Super Bowl Squares 2017: Printable Bracket For New England Patriots Vs Atlanta Falcons

The Super Bowl is coming and so are those Super Bowl squares! As the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons prepare for the big game a week from this Sunday, millions of people are also planning Super Bowl parties from coast to coast.

A vast array of chips, dips, and drinks will be front and center at most gatherings, and so will one of the most popular games played during the game, the Super Bowl Squares.

If you have never heard of the squares, the only question is where have you been?

According to an IB Times report, the Super Bowl squares are of the most popular games played every year on Super Sunday, and have been around for decades.

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— Sports Odds Digest (@Sportsoddsdige1) January 25, 2017

The rules are pretty straight forward for the Super Bowl squares, however, many people like to change them up to add a bit of excitement or even to give more players a shot at winning a prize.

Here is how the game is played by the original or traditional rules.

First of all, you start with an empty 10 by 10 grid. This will give you 100 different squares for players to choose from.

Second, you assign one team to the column across the top, and the other to the column across the left-hand side from top to bottom. For example, the Patriots would cover the top ten boxes across the top of grid horizontally, while the Falcons would run down the left-hand side vertically.

The third move is to get your family, friends, or co-workers to join your pool and fill that grid!

Normally the pool prize is collected by charging each participant for each box they select. It can be any amount, but most vary between $1 to as much as $10 per square. Some Las Vegas sports books who have sold squares as part of their own parties during the game have sold squares for anywhere between $100 and $500 each.

Finally, once all of the 100 squares have been selected on your 10 by 10 grid, it is time to assign the numbers to each column and row. Since you don’t want to post the numbers in numerical order (0-9), many times the person running the pool will write each number on a sheet of paper, place them in a hat and pick them out one by one and fill the grid that way.

When all of that is complete, each player receives a copy of the grid so he or she will know what numbers they have – then cheer like crazy for your numbers to come in.

So, how do you know if you’re the winner? It’s simple. Let’s say Atlanta is up 3-0 by the end of the first quarter. You look at your grid and whichever pool player has Atlanta’s “3” box and New England’s “0” box would win the first payout.

That’s it!

The same method is repeated for the remaining three quarters, with the biggest payout being the final score.

Now, you don’t have to abide by those rules exactly. In fact, you can make up your own house rules as the game goes on. It’s all up to you!

Sometimes people play just for fun, or some office pools may want to give out gift cards or a free lunch on the boss instead of co-workers actually putting up money.

Either way, no matter how you play the Super Bowl squares, remember it is all about having fun. To get you own squares printout, be sure to click here.

Super Bowl 51 will take place at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas on February 5. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET.

[Featured Image by Ethan Miller/Getty Images]