Best NFL Contests and Football Pools for 2025-26: Free and for Real Money

1. TSG Beat the Geek NFL Playoff Pick’Em

• Entry Fee: Free
• Prize Pool: $10,000 BTC
• Contest Type: Moneyline, Spread and Totals Pick’Em, Select Player Props

Beat the Geek is back for the 2026 NFL Playoffs! Register at The Sports Geek to create a free account, and receive a chance to win $10,000 in Bitcoin! Each week of the playoffs, the top scorer will receive $1,000 in BTC. If you finish top of the leaderboard at the end of Super Bowl 60, you’ll get $5,000 in BTC!

Get in on the action before the NFL Wild-Card round starts on Saturday, January 10.

How to Play:

1. Players must register to create a free account at The Sports Geek before kickoff of the first game on Saturday, January 10, 2026.

2. Head to the Beat the Geek contests page.

3. Every week during the NFL playoffs, make your picks for the moneyline, spread and total, as well as select player props. You can make a maximum of 12 picks during each round, as well as a tiebreaker pick, and you get one point for each correct pick.

4. You must be 21+ to register for this contest, and be a resident of the continental United States or Canada.

Grand Prize:

• The postseason-long contest features a grand prize of $5,000 in Bitcoin if you top the leaderboard at the conclusion of Super Bowl 60!

Consolation Prizes:

• Weekly prizes are available for contestants, too. The top scorer for each round receives $1,000 in BTC.

2. BetOnline NFL Playoff Pick’em

• Entry Fee: Free
• Prize Pool: $25,000
• Contest Type: Spread Pick’Em

BetOnline has fired up their pick’em NFL playoff betting contest. In this spread pick’em contest, players are asked to make their best picks against the spread and totals for every postseason game.

You’ll be able to make these picks for each game of each round of the NFL playoffs, all the way through Super Bowl 60. The total prize pool for this NFL playoff contest is $25,000!

How to Play:

1. Contestants must register at BetOnline to register for the BetOnline NFL Playoff Pick’em contest. It’s free to play, but you must bet a minimum of $50 in the sportsbook, casino, or racebook, between 12:00 AM ET on Saturday, January 10, 2026, and 11:59 PM ET on Sunday, February 8, 2026, to qualify for prizes. Only one entry is permitted per account.

2. Access the BetOnline contests page, where you can find the NFL Playoff Pick’em.

3. Make your best picks against the spread, and for totals. Each week, you’ll be able to make your picks after 1:00 PM ET on Wednesday.

4. Players get one point for each correct pick, and a half-point for a push.

Grand Prize:

• The postseason-long contest features a grand prize of $1,250 and 10 Free Spins on slots. The top 1,500 finishers are guaranteed at least $10 and 10 Free Spins.

Consolation Prizes:

• The runner-ups behind the winner can cash in on some fantastic prizes. Second will be awarded $500 and 10 Free Spins, third $250 and 10 Free Spins, fourth $150 and 10 Free Spins, fifth $100 and 10 Free Spins.
• There are no tiebreaker questions. The money will be split if there are ties.

3. SportsBetting.ag Squares

• Entry Fee: Varies
• Prize Pool: Varies
• Contest Type: Squares

The Sportsbetting.ag Squares NFL playoff contest is a take on the squares game that is popular all season, but increases for the playoffs, and definitely in time for the Super Bowl!

You pick the matchup based on the entry fee and payout, both of which will vary. When the board loads, pick up to five squares per purchase. The prize structure is:

• 1st Quarter: 20% of prize pool
• 1st Half: 20% of prize pool
• 3rd Quarter: 20% of prize pool
• Final Score: 40% of prize pool

Here is an example:

The halftime score is New England Patriots 21, LA Chargers 10. The last number for the Patriots is 1, and for the Chargers, it’s 0. The square on the game board that has the Patriots 1, Chargers 0 would be the winner of the halftime prize.

How to Play:

1. Register for an account at Sportsbetting.ag and navigate to the Contests page. There, you will find the Squares lobby.

2. Purchase your squares once the game board loads on the page, and the fee for each square varies by matchup. 

3. You can purchase five squares at a time. But you can buy more squares. All squares contests are played on a 10×10 board, for 100 squares.

4. Players can find their squares in the “My Squares” section, right beside the Squares Lobby link at the top of the page.

5. Each winning square will be filled in golf on your board. The losing squares will be grayed out.

Grand Prizes:

• The Grand Prize for the Sportsbetting.ag Squares contest is 40% of the prize pool for the final score.

Consolation Prizes:

• 20% of the prize pool goes to the 1st quarter winner, 20% for the 1st half winner, and 20% for the 3rd quarter winner.

4. BetUS Betting Squares

• Entry Fee: Varies
• Prize Pool: 1st Quarter (12.5% of Pool), Halftime (25% of Pool), 3rd Quarter (12.5% of Pool), End Game (50% of Pool)
• Contest Type: Squares

For a unique 2025-26 NFL playoff contest, consider checking out BetUS’ square games! You didn’t have to wait for the Super Bowl to get in on the football squares fun at BetUS, but you can get in on the action throughout the playoffs!

Based on the traditional football squares game, players must purchase squares on the playing board to enter the contest for a chance at big cash prizes. The BetUS contest offers players an opportunity to buy squares in every game this season.

How to Play:

1. Players must register for an account at BetUS. A real money deposit must be completed to cover the purchase of the squares. Currently, BetUS is offering a 125% match bonus of up to $2,625 for new customers.

2. Navigate to the BetUS contests page and locate the Betting Squares page.

3. Select the game you would like to play. The BetUS square games are on a standard 10×10 board. If the board is full, BetUS will create another grid.

4. The team on the Y axis is the away team, while the home team is on the X axis. The last digit of each team’s score at the end of the 1st quarter, halftime, 3rd quarter, and the end of regulation is used to determine the winning numbers.

5. Purchase as many squares as you’d like on the board. The cost of each square will vary depending on the game — after all squares are selected, numbers are randomly generated to determine the value of each square.

6. Payouts are determined by the pool, which is awarded to winners after every quarter.

Grand Prizes:

• 50% of the pool will be distributed to the entry with the winning square.

Consolation Prizes:

• Along with the Grand Prize at the end of the game, three consolation prizes are awarded for the 1st quarter (12.5%), halftime (25%), and 3rd quarter (12.5%).