Table of Contents
NFL pools are a great way to stay engaged with the game while also spending time with friends. Through an NFL pool, friends can come together and make predictions about who will win each game and other aspects of the game, such as the final score, MVP, and so on. Not only is this a great way to bond with friends over a common interest, but it can also lead to friendly competition.
Plus, playing NFL pools can help improve one’s knowledge of the game as they research each team and player to make predictions. So not only are NFL pools a fun activity to do with friends, but they can also be beneficial in terms of developing a deeper understanding of the game.
How do NFL pools work?
First, you’ll decide with your pool members what the prize for the winner should be, and then everyone makes their picks for who they think will win each week’s games. At the end of the season, the person with the most correct picks wins the prize. It’s that simple! Especially when you have software to help you run your pools and eliminate mistakes, like RunYourPool.
And if you’re worried about being competitive, don’t be – NFL pools are meant to be enjoyed by all, whether you’re a diehard football fan or just looking for a casual way to have some fun on game day. So gather your friends and get ready for some SundayFunday – there’s no better way to watch the NFL football games.
The Perks of Running an NFL Football Pool With Friends
Of course, the key to any good pool is finding the right platform on which to play. And that’s where friends come in. Here are a few reasons why you should always play NFL pools with friends:
- First and foremost, it’s a great way to stay engaged with the games. There’s nothing worse than being a casual fan and having no rooting interest in any of the teams. But if you’re invested in who wins and loses because you have bragging rights and prizes dependent on it, suddenly every game becomes must-see TV.
- It’s a fun way to socialize. Getting together with friends to talk strategy and trade information about your favorite NFL teams is half the fun of football season.
- You can trash talk each other mercilessly. Friends make for much more fun (and competitive) games.
- Let’s face it: other people’s misery is always amusing. So if you know anyone who’s terrible at picking winners (and we all do), watching them suffer through a losing season of matchups can be hilarious…
- It’s a great way to show off your knowledge (or lack thereof). Do you think you know everything there is to know about football? Running an NFL pool is your chance to prove it (or not)!
- It’s just plain old fun. At the end of the day, that’s what sports are all about – having fun!
So go ahead and find a group of friends to play with this NFL season. It’ll be more fun than you ever thought possible – and who knows, you might just earn bragging rights that you can lord over your friends for the year to come.
Tips To Get Your NFL Football Pool Started
So you want to start an NFL pool with your friends but are unsure where to begin? Never fear, RunYourPool is here to help! Here are a few tips to get you started:
- Make it easy: Set up an account with RunYourPool.com to set up your pool and monitor your players easily. Using software is the best way to ensure that there are no mistakes made and that everyone can get updates without having to bug your commissioner all the time.
- Pick your format: You’ll need to decide on a format. Will it be a pick ’em pool, where participants simply select the winners of each week’s games? Or will it be a more complex system, like a survivor pool, where players are eliminated if they pick a losing team?
- Set rules: Once you’ve decided on the format, it’s time to set up the rules. One rule that you’ll want to have in place is how you handle your tiebreakers. RunYourPool.com makes it easy to customize your pools after deciding what type of pool you want.
- Set up a prize: What’s the incentive for winning your NFL pool? Get creative with your prize. Maybe the winner gets to pick the restaurant for the end-of-season celebration or gets to choose the following year’s format.
- Encourage active participation: One of the keys to a successful NFL pool is getting everyone involved. Make sure to promote participation by sending reminders and offering incentives for picks, such as bonus points or prizes for correct picks.
- Encourage research: Ensure your pool players have up-to-date information to make their weekly pool picks. Encourage them to check out websites like RunYourPool’s Poolside Post or ESPN before making their football picks.
- Promote your pool: Get the word out to as many friends as possible, and ensure everyone knows how to get involved. The more people you have playing, the more fun it will be – and the more money you could potentially win!
- Have fun: Don’t forget that an NFL pool is supposed to be fun! So make sure to keep things lighthearted and enjoy the competition with your friends.
A Quick Guide to NFL Pool Types
With so many types of pools to choose from, it can be hard to know where to start. Here’s a quick guide to some of the most popular NFL pool types:
- NFL Survivor Pools
Also known as a Suicide, Eliminator, Knockout, or Last Man Standing pool, a Survivor Pool is a game in which participants choose one NFL team they believe will win each week. Picks are made ‘straight up,’ not using a point spread system. If your player’s pick is correct, they survive until the following week. An incorrect pick eliminates your player from the pool for the remainder of the season.
- NFL Pick’Em Pools
In an NFL Pick’Em pool, participants try to correctly predict the winner of each week’s slate of games. You can choose if you want your players to have a point spread associated with each game or make their picks straight up. The standings for this type of pool are calculated by week and year-to-date.
- NFL Fantasy Football Pools
Fantasy football pools are a game for die-hard NFL fans who want to show off their knowledge of the league and prove that they have what it takes to build a winning team. Pool members pick NFL players every week to create their weekly lineup, and entries accrue points in real-time based on the game statistics of the players in their lineup. The commissioner of your pool can choose how many times your players can pick NFL players per season.
- NFL Squares Pools
Squares pools are also known as a grid pool, box pool, or block pool, and this popular betting format is easy to set up and play. Simply reserve a 10×10 grid of squares online, and have each pool member put their name in the square of their choice. This pool format is especially famous for Super Bowl Squares on Super Bowl Sunday. It’s the perfect format for parties where all of your friends might not know much about the sport. Once all the squares are filled, it’s time to wait and watch the game with your friends! The goal is to try to match the score at the end of each quarter with the numbers on your square. If you do, you’ll be a winner!
- NFL Credit Pools
Here at RunYourPool.com, the team likes to keep things interesting. That’s why they’ve come up with the Credit Pools. Now, instead of just picking winners and losers, pool members can pick games using a weighted value referred to as ‘credits.’ This way, people can risk as many or as few credits on any game. And at the end of the season, the person with the most credits wins. It’s just another way to add a little bit of excitement to your pool experience.
- NFL Confidence Pools
NFL Confidence pools are one of the most popular ways to run a pool for NFL games, and RunYourPool offers one of the best platforms for doing so. In a confidence pool, users must not only pick the winning team, but they must also back up their pick by giving it a relative confidence ranking. Picks are made “straight up,” not using a point spread system, and each member makes a weekly pick. For each correct pick, they receive the number of confidence points they assigned to that pick.
This format encourages users to really think about their picks and not simply choose the team they think will win outright. It also adds an element of strategic planning, as users must decide how to allocate their points best to maximize their chances of winning.
- NFL Margin/Underdog Pools
In a margin pool, also called an NFL underdog pool, participants try to correctly predict the margin of victory (or defeat) for each NFL game. Pool commissioners can award points based on the actual margin of victory or the point spread for that game. If you opt for the latter option, be aware that there will be heavy favorite weeks where finding a team you feel confident about picking may be challenging. No matter which option, margin pools are a great way to add extra excitement to your Sundays!
- NFL 33 Pools
The NFL 33 Pool format is an excellent way for casual fans to add some excitement to their NFL season. In this format, members are each assigned a unique NFL team (32 members max). Members win when their team scores 33 points. There are usually 4-7 scores of 33 points throughout the season, so there is plenty of opportunities for everyone to win. This is an excellent format for the more casual user looking for some excitement during the NFL season without having to research picks or rush to get their picks in before a deadline.
- NFL Playoff Power Ranking Pools
The NFL Power Rankings Playoff pool is a popular game format among NFL fans. Participants rank all 14 NFL teams competing in the playoffs from strongest to weakest in the game. The team that is perceived to be the strongest receives 14 points, while the weakest team receives just 1 point.
When a team wins, the participants who ranked that team accordingly are awarded the corresponding number of points. This pool format is a great way for fans to show off their knowledge of the NFL and compete against fellow fans.
- NFL Playoff Precision Pools
RunYourPool’s NFL Playoff Precision pool format adds a twist to traditional pools during the playoffs that will reward members for picking the correct game points. Pool members attempt to pick the winner of every playoff game each week. Pool members also enter their guess as to the combined total score of both teams in each game.
Points are awarded for correct picks AND for how close to the correct combined point total they were. In other words, it’s not enough just to pick the right team: you also have to come close to guessing the correct final score. This added layer of difficulty makes the pool more challenging and fun, adding an extra incentive for fans to keep track of all the games during the playoffs.
- NFL Super Bowl Prop Bet Pools
The Super Bowl is more than just a sporting event – it’s one of the biggest party nights of the year. And Prop Bet pools are one of the most popular ways to add excitement to the big game. A prop bet, short for “proposition” bet, is a bet on an event that occurs during the game unrelated to the direct outcome of the game. For example, you might bet on whether the opening coin toss will be heads or tails or how many yards a particular player will run for during the game. Prop bets are usually published before the game, so pool members don’t need special sports knowledge to partake. All they need is a little bit of luck!
Start Your Pool With RunYourPool.com
Organizing and managing a pool can be a lot of work. That’s where RunYourPool.com comes in. Our site provides everything you need to start and manage your own NFL pool in one convenient place. We make it easy to invite friends (or co-workers for an office pool), track picks and standings, and even customize your pools. So if you’re looking for a fun and easy way to add some extra excitement to your NFL season, visit RunYourPool.com today! Plus, the fun doesn’t have to end there! RunYourPool offers pools for NCAA college basketball, NCAA college football, the MLB, the NBA, golf, the Olympics, and more!
