Help & Guide

How squares works

• Each pool is a 10×10 grid of 100 squares for one NFL game. One team runs across the top, the other down the side.
• Players reserve squares. When the grid is set, each row and column gets a random digit from 0 to 9.
• At the end of each quarter, the last digit of each team's score picks the winning square. Its owner wins that quarter's payout.
• Example: Bills 17, Chiefs 14 at the end of Q1 means the square where Bills 7 meets Chiefs 4 wins.
• Some pools reshuffle the numbers every quarter. The pool page says so when it applies.

Getting started

1. Register with your name, a username, a password and a security question. The question is how you reset a forgotten password.
2. Wait for approval. New accounts must be approved by an admin before you can log in.
3. Log in and pick a game from the home page, or join a league to see its private pools.

Forgot your password? Use Reset password on the login page and answer your security question.

Pools & reserving squares

• Home lists open pools. Each card shows the teams, kickoff time, pool name and cost per square.
• Reserve: open a pool, tap the squares you want, and confirm. Many pools can also pick random squares for you.
• Limits: each pool has a maximum number of squares per person. You will see a message if you go over it.
• Release: you can give squares back until the pool locks.
• Locking: pools lock at kickoff, or earlier if an admin or manager locks them. A late unlock may be allowed by an admin.
• Passwords: private pools are hidden from Home and may ask for a password.
• Live scores: the pool page refreshes scores automatically and highlights the current winning square. Updates pause when the tab is in the background.
• Non-winners only: some pools are restricted to players who haven't won yet.

Leagues

A league is a private group, like a friend group or office, with its own pools and standings.

• Join: open Leagues and enter an invite code, or open an invite link a friend sent you.
• Create: anyone can create a league. You become its owner and get an invite code to share.
• Switch view: use the league selector in the top bar to show all your leagues, only public pools, or one league.
• Roles: an owner can promote members to manager, remove members, regenerate the invite code and delete the league. Members can leave at any time.
• Pools, balances and standings are separate for each league.

Side challenges

Challenges are one-on-one wagers on a game, in points.

1. Create: choose a game, your team, an amount and odds (for example 1:1).
2. Take: another player accepts your challenge, or counters with different odds.
3. Settle: once the game ends, the winner is decided and the result shows in both players' records.

You can request to cancel a challenge, and the other player must agree. My Challenge Stats shows your record, total wagered, total won and net earnings.

Standings, history & payments

• My Dashboard: your squares, upcoming games and recent results in one place.
• Standings: who owes whom, and each player's running balance.
• History: past pools, wins and payments.
• Settlements: after a game, the app works out the fewest payments needed so everyone is square. You mark a payment as sent, and the receiver confirms it.
• Payment methods: add your Venmo, Zelle or similar details on your Profile so others know where to pay you.

This app only tracks who owes what. Money moves outside the app.

Profile & themes

• Change your display name, username and payment methods on the Profile page.
• Pick a look with the Theme links at the bottom of any page: Primetime, Turf or Retro. Your choice is remembered on this device.
• You can install the app on your phone's home screen from your browser's share or menu options.
• The site works with keyboards and screen readers. Use the "Skip to main content" link at the top of any page.

For league managers

• Create pools for your league from Create Pool, choosing the league, teams, cost per square and square limit.
• Lock or unlock pools, and settle your league's games.
• Use the league page to share the invite link, manage members and see standings.

For admins

• Admin Dashboard: sync games from ESPN, approve or delete users, and reset a user's data.
• Create Pool: build pools from the ESPN schedule or enter a custom game. Options include private pools, a pool password, a delayed open time, non-winners-only, and per-quarter number resets.
• Reports: winnings by player and a list of players who haven't won yet.
• Settlements: generate, force-settle, confirm transfers and export them.
• Scores update automatically if a scheduled job calls the update endpoint. Otherwise, use Sync.

FAQ