SQUARES SCORING
How Squares Scoring Actually Works
Four chances to win. Automatic updates. Zero math required.
At a glance
Squares scoring in plain English: last digit of each team’s score at each pay period decides the square. Sportsball tracks live scores so you don’t do the math.
The 30-Second Explanation
Here's all you need to know: look at the score, take the last digit of each team's points, and that's your winning square.
Example:
Score is Chiefs 24, Eagles 17
Last digits: Chiefs = 4, Eagles = 7
Winner: The square where row 4 meets column 7 (or vice versa, depending on which team is on which axis)
That's literally it. No spreads, no complicated math. Just match the last digit of each score to the grid.
When Winners Are Awarded
Most squares games check for winners at multiple points during the game. This means you have FOUR chances to win from a single square!
🏈 End of 1st Quarter
Scores are usually low. 0-0, 0-7, 3-0 are common. If you've got 0s and 3s in your square, you're in good shape early.
🏈 Halftime (End of 2nd Quarter)
Scores open up. This is usually when the most varied number combinations start appearing.
🏈 End of 3rd Quarter
The game is heating up. Momentum shifts can create interesting score combinations.
🏆 Final Score
The big one! Often the most celebrated win. Includes overtime if the game goes to OT.
How Quarter Winners Are Awarded
Sportsball football squares award a winner at the end of each quarter, with overtime counting toward the final. Jelly-bean shares for those four periods are fixed: 15% after Q1, 25% at halftime, 15% after Q3, and 45% on the final. Hosts choose whether digits stay the same all game or shift between periods—not a cash split.
What you actually configure:
- Digit shift- Same digits all game, change every other period, or change every period.
- Jelly beans, not a pot- Period winners split jelly beans 15 / 25 / 15 / 45. Sportsball does not hold cash.
- Party cash rules (optional)- If your group still plays for a cash pot, those splits are yours to agree on. The app scores the board; it does not collect or pay out money.
What About Weird Situations?
- Same winner multiple quarters?Yep, it happens! If the score stays the same or repeats the same last digits, that square owner wins again. Lucky them!
- Overtime game?OT counts toward the final score. Whatever score ends the game determines the final winner.
- Game gets postponed?The game just moves to whenever it's played. Your squares stay valid.
- Empty squares?If an unclaimed square hits, that period has no player winner. Sportsball scores the board and awards jelly beans; it does not hold a pot or redistribute a cash share.
Why Auto-Scoring Changes Everything
Paper squares are fun, but someone's always stuck tracking scores and calculating winners. With Sportsball's live auto-scoring:
Scores update in real-time - Watch your board change as the game progresses
Winners get notified instantly - No waiting to find out if you won
Everyone can follow along - Mobile board means everyone sees the action
You just watch the game - Zero work for the host!
Seriously, this is the way squares should be played. No spreadsheets, no arguments about the score, no manual anything.
Ready to Experience Auto-Scoring?
Create a game and see how much better squares is when everything happens automatically.
Players join free. Super Bowl squares $0.99 to host; other NFL squares are free to create.