THE NFL OFFICE POOL
The office pool is the best thing that happens to a workplace between September and January. Here's how to run one that doesn't die in October.
WHY OFFICE POOLS WORK — AND WHY THEY DIE
A good office pool is a machine for making colleagues talk to each other. It gives the Monday coffee run a topic, puts accounting and engineering in the same group chat, and turns people who've never watched a snap into the loudest voices on the floor by Week 6 — because in an office pool, football knowledge is famously not the deciding factor.
Office pools don't die from lack of interest. They die from admin: the spreadsheet nobody updates by Wednesday, the picks texted in "before kickoff, I swear", the standings disputes, the awkward chasing of twenty dollars across three floors. The person running it burns out around midseason, and the pool quietly stops.
The fix isn't a better spreadsheet — it's removing the spreadsheet. On FootballPools, deadlines enforce themselves, results score themselves, standings update themselves, and the money tracking is built in. What's left of the commissioner's job is the part people actually volunteer for.
Pick Your Format
Survivor — the all-company game
One pick a week: a team to win, straight up. Lose once and you're out; last one standing takes the pot. Thirty seconds of effort a week means the whole company can play, and the eliminations give the pool its drama — six people going out on one upset Sunday is watercooler material for days. Best at 10+ players, and it scales to hundreds.
How survivor works →Pick All — everyone plays all season
Everyone picks every game each week against the spread; a correct pick is a point, most points takes the week. Nobody is ever eliminated, so the January standings still matter to the person in tenth — the right call for offices where keeping everyone involved beats knockout drama.
How the pick'em formats compare →Pick 5 — the high-stakes side game
Five games a week against the spread; all five right wins the pot, and winnerless weeks roll it over into jackpots. More of a connoisseur's game — perfect as the second pool for the crew that wants something to sweat on Monday night.
Full Pick 5 rules →Can't choose? Run survivor for everyone and one pick'em for the diehards — they're separate pools off the same group chat.
Handle the Money Like an Adult
Money is where office pools get awkward, so the division of labor is worth stating plainly: the commissioner collects and holds the pot; FootballPools never touches it. The platform's job is the bookkeeping that keeps the money from ever becoming a dispute:
The fee and the handles, on the record
Set the entry fee on the pool and list how people pay you — Venmo, Zelle, Cash App, PayPal, or cash at the desk. Everyone who joins sees the same terms.
Paid / unpaid, visible
Mark members paid as money arrives. The pot total the pool sees is built from members actually marked paid — no phantom money, no "I definitely paid you in September".
Nudges you don't have to send
One-click email reminders to anyone who hasn't settled up, so the chasing doesn't have to happen face to face across a cubicle wall.
Payout day is simple
The standings say who won, the tracker says what's in the pot, and you pay out the same way you collected. Done.
Playing for no money at all is also a fine office pool — standings and a trophy carry a season further than you'd think. Check your workplace's own policies on pools; some employers have them.
The Season Rhythm
Office Pool FAQ
START YOUR OFFICE POOL
Two minutes to set up, one code to share, and the admin runs itself for all 18 weeks.