Heads vs. Tails
“Tails never fails” might not exactly live up to the expression, but it so far has the advantage. Super Bowl coin tosses have resulted in tails having a slight 29-27 edge over heads.
Based on a simulation of 56 coin tosses 100,000 times, a single side would be expected to win between 27 and 29 times 31 percent of the time. In the simulation, 92 percent of outcomes would fall between 22 and 34 times.
Tails has built up its edge in recent years, with six of the past nine going its way. However, heads is on a two-game winning streak.
From 2009 to 2013, heads had the longest winning streak of any coin side at five. The odds of a coin toss going the same way five years in a row is low at only a 3 percent chance. The longest streak of tails in a row came is four, which has happened on three separate occasions (1998-2001, 2003-06, 2014-17).
From those 56 Super Bowls, teams that have won the coin toss have gone on to win the game 24 times and lost 32 times. Teams that have won the coin toss are on a lengthy losing streak at this point. The last time a team won both the toss and the game was the Seahawks in Super Bowl 48.
Nine straight teams that won the coin toss have lost the Super Bowl.
Of the 24 teams that won the game and the coin toss, 16 were the betting odds favorite to win the game, while only eight were underdogs. That percentage is exactly in line with the history of the Super Bowl teams based on betting odds, with 37 favorites (66 percent) winning the Super Bowl and 19 underdogs (34 percent) coming out on top.
And of those 24, there is no particularly side that has been more favorable than the other. It is split with 12 each of winning the toss on heads and tails.
No team has won the coin toss more often than the Cowboys with their six wins. The 49ers with five are second, while the Dolphins and Rams each have four.
Among the two teams playing in Super Bowl 57, the Eagles have won the toss twice in team history, while the Chiefs have won only once. They are a combined 0-3 when winning the toss.
Of the three times the state of Arizona has hosted the Super Bowl, the team that has won the toss is 2-1. The Cowboys won the toss and beat the Steelers in Super Bowl 30; the Giants won the toss and upset the Patriots in Super Bowl 42; but the Seahawks won the toss and lost to the Patriots in Super Bowl 49. Each coin toss resulted in tails.
Touchdown Toss
The first thing is to make a paper football using a normal piece of notebook or printer paper. Fold it lengthwise until it is about two inches wide. Then, like a flag, fold it in a corner to the opposite edge, and do that all the way down until you have a triangle. Tape it to seal it.
Then place cups along with the table and try to flick the football in. It is supposed to represent making a field goal. This is one of many easy Super Bowl betting games for a small group
Pass the Cup
Every participant puts their stake in the cup and their name on a list.
The youngest person starts off holding the cup.
The cup goes to the next person on the list every time possession changes in the football game.
The last person holding the cup at the end of the quarter, half, or game, gets to keep the whole pot.
Super Bowl Commercial Bingo
Each participant grabs a bingo sheet, which you can print off easily. Then each participant fills in the squares with things they are likely to see in the Super Bowl.
Of course, you have to trade your bingo sheet with another player. Otherwise, it would be too easy to set up a win! If you want to even the playing field, set yours up before the guests arrive and have them rearrange the same squares on the other bingo sheets.
As you watch the commercials, mark off your squares. Examples of fun things to put in the squares are:
A dog
An iced drink
Someone running
A robot
A talking animal
Super Bowl Squares
You create a 10 x 10 grid on a piece of paper, giving you 100 squares. Make sure the squares are big enough to write a person’s initials. Here’s an example of one for Super Bowl 2023.
You can download and print this template to make things easier.
The first way requires that anyone who wants to play “purchase” a square. Let’s say that you have 12 guests, and 10 want to participate in this football pool bet. Each participant can pay $1 to write his or her initials in a square (or $5 or $10…it’s up to you how expensive you want the game to be and how big the potential winnings).
If you have ten players, each has the option to write their initials in up to 10 squares (since 10 players using 10 squares apiece will use up all 100 squares). There may be squares left empty, and that’s okay.
After the players have filled in the squares of their choice, write the digits 0-9 across the top squares and down the left-hand side. Do not enter them in order. Put them in at random, such as 7, 4, 9, 0, 3, etc. An online random number generator is a good option to use here.
At the end of each quarter, use the final digit of the score for each team to find out who is in the square at the intersection of those two teams’ numbers. That winner gets ¼ of the total money in the pot. If the winning square is empty, simply roll that amount of money to the next quarter’s winner.
That’s one way to play Super Bowl squares. If you want to learn other ways to play, as well as what to do about buy-ins, choosing squares, when square are empty, and more, then check out the following guide.
Here are a few examples of Minute to Win It games that you can enjoy during your Super Bowl party.
Oreo Linemen – Grab some Oreos and a football-themed tablecloth for this game.
Each player has to slide their Oreos across the tablecloth with the hope of getting the cookies to land on each yard line. The first player to get seven cookies on seven different yard lines wins.
Kick-Off – You will need a bucket for each team and ten stuffed footballs or other stuffed animals.
Divide the group into teams of two. One player will hold the bucket while the other attempts to drop-punt a stuffed football into it. The first team to catch all ten footballs wins.
Face Goal – This is another game that uses stuffed footballs or similar soft objects.
You will need teams of two for this game as well. One player stands with their arms above their head like a goal post. The other player must attempt to hike the football underneath their legs and into the field goal without hitting their partner’s face.
Mascot Match – Print off a few of these mascot match papers or create your own.
You might think you know your NFL teams well, but do you know the names of all their mascots? This game puts your knowledge to the test. Give players sixty seconds to correctly match as many teams with their mascots as they can.
Finger Flick Football – Fold some scrap paper into triangles to make mini-footballs.
Have one team member create a goal post with their fingers while the other team member attempts to flick the paper football through the goal post.
Football Ring Toss – Tie a few pens, straws, or sticks together to create a goal post and use washers as the rings.
This game puts a football twist on the classic ring toss game. Players have to try to get as many rings on the goalposts as possible.
Football Toss – You will need a football and a hula hoop, tire, or another circular object for this game.
Of course, the best Super Bowl party games are simple football toss games. Test your own football skills by throwing a football through a hanging hula hoop, tire, or another circular target.
Football Snack Challenge – Each team needs an identical plate of random snacks – pretzels, marshmallows, or carrots.
Give teams sixty seconds to transform their plate into some sort of football-related snacks, such as pretzel stick goalposts or a team mascot made out of marshmallows. Make the game even more challenging by requiring that they incorporate all the snacks.
Commercial Bingo – Create your own bingo cards with popular brands that you think will buy a Super Bowl ad.
This game isn’t quite a Minute to Win It game because you will have to play it throughout the night. You can create bingo cards with advertisers and then mark them off if they have an ad that airs during the game. The first person with five in a row wins.
Best Super Bowl Drinking Games
Another way to enjoy some football party betting games for adults is to incorporate some drinking games throughout the party. In fact, alcohol and the Super Bowl go hand-in-hand in many ways.
Many of the country’s biggest beer brands spend millions to buy ads during the big game. Those ads are highly effective because Americans drink approximately 325.5 million gallons of beer on Super Bowl Sunday. Those gallons add up to approximately $1.3 billion in beer sales.
Odds are you’re going to have a drink or three during your Super Bowl party with friends, so why not turn that into a game? If that’s something you’re interested in, then here are some drinking-themed Super Bowl party games for adults for both the first and second half of the game.
First Half Drinking Games
The Replay Go-Play
When either team’s coach requests a replay review, participants have to quickly create a cocktail they’ve never had before. And beer drinkers have to put down the same label they’ve been drinking for years and try a new beer…an apricot hefeweizen, perhaps?
The Fumbler
Whenever the ball is fumbled, everyone passes his or her drink to the left. Now you have a new drink to finish. If this feels too edgy, you can change it to everyone has to get the same drink the person to the right is drinking and finish at least half of it.
The Beer Cooler Challenge
Whenever a beer commercial comes on, everyone has to pound half a beer. It doesn’t need to be the brand in the commercial, but it does have to be at least half. Appoint a referee. Give him or her a whistle. Cheaters have to do a shot.
The Penalty Shot
When a team gets a penalty, whether five yards or more, everyone is handed a Jell-O shot. This Super Bowl drinking game will require pre-game preparation, so ask if someone will bring them or prepare to make them the night before or morning of the game.
Second Half Drinking Games
Score-and-Shoot – Everyone takes a shot when a touchdown is made and chugs a beer for successful field goals and safeties.
The Time Out Cocktail Hour – Everyone makes a cocktail when a time-out is called by a team. Vodka cranberry is an easy cocktail that is popular with most. Whiskey lemonade is also a great choice for people set to dither after the time out is over. When one team makes a score, whether a field goal, a safety, or touchdown, the fans of the other team have to do a shot. Fence-sitters have to do half a shot.
The Get Sacked – Whenever a quarterback from either team is sacked, guests have to choose a slip of paper you’ve placed into a paper bag. Whatever drink is listed on their slip is what they have to consume next.
Proposition Betting Pool
Making your at-home prop pool will require a quick Super Bowl bet sheet. It is easy to make though, don’t worry. Just include a list of props with a place for each participant to write their selection. It might be a good idea to turn them all in at a certain point so no one gets to erasing and changing their incorrect bets.
If your crowd is into it, feel free to mix entertainment and sports betting on the same sheet. To make the game even more dynamic, you can assign different point values to each question, depending on its difficulty or centrality to the evening.
Coin Toss
With the coin toss be heads or tails?
Which side of the coin will be called?
Will the coin toss be guessed correctly?
Which team will score the first points?
What will be the opening song for the halftime show?
Which team will score the first touchdown?
Will the first score be a touchdown or something else?
Will the National Anthem last longer or shorter than two minutes?
Total number of songs played during the halftime show
Will There Be a Score in the First 6 Minutes and 30 Seconds