A good pub quiz is a mix of easy wins, a few head-scratchers and a quizmaster who keeps things moving.
This guide covers the whole night: the format, round ideas, the rules to announce, setting up the room, marking,
and what to do when two teams finish level.
1. Pick a format
Most pub quizzes have 6 to 8 rounds of 10 questions. Read aloud with time to think, a round takes
about 15 minutes, so a 6-round quiz with a break in the middle fills around two hours — about right for a weeknight.
A shorter weekly quiz of 4 or 5 rounds works well if you want people home at a sensible time.
Plan a break after round 3 or 4. It gives teams time to get a drink in, gives you time to catch up on the
marking, and is good for the bar.
2. Choose your rounds
Variety keeps every team interested, because nobody is good at everything. A reliable running order:
Start with general knowledge. Easy-to-medium questions settle everyone in and make sure every team gets points on the board.
Add specialist rounds such as film, music, sport, history, geography, food and drink, or TV. Rotate them week to week so regulars don't always get the same topics.
Include something different: a picture round handed out at the start, a music intros round, or a "connections" round where the answers share a link.
Offer a joker. Each team picks one round before it starts in which their points count double. It adds tactics and keeps the scores close.
Finish with general knowledge again, with a few harder questions to separate the leading teams.
3. Get the questions right
One clear answer. If two answers could be right, rewrite the question or accept both.
Mix the difficulty. Roughly half easy, a third medium and a few hard ones in each round. A quiz where most teams score 3 out of 10 isn't fun.
Avoid questions that go out of date, such as who currently holds a title or a record that can be broken.
Check every answer in two places before the night, and decide in advance what you'll accept — surname only, near spellings, and so on.
Read them out loud beforehand so you know how to pronounce the tricky names.
Teams of up to six work well; bigger teams tend to win simply because they know more. Say the limit up front.
Many pubs charge a small entry fee per person and give the winners a bar tab, a cash pot or a bottle. A small prize
for the last-placed team is a nice touch and keeps everyone smiling. If the quiz is raising money for a cause,
say so at the start and again before the raffle.
5. Rules to announce
No looking answers up on phones or asking the bar staff. Teams playing on phones should stay on the quiz page.
The maximum team size, and whether a team can split into two.
How long teams have for each question or round, and when answers are handed in.
What you'll accept for spelling and for half-right answers.
How a tie will be settled.
The quizmaster's decision is final — say it with a smile.
6. Set up the room
Make sure the back of the room can hear you. Use a microphone or the pub's PA if you have one, and turn the background music down during rounds.
Put the joining QR code on every table (or answer sheets and pens if you're on paper), plus a few spares.
Check the Wi-Fi and the mobile signal where teams will sit. Have printed team answer sheets ready as a backup.
Keep your phone or laptop on charge, with the screen set to stay on while the quiz runs.
7. Run the night
Welcome everyone, explain the rules and take the joker choices before round one.
Read each question clearly, twice, then move on at a steady pace. Long pauses lose the room.
At the end of each round, read through the questions once more so teams can make last changes.
Give the scores between rounds. A close race keeps people for the second half.
Enjoy it. A bit of banter and a few surprising facts make a quiz memorable.
8. Marking and scoring
One point per correct answer keeps it simple. On paper, teams can swap sheets with the next table and mark each
other's answers while you read them out — then you check the totals. Keep a score sheet as you go so the final
tally takes minutes, not half an hour.
Decide in advance whether you'll give half points, for example for a surname without a first name, and stick to
it all night.
9. Tie-breakers
Have two or three nearest-number questions ready: each tied team writes down a number, and the
closest wins. Good ones have an exact answer that nobody will know but anyone can guess, such as the year
something happened, a height or a distance. Keep a spare in case the first is a tie too.
10. Announce the results
Count down from third place to build a bit of suspense, give out the prizes, and tell everyone when the next quiz is.
A thank-you to the bar staff goes a long way.
Run it on phones with Pub Quiz Generator
Make the quiz — choose rounds, difficulty and categories, and the questions are picked for you.
Print the QR poster and put it on the tables.
Teams scan the code and answer on their phones — up to 40 teams, or up to 3 phones per team.
Read the questions out and tap Next, or let it run automatically with a timer.
Scores are marked for you. Announce the winners, then release the results to every phone.
Answer sheets, team sheets and a score sheet are included if you'd rather run it on paper.