Football Pools Explained: How to Play & Win

What are the football pools?

The football pools are a long-running betting game where you try to predict which matches on a weekly coupon will end in a draw — specifically score draws (1–1, 2–2 and so on). You are not betting against fixed odds like a bookmaker; instead everyone's stakes go into a shared pool, and the pool is split between the winners. Fewer winners means a bigger payout each, which is why the classic "Treble Chance" could turn a tiny stake into a life-changing sum.

The pools began in Britain in the 1920s (Littlewoods, Vernons, Zetters) and remain hugely popular across Nigeria and West Africa, where the weekly coupon is followed closely. The core idea has never changed: spot the draws.

How to play, step by step

1. Get the week's coupon — the numbered list of fixtures (classically the English and Scottish leagues; locally, the matches on your agent's coupon).
2. Choose the game you're playing. The famous one is the Treble Chance: you pick a set of matches you think will be score draws.
3. Mark your selections. Most players pick 10 to 12 numbers and aim for the 8 that score the most points.
4. Decide your stake and how many lines (combinations) you want — this is where perms come in (see below).
5. Submit your coupon through a licensed pool agent or operator before the deadline (kick-off of the first match).
6. Check the results after the weekend, total your points, and compare against that week's winning dividend.

Why score draws win

On the classic coupon, not all results are equal. A score draw (a draw with goals, like 1–1) is worth the most points. A no-score draw (0–0) is worth less, and home or away wins are worth least of all. The whole skill of the pools is finding the handful of matches most likely to finish level with goals — which is exactly what our weekly draw watch is built to help with.

Points & dividends

You score points for each correct result on your line — most for score draws, fewer for no-score draws and wins. Your best 8 selections are usually totalled (24 points is the classic maximum: 8 score draws at 3 points each). The operator then declares a dividend for that week — the amount paid per winning unit, worked out by dividing the prize pool among everyone who hit the top score. A week with few high-scorers pays a huge dividend; an "easy" week with many winners pays less. This is the key difference from fixed-odds betting: your payout depends on how many other people also won.

How to improve your chances

Nobody can guarantee draws, but good punters tilt the odds their way instead of guessing blindly:

• Study form and the table. Evenly-matched sides, and teams that draw a lot, produce more score draws. Mid-table clubs with similar points are classic draw candidates.
• Look for "draw-prone" teams. Some sides genuinely draw far more than average across a season. Our draw watch lists each club's real draw record so you can spot them.
• Mind the motivation. End-of-season games where both teams are safe, or derby games where neither wants to lose, lean toward draws.
• Spread your selections sensibly with a perm rather than staking everything on one line.
• Set a budget and stick to it. The pools are entertainment; never stake money you can't afford to lose.

Perms & the Aussie system

A perm (permutation) is a way of covering many combinations of your selections on one coupon, so you still win even if only some of your picks come in. For example, picking 10 numbers and "perming 8 from 10" plays every possible group of 8 from those 10 — 45 lines in total — so you're covered if any 8 of your 10 land as draws. More lines means more cost but more coverage.

The Aussie system (Australian pools system) is a popular family of ready-made perms designed to guarantee a certain number of correct lines if a set number of your selections win — balancing coverage against stake. Printed Aussie system tables tell you exactly how to mark your coupon for a given number of selections and a given guarantee. It's a staking framework, not a crystal ball: it manages how you cover your picks, it can't make the draws happen.

Pools glossary

Can you really win?

Yes — people win the pools every week, and historically some have won enormous sums from tiny stakes. But be clear-eyed: the pools are a game of chance. Draws are among the hardest results in football to predict, and no "sure draw" or guaranteed system exists — anyone selling one is selling a guess. What you can do is make better-informed selections (form, draw-prone teams, motivation), manage your coupon sensibly with perms, and treat it as entertainment with a fixed budget. Our draw watch and weekly results give you the real data to work from, honestly presented.