of the best pools to play. It is more straightforward, friendly, and puts you in control of your funds.

The following are quick steps to set up a paper pool:

• Select Pool Type
• Print or Create the Pool Sheet
• Distribute Pool Sheet
• Collect Entry Fees
• Track Result
• Share Prizes

Top Strategies For Winning Football Pools

Pool betting involves playing against other players in the pool. Therefore, it is more competitive than traditional online gambling, and you need the right strategy to win. Here are some common football betting strategies for succeeding in football pools:

1️⃣ Conduct In-depth Research and Analysis

American Football is a team sport with many moving parts. Therefore, you need a concise understanding of the team and player forms to select correctly. Some of the areas to cover during your research are:

• Team News: The team news gives you an idea of the teams’ current form, attacking prowess, defensive strength, and historical records, which help you determine the underdog and favorite even if you’ve never watched them.
• Injury Updates: Players’ absence due to injury or fines can tilt the game in the opponent’s favor. Always check the injury update to confirm players’ availability.
• Experts’ Analysis and Public Opinion: Always consult expert analysis before making your final picks to uncover value picks and loopholes in your analysis. In addition, check other players’ opinions and track pool members’ picks to know what they’re betting on, especially when you’re aiming for top spots.
• Home/Away Records: Fans’ support, pitch familiarity, and more resting time tend to give the home team an advantage. Therefore, home teams tend to perform better, especially in closely tied matchups. But this is not always the case, as some teams perform better on the road. Check the historical records of the teams to get a clear idea of their home/away records.
• Weather Updates: Weather conditions tend to impact players’ speed, pass accuracy, and even how the ball moves in the air. As a result, always consider the weather conditions in your analysis. Ideally, go for under bets in wet conditions where slip-ups, fumbled passes, and time-out runs are common and reduce player efficiency. On the other hand, consider “over market” in late stages during hot weather, as defenders tend to be tired in this period.

2️⃣ Balance Favorites and Underdogs Picks

Although the obvious pick is to back the favorites to win, this may not always be the value pick in season-long survivor pools where team repetition is disallowed. As a result, the best approach is to back the underdog where they offer value bets, especially when they face a closely matched opponent, and reserve favorites for later weeks when there are no underdog value picks.

3️⃣ Know When to Adapt Your Strategy

Factors like pool size, prize structure, and point system can impact your winning chances. Therefore, you must constantly adjust your strategy to your pool condition to succeed. Here is how:

• Adapting Strategy to Pool Size

There are fewer people to beat in small pools (with 5-10 participants); therefore, conservative betting, where you pick safe matchups and bet smartly, is the best approach, as you can’t afford to make costly mistakes. Alternatively, the only way to rise to the top in large pools (featuring 100+ people) is through contrarian picks, i.e, bet on matchups where the underdog stands a chance to win.

• Adapting Strategy to Point System

Because football pools award points in different ways, you must regularly adapt your strategy to your pool’s scoring system to earn the top position. Below are betting strategies for obtaining optimal points in various football pools:

• Adapting Strategy to Prize Distribution Method

The payout structure determines if you will play safely or aggressively. The following are strategies for navigating various payout structures in football pools:

• Winners-takes-all Vs Tiered System: Since only one player gets the full prize in a winner-takes-all contest, you must take significant risks in such pools to stand out. This typically means looking for and sticking with strong picks in pick ’em pools or assigning top points to undervalued picks in the confidence pool to earn the top prize. In tiered prize distribution pools, however, you can still win a prize if you’re fifth placed, if the rule allows. Thus, playing safely for the most part and occasional risky swings are the best tactics for navigating tiered prize pools.
• Weekly Prizes Vs Season-end Rewards: The optimal strategy in the weekly payout pool (where points reset every week) is aggressively betting and making bold upside calls. For season-long pools, consistency is the key. Track the leaderboard regularly and adjust your strategy to the top winners’ picks. Play aggressively when you’re behind, and stick to safe picks when you’re in contention for the prize.
• Split Pot Option: These are pools where the top winners agree to split the prize at the quarter, halfway, or end of the season. For a quarter-season split pot pool, continually reassess your plan every four weeks to know when to play wildly or conservatively. The most innovative way to navigate a split pot pool is to avoid wild picks towards the end of the season if you’re in contention for the pool prize.

Below are optimal strategies for navigating pools with different prize formats:

Strategies for Playing Specific Football Pool Formats

Beyond the general tips, each pool type also requires tailored betting approaches. The following are ideal strategies for various pool formats.

✅ Square Pools

Square pools involve more guesswork than strategy. But you can still tilt the odds in your favor by choosing low-stakes pools where you can place multiple bets without going broke. Also, aim for scores involving 7s and 0s (such as 3-0, 0-7, 0-0) as they often appear in quarters.

Here is a look at the end-of-quarter results for Super Bowl 2023-2025:

✅ Survivor Pool Tactics

The key to survivor pools is striking a balance between safe and wild picks. At the start, go for strong teams to keep yourself in the contest. But don’t exhaust all your elite picks early. Instead, balance strong picks with matchups where underdogs have real shots and save strong teams for later in the season when others might have run out of options.

✅ Pick ’em Pool Tactics

All the general football pool betting tactics, like deep research and strategy adaptation, still apply. But more than that, you must be able to spot value picks to win in the pick’em pool. If you’re playing the confidence pool, you must assign higher confidence points to the strong team to boost your points.

How to Stay Compliant When Playing Football Pools

While sports betting is legal in 39 US states in some form in 2025, paid football pools are still largely illegal since the organizers are not licensed. Luckily, pool betting is legal in a few US states as long as the prize is evenly distributed and you keep it social. I.e, you are betting with friends or playing just for fun.

The table below highlights the status of football pool betting in select US States:

With that out of the way, here are tips to keep your office football pool fun and light-hearted without breaking any laws:

✅ Play in States That Allow Pool Betting

Some US states, like Washington DC, allow Super Bowl square or grid pools at tribal casinos. This comes with some clauses, such as low buy-in fees, pool transparency, etc. But it is a good place to play if you want to enjoy the Super Bowl grid pool away from your office. Pool betting is also legal in New Jersey, Iowa, and Colorado, albeit with few restrictions.

✅ Ensure Workplace Policy Compliance

Check with HR to confirm if social gambling is allowed before organizing or joining office pools. It’s not uncommon for many offices in the USA to make notable exceptions for square pools during the Super Bowl weekends.

✅ Make it Free

While office pool betting is illegal in most states, these laws are rarely enforced when you keep it social. Therefore, you may be able to participate in a non-real money office pool without legal sanction.

✅ Keep it Recreational

Cash prizes can lead to gambling problems as players save money to recover losses. To avoid gambling risks and drive active participation, prioritize pools with non-cash rewards.

For example, the winners may get a free lunch voucher, a special parking place, merchandise, or a customized trophy. Endeavor to see support from the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) if you or someone is at risk of addiction.

Conclusion

Although football pools are less popular than fixed odds NFL betting sites, they offer a fun and exciting way to bet on American football. Free-to-play football pools are your best bet if you want to play casually. However, prioritize licensed online pool platforms to avoid legal sanctions when playing for real money.

Like all betting endeavors, you need a game plan to enjoy and succeed in football pool betting. Ensure you master match analysis, risk management, and balancing underdog and favorite picks. Finally, cultivate a flexible mindset and always tailor your strategy to the pool conditions to increase your edge.

FAQs

What Are Football Pools? 

Football pools are contests where people predict football match outcomes to win a share of the pool prize. The shared award is often a portion of the entry fee.

Can You Play Football Pool in the USA? 

Yes. You can still bet on football pools in the USA. Paper, office, and online pools are some of the best football pools to join.

How Can You Start Betting on Football Pools?

You will pay an entry fee to participate in football pools. Your goal is to predict the winners of a selection of NFL and NCAA matches and get points for every correct pick. You will win back all or part of the pooled funds if you are among the top winners of the week or season.

How Can You Win in Football Pools?

You win in football pools when you score the highest points at the week’s or season’s end. To achieve this, analyze the two teams, go for value bets, and use strategies that suit your pool size, payout structure, and point system.

Can You Be Sanctioned For Running Football Pools?

Playing paid football pools on unlicensed platforms is illegal. If you must play office pool, use free-to-play social and recreational alternatives to avoid legal sanction. Alternatively, use licensed online betting platforms.

Do Football Pools Pay Well? 

Yes, you can win mouthwatering returns from football pool betting. Football pool earnings may sometimes trump fixed odds betting on sportsbooks, especially in large, winner-takes-all pools.

How Do You Mitigate Risks in Football Pool Betting?

Some of the best risk management strategies for pool betting are betting on teams you’re familiar with and setting weekly and seasonal betting limits. Furthermore, diversify your bets by choosing different teams if you’re making multiple entries.