The countdown is on for Super Bowl LV featuring the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The big game usually means gatherings — though, maybe smaller ones this time around amidst the pandemic — with food, drinks, and games.
You probably already know what’s on the food and drink menu, but what about games? If you’re stuck, we might be able to help out with some Superbowl gambling games. Yes, gambling!
You see, football is always more fun when you have “skin in the game” — aka money on the line. There’s just something about having a winnable pot of money that gets everyone more interested in the Super Bowl’s outcome. With that in mind, here are several betting games to lighten the mood at your Super Bowl party:
Super Bowl Squares
Using a computer or piece of paper, create a 10-by-10 grid that collectively forms 100 squares. On each side of the grid (vertical and horizontal axis), number the squares from 0-9. Then mark one axis as NFC and the other as AFC. From here, assign individual squares to people in your party for a price, of course.
Now you wait until the end of the game, that’s because the final score determines the winner of this square game. Say the Chiefs defeat the Bucs 31-27. Take the last number in each team’s score and match it up with the squares. So in this case, KC earns 1 and TB gets 7. Make sure you’re using the correct axis based on the AFC or NFC team and match the corresponding square.
Boom! That square-holder is the game’s winner and collects all the money wagered. This winner-take-all-format will have you hooked on every touchdown, field goal, extra point, or two-point conversion try. Seriously!
Pass The Cup
This one’s as simple as it gets. Grab a cup. Fill that cup with an entrance fee. Among the paid entrants, create a randomized order that will be followed. Choose at random one entrant to start things off.
Whoever goes first will hold the money-cup filled. It will be passed on after every change of possession in the game — using the order that was randomized beforehand. Whoever is holding the cup last gets to keep the cup and its money-filled contents.
That’s it! Now, this game can be played for a full game, one half, or heck, one quarter. The choice is all yours!
“Pass the cup” by psycatgames is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Prop Bets
Prop wagers and the Super Bowl go hand-in-hand. Think of props as “side bets” on random events within the Super Bowl. Some events can be related to the game itself, while others couldn’t be a farther departure from actual football.
You can find a list of props at many online sportsbooks. Spoiler alert: there’s gonna be dozens upon dozens of props available. Find one that you and other party-goers would like to bet on and have everyone take a side (you can use the listed odds from the sports book or make up your own).
For instance, there’s usually a prop related to the national anthem singing beforehand. Usually, an over/under on it’s exact sung time. Say you believe it’ll end up being a short performance and believe the under hits. Welp, find anyone else at the party who disagrees and instead thinks it’s going over. Suddenly, you two have a bet with each other for an agreed-upon amount you two decide.
That’s one example, but like we alluded to, Super Bowl props are never-ending. You can get more than one person involved by using props with multiple outcomes — say, which player will win the MVP award. Either way, the gambling possibilities are endless with props.
Commercial Bingo
Ah, yes, commercials are a big deal during the Super Bowl. It’s what the non-football fans look forward to watching most. This betting game puts those ads front and center.
As the name implies, you’ll be playing bingo — only the bingo board is composed entirely of commercial brands. Of course, pick brands that traditionally advertise on the Super Bowl and sell cards to guests for a fee. From there, it’s self-explanatory. The first bingo card that gets filled up wins and takes the entire pot.
Play any one of the above games at your Super Bowl bash and expect to have a grand time (and for your sake, hopefully a profitable one too)!
