# How squares numbers are drawn, and why the draw comes after the lock

The digits 0 to 9 along the rows and the columns of a squares grid are not fixed when the squares are claimed: they are drawn at random once the grid is locked, so nobody picks a square knowing its value. The tool draws them once, records the moment, and never redraws.

## The draw

- Two shuffles: the ten digits for the rows (one team) and the ten digits for the columns (the other team).
- After the lock only: a draw before the lock would let later entries pick the good digits.
- Once: a redraw after scores are known is the one thing a host must never do; the tool refuses it.

## Reading the grid

- The row digit is the last digit of the first team's score, the column digit the last digit of the second team's score.
- Scores are cumulative: at the half you use the half-time score, not the second-quarter points alone.

## Quick answers

**When are the numbers drawn in a squares pool?**

After the host locks the grid and before the game: once, at random, for the rows and for the columns separately; the moment of the draw is shown on the board.

**Can the host redraw the numbers?**

No. A draw happens once per pool; a redraw after a score is known would change a winner, so the tool does not offer one.

Start a pool: https://bikoosh.com/pools/new
Bikoosh Pools is an independent tool, not affiliated with any league, team or broadcaster; team and event names are used to describe the game being followed. Bikoosh Pools never collects, holds or pays out money and never sets stakes: it keeps the grid, the picks and the standings for people who already know each other. Whether a pool carries any stake, and whether that is allowed where you are, is the host's responsibility.