What does football pool mean?
A football pool is a form of betting where participants pay an entry fee, predict the outcomes of a set list of football matches, and compete against each other for a share of the combined prize pot. You are not betting against a bookmaker.
The total prize pot comes from all entry fees, and after the matches are played, it is divided among the players with the highest scores. Your exact payout is not known until results are tallied, as it depends on the number of entries and how many share the top score. This structure is known as pari-mutuel betting, differing from fixed-odds bets where the potential return is locked in at the time of placing.
The football pools originated in the United Kingdom in 1923, when John Moores, Colin Askham, and Bill Hughes launched the Littlewoods Football Pool in Liverpool. At their peak, an estimated 14 million people played every week.
How a football pool works
You receive a coupon listing a set of pre-selected football fixtures. You mark your predictions for each match and submit the coupon along with your entry fee before the deadline, typically before the first match kicks off.
In the Classic Pools game, the most established format, you select matches you believe will end as a score draw. Each result is awarded points:
- Score draw (both teams score, match ends level): 3 points
- Goalless draw (0-0): 2 points
- Home win or away win: 1 point
Your eight best results from your selections count toward your total score, giving a maximum possible score of 24 points. After all matches are played, a dividend is declared. The players with the highest total score share the top prize. If more than one player achieves the top score, the prize is divided equally between them.
Example:
- You select 10 matches
- Six end as score draws, one ends 0-0, and three are won by one team
- Your eight best results are the six score draws and the goalless draw
- Score: (6 x 3) + (1 x 2) = 20 points.
The cost of entry in the Classic game varies by the number of selections: 10 selections costs £1, 11 selections costs £2.75, and 12 selections costs £7.50.
Football pool game types
Classic Pools (Treble Chance)
The traditional format. Players pick score draws from a list of 49 pre-selected fixtures. A special £3,000,000 bonus prize is available if exactly nine score draws occur in a round and a player correctly predicts all nine. Because this combination is rare, top prizes in most rounds are considerably smaller.
Premier 6, Premier 10, and Premier 12
These formats follow a different structure. Rather than picking score draws, players predict the full result (home win, draw, or away win) for six, ten, or twelve pre-selected matches respectively. All correct predictions across all selections wins a share of the prize pool. They function like an accumulator bet in structure, but with a shared prize pot rather than a fixed-odds return.
Football pools vs fixed-odds betting
The key mechanical differences between football pools and fixed-odds betting with a bookmaker:
- Who you are betting against: In football pools, you compete against other players. In fixed-odds betting, you bet against a bookmaker.
- When your payout is known: In football pools, the dividend is declared after the matches are played and depends on entries and shared scores. With fixed-odds betting, your potential return is agreed at the time of placing.
- Odds displayed: Football pools do not display odds upfront. Fixed-odds betting shows your potential return before you place.
- Match selection: In football pools, fixtures are pre-selected by the operator. With fixed-odds betting, you choose which matches to bet on.
The pools panel
When football matches are postponed, typically due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances, the pools panel convenes to decide what the result of each postponed match would have been. The panel consists of former football figures whose decisions are used to settle that round's entries. The pools panel has operated since 1963. Its decisions are final for settlement purposes and replace the actual match result for the pools’ entry purposes.
Conclusion
A football pool is a pari-mutuel betting format where players predict match outcomes from a pre-selected fixture list and compete for a share of the collective prize pot. Unlike fixed-odds betting, your exact payout is not known at the time of placing and is only declared once the matches are played and the dividend is calculated.
For more explanations of betting formats and markets, visit The Advantage blog.
Frequently asked questions
What happens if no player achieves the maximum score?
The top prize is awarded to the players with the highest score in that round, regardless of whether it is the theoretical maximum. Prizes scale down through lower scoring tiers.
What is a dividend in football pools?
A dividend is the payout declared after each round. It is calculated from the prize pot divided by the number of winning entries. The amount varies each week depending on entries and results.
Can you enter a football pool as part of a syndicate?
Yes. Groups of players can enter a football pool together, pooling their entries and sharing any winnings. Syndicates are a common way to cover more prediction combinations at lower individual cost.
Is the football pool the same as an accumulator?
No. An accumulator gives a fixed return known at the time of placing. A football pool is pari-mutuel, the payout depends on total entries and is only declared after matches are played.
Are football pools still available today?
Yes. The Football Pools continues to operate online in the United Kingdom, offering the Classic Pools game alongside Premier 6, Premier 10, and Premier 12 formats.