Super Bowl 2015 Squares Advice, Box Game Rules and More Party Entertainment

Simply watching the Super Bowl is a spectacle in its own right, but it can be tough for viewers to get fully engaged without a true rooting interest. For those who are indifferent, Super Bowl squares create instant intrigue.

Things are always a bit more interesting when there is money on the line. Simply betting on Super Bowl XLIX is one way to make that happen, but things could get out of hand quickly if either the New England Patriots or Seattle Seahawks cruise to a blowout win.

Those with Super Bowl squares always have a chance to win something, and that inevitably makes the game exciting from start to finish.

For those who are new to Super Bowl squares, or those who simply want to know more, here is some further analysis regarding the rules and strategies that go along with the hugely popular pool.

Super Bowl XLIX Viewing Info

Where: University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona

When: Sunday, Feb. 1 at 6:30 p.m. ET

Watch: NBC

Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra

Rules

The Super Bowl squares concept is extremely simple in that anyone can participate regardless of his or her football knowledge. The extent of joining such a pool is paying a predetermined amount and then selecting a square.

During the purchasing process, the board is blank aside from the bettors writing their names in squares of their choice. Once all of the squares are sold, numbers zero through nine are drawn at random to finalize the pool.

Here is a look at what a finalized board looks like, courtesy of The MMQB on Twitter:

As is customary, the designated away team, which is the New England Patriots, will be written at the top of the board. That means that the home Seattle Seahawks will be written vertically.

If someone has seven along the top and zero along the side, that means he or she will be rooting for the Patriots' score to end in the number seven and for the Seahawks' score to end in the number zero.

Payouts occur at the end of each of the first three quarters as well as at the conclusion of the game. Although rules can vary from pool to pool, the first and third quarters generally pay the least, halftime pays the second-most and the final score pays the most.

Provided the final score of the Super Bowl is 27-20 in favor of the Pats for the sake of argument, then the person who has seven for New England and zero for Seattle will win the final prize. That goes for the other quarters as well, so there is money to be won at the conclusion of every quarter.

Some square pools get even more complex than that by awarding lesser prizes to those who have squares that touch the winning one, but that varies greatly as well.

For those worried about the legality of such a pool, there is generally no cause for concern. According to Chris Williams of AZCentral.com, former Arizona Department of Gaming head and current Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich concedes that square pools are perfectly fine in the Super Bowl host state as long as the person running it doesn't benefit.

"

In Arizona, we have a general prohibition on gambling with narrow exceptions. So, if anyone's getting a benefit either directly or indirectly from the gambling, it would be illegal. But, if a group of us got together and did squares or had like a fantasy football league and all of the money was distributed to the players and no one benefited, then it would be legal.

"

The situation described by Brnovich can be said for the vast majority of Super Bowl square pools, so don't hesitate to take part and enjoy the ride.

Super Bowl Square Advice

Due to the randomness and general luck involved with winning a Super Bowl square pool, there isn't much people can do to improve their chances.

Since numbers are randomly drawn after all of the squares are accounted for, there are no advantages to be had when choosing a square.

If you are allowed to buy more than one square in a single pool, though, one piece of advice is to choose squares that are far away from each other on the board. That means even if one of the squares ends up being way off throughout the game, the other could potentially be far better.

Elsa/Getty Images

Once the squares have been chosen and the numbers have been drawn, participants are at the mercy of the game. If you want to know what your chances of winning are, though, then consider these statistics.

According to Keith Goldner of numberFire.com as part of a special The MMQB column, the most likely final score when taking into account every past Super Bowl result is four for the NFC team and seven for the AFC team. That is the overwhelming favorite, having happened 11.36 percent of the time.

There are six other possibilities tied in second at 4.55 percent, so the difference is quite large.

While there are no guarantees, having the numbers zero, one, three, four, six, seven and eight can be viewed positively, while two, five and nine are best off being avoided based on the nature of NFL scoring.

One wacky occurrence like a safety, a two-point conversion or a missed extra point can change everything, though, so absolutely nothing is out of the question entering the game.

More Super Bowl Entertainment

While the most basic of Super Bowl square pools is often enough to satiate viewers and keep them interested in the big game, others often look for new things to try.

In keeping with the square concept, there are several different offshoots that are worth trying out. That includes manipulating the numbers in certain ways to shake things up.

One option is to add up the total score at the end of a quarter. If the score is 7-7, which equals 14, then the winner will be the person who has one and four as his or her numbers. Another version includes taking the winning numbers and switching them around so that there are two winners at the end of every quarter.

Aside from squares, betting on the game itself is always on the table. For those who need more than a traditional bet, though, prop bets are available. As evidenced by this listing of prop bets, courtesy of Odds Shark, almost anything can be bet on.

That includes certain aspects of Katy Perry's halftime performance and Idina Menzel's rendition of the United States national anthem. Wagers can even be placed on the color of the Gatorade that is dumped on the winning coach, so the possibilities are seemingly endless.

As off-the-wall as prop bets can be, there are even less serious ways than that to enhance the enjoyment of the Super Bowl. Consider this Super Bowl bingo board produced by NBC Washington:

Football fans can fully customize their boards and hand out any type of prizes they choose. Bingo is also a great way to get the kids involved in the action as well.

The Super Bowl is a transcendent event that interests almost everyone in one way or another, and things such as Super Bowl square pools certainly add to the intrigue.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter