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Unlike fantasy football, a football pool is a straightforward game of chance. There are no players to follow, and no coaching skills required. If you happen to be feeling lucky, you're in!

Football pools are not only a great conversation starter, but a nice way to build comaraderie among a group of people. You don't even have to know much about football. The way the numbers are set up on a football pool grid, it could actually be anybody's game. Just write your name down on a grid square, place your bet, and then watch the game to keep tabs on the final score.

There are many variations on the theme, but here's an illustrated example of one easy, popular way to set up a football pool sheet using 100 squares :

Start by setting up a grid on a sheet of paper. Divide it into 10 squares across, and 10 squares down, for a total of 100 squares.	Gather your friends to fill in their names in the blank boxes. (Participants may bet on multiple squares if they're feeling lucky.)
Once all the boxes are filled in, randomly pick numbers 0-9 to list across the horizontal grid, and 0-9 to list down the vertical grid. (Use a deck of cards, or draw numbers out of a hat to arrive at the sequence of numbers.)	After the game, use the final score to discern the winner. Say the final score is Home 26 and Visitors 24. Line up the 6 from the 26 of the Home score and the 4 from the Visitors score. The intersecting square at 6 and 4 is the winner.

You can create a larger or smaller grid if you like, or even complicate things further with grids to score the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th quarters. No matter how you slice it, football pools just make the game more fun to follow as a regular event at the office or corner pub, where even football newbies can have a good chance at winning.

Around the Web, check out more information, how to's, football pool software management programs, online setups, plus expert tips for the traditional football pool culminating in the Super Bowl showdown in February :

Good luck!

More information about football pools around the Web:

PoolHost.com - Neat interface, no software to download, and free registration to create public or private password-protected pools with your own homepage, group e-mail and more.

Superbrawl Football Pool - With everything you need for office football pools or large online contests including free basic interface for up to five players or fee-based annual plans for a crowd.

Office Football Pool - Fee-based hosting for picks or survivor pools, and fantasy football with toll-free telephone support, FAQ, message boards.