2024 Super Bowl squares strategy: How to win at football squares, best 49ers vs. Chiefs numbers to target
Playing Super Bowl squares has been a tradition for decades and a blind draw remains one way to give even the most casual fans a chance to get in on the Super Bowl betting experience. However, the rise of legal sports betting has also led sportsbooks offering individual odds for Super Bowl squares. Which numbers should you target as the Kansas City Chiefs take on the San Francisco 49ers at Super Bowl 58 on Sunday in Las Vegas?
The Chiefs have had seven games this season in which their team total has ended in seven, while the 49ers have had the same number hit five times and zero hit on four occasions. Should that have any impact on your Super Bowl squares strategy if you're playing an auction format or betting against the books? Before entering any 2024 Super Bowl squares pools, be sure to see the latest Super Bowl 58 squares advice from longtime NFL expert Mike Tierney.
Tierney is a veteran sportswriter whose work appears periodically in the New York Times and Los Angeles Times. Tierney has covered the NFL for decades and reported from seven Super Bowls. He enters Super Bowl 58 on a 83-65-3 roll on NFL picks, returning over $1,000 for $100 players. He has identified several strategies to boost your chances at winning Super Bowl squares.
A Super Bowl squares pool is easy to set up. It features 10 columns and 10 rows of 100 blank squares with either the 49ers or Chiefs assigned to the rows and the other team aligned with the columns. Owners will then fill in their names or initials in the squares before each row and column are numbered zero through nine.
With random numbers, contestants decide whether to buy boxes in a cluster or scatter them throughout the grid. When squares are auctioned after the column and rows are numbered, owners want boxes that correspond with totals of scoring plays, such as touchdowns and field goals.
To win, a person needs to own the box that corresponds to the last digit of the score for each team. For instance, if the Chiefs hold a 6-0 lead after one quarter, the person who owns the square with Kansas City 6 and San Francisco 0 wins. That person also wins if the first quarter ends with the 49ers leading 10-6.
Rules will vary, so check with the organizer beforehand. There can be payouts after each quarter, each scoring play or only after the final score, thus ensuring a high payout. See the optimal Super Bowl 58 squares strategy.
Recent Super Bowl squares history
One of the recent Super Bowl squares trends: Seven has been the most effective play if you're targeting a boosted payout for the final score. It's actually the third-most popular number to hit in Super Bowl history behind zero and three, but it has added value if you're playing Super Bowl squares where the final score offers an enhanced payout.
The No. 7 has been the most popular final score total across the first 57 Super Bowls, hitting 16.7% of the time. Nos. 0 and 3 are the next most-common totals with both hitting 13.2% of the time. With Kansas City having its team total end in seven during 35% of its games this season and San Francisco having a seven in its total 26.3% of the time, it's a number you'll want to have exposure to near the end of Super Bowl LVIII. Head to SportsLine to see 2024 Super Bowl squares tips and advice.
Optimal 2024 Super Bowl squares strategy
Tierney knows what numbers and what combinations hit most often on Super Bowl squares. He even makes specific mention of an uncommon number that has hit as part of the final score in four of the last 10 Super Bowls. Playing squares with this number in them could give you an edge and boost your payout if you're playing Super Bowl squares at a sportsbook. See what they are at SportsLine.
