Frequently Asked Questions
- How does it work?
- Why aren't my blocks saving?
- Can I change the blocks I want if I've already chosen mine?
- How does FreeBlockPool generate random numbers?
- Why does FreeBlockPool need my email address and zip code?
- Am I going to get spammed?
- How do I do a season long pool?
- Is FreeBlockPool.com Legal?
- What cool things are you working on?
Most people have been in a block pool of some kind -- usually they center around the big football championship game (we're not allowed to use the name of the game for trademark reasons, but imagine a Bowl that can stop bullets and wears a cape). Basically a block pool is a grid with two sets of numbers -- one set across the top and one set along the left side. The numbers go from zero to nine (0-9) representing the last digit in the score of a particular sporting event. The top numbers correspond to one of the competing teams, and the left hand numbers correspond to the other.
The grid is blank to begin with (there are no numbers or blocks assigned) and users choose their blocks by writing in their name, or in this case, checking the block on FreeBlockPool.com. After the grid is full, the numbers are generated randomly. This prevents the first few people taking up all the 'likely' winning numbers. If the numbers you have match the last digit of the score for a particular point in the game, you win! Most pools dealing with football have winners after every quarter.
So, say you choose a block, and after the numbers are generated you see your block has the numbers Home Team - 3, Away Team - 5. If the score at the end of the quarter is Home Team 23, Away Team 15, you win! It's that simple!
FreeBlockPool simplifies the whole process by allowing you to choose your blocks online, automatically generate the numbers, and print your sheet all without having to mess around with copies, people constantly checking the sheet's status, or coming by your desk to fill in their names. All you have to do is check your boxes, confirm them, and you're IN!
There can be two reasons your blocks are not saving:
1) Someone already chose that block - While very rare, it is possible that while you were looking over the grid, someone came along and sniped the block you had your eye on. The longer you look at the sheet without choosing a block, the more likely this scenario becomes. When this happens, you will be asked to go back and choose all new blocks. This is because FreeBlockPool does not want to decide for you how many blocks you wind up with. Although you can change your block choices at any time, it's better for you that we allow you to re-do your block choices if one or more of your blocks is taken.
2) You did not confirm your choices - When you submit your block choices, FreeBlockPool.com will tell you how many blocks you had before, how many you have now, and ask you to confirm your choices. Your blocks are not saved until you confirm them, so do that quickly to prevent someone else grabbing one of your blocks as described in number 1. You will know your blocks are saved once you get back to the grid and you see the message that your choices were accepted.
Absolutely! You can choose new blocks and drop old blocks at any time as long as your pool's manager hasn't locked the pool. Managers usually lock the pool once it is filled and numbers have been generated. If you need to remove or change blocks once the pool has been locked, please see your pool's manager.
Believe it or not, there is no way to generate true random numbers using a computer. While we'd prefer not to divulge exactly how the numbers are generated (to prevent unscrupulous folks from cheating), you can be assured that the numbers will indeed be random enough to ensure an equal chance of any one block being assigned any combination of numbers. Once we have enough data, we will post it here to prove this.
Did you know that there are 3,628,800 possible ways to distribute the digits 0-9 across ten rows or columns? WOW!
Your email address is used as your user name. At present, nothing else is done with the email address. In the future, we may allow managers to email people in their pools, or have the system email you if your block matched the numbers for a particular game, but your privacy is our top priority, and your email address will never be revealed to anyone - not to your pool's manager and certainly not to third parties (see below).
Your zip code is used only for internal purposes to help us determine where our user base lives. We count on our advertisers to keep this site FREE (otherwise we'd have to change our name!), and if we can tell them where our users live, we can more effectively show you advertising that will be more relevent to you. Again, we will NEVER reveal any personally identifiable information to any third party.
NO! FreeBlockPool.com values your privacy, and we will never send you unsolicited email, sell your information to any third parties, or reveal your information to anyone for any reason. You MAY receive from us notifications that our site has changed or is experiencing problems, special offers from FreeBlockPool.com, or contests that we are running. You are one of our valued users, and we would never violate your trust in us by using your information in a negative way.
A season long pool is one in which users maintain the same blocks for an entire season, but new numbers are generated weekly. The best way to do this is to set up the pool once, generate the numbers for the first week and then lock the pool. Once the game is over, managers can unlock the pool, edit the pool options to represent the upcoming game, re-generate the numbers and lock the pool again. This way everyone keeps the same blocks!
YES, FreeBlockPool.com is legal. We are simply a technology tool which allows people to manage block pools. The use of our site is not intended for gambling or other illegal purposes. Per our terms and conditions, users alone are responsible for how our site is used. If you feel you have a gambling problem, please visit Gamblers Anonymous
Glad you asked! Check out this list of features we hope to implement in the near future!
Real Time Game Syncing: Imagine knowing right away if your block hit! We are currently looking into receiving feeds from sports information suppliers to allow us to let you choose games from a list and have winning blocks highlighted in real time!
Survivor Pools: Pick one team each week to win their game, but you can't choose the same team twice! Last man standing wins.