If you’re not confident enough to play Powerball, what you need is a Powerball for beginners guide to understanding how it works.
With millions of people playing Powerball every year, you might assume everyone knows how the game works. But there are tens of thousands of individuals out there who have never played, not even once. Maybe you’re one of them. Jackpots are getting bigger these days, and playing is super convenient, affordable, and easy. Today, we’ll carve out the ultimate guide to help the novice with their first Powerball ticket buy. In this highlight of Powerball for beginners, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about playing and winning. After all, anyone can play, even rookies. And it only takes one Powerball ticket to win.
Powerball for Beginners: Basics to Play
Powerball is super popular, in part because of its convenience and affordability to play. Each play only costs $2.00, and most convenience stores sell Powerball tickets, making a quick ticket purchase easy when you stop for gas. Powerball tickets are easily played online, too. You can opt for a quick pick game and let the numbers get randomly selected for you by the lottery terminal. Or you can choose your own numbers. With your ticket in front of you, you’ll see you have to pick five numbers, one through 69, for the white balls. Then you can choose a Powerball number, one through 26 and you’re all set.
The Power Play Option & Powerball Multi-Draw
For a marginal extra fee, you can ask to use the Power Play option with your Powerball ticket purchase. The Power Play option translates to boosting a non-jackpot win into even bigger payouts. Multiply your partial win by two, three, four, or five, which can translate to thousands of dollars. If the jackpot itself is less than $150 million, some Power Play options allow for a ten-times the win. Match 5 winnings are doubled to $2 million regardless of the Power Play number selected. The Powerball Multi-Draw is a way to play the same numbers in up to 26 consecutive drawings, and all at once. And if you have an upcoming date that has special meaning for you, you can even choose a Future Drawing option that allows you to play on a specific drawing date.
There’s More than One Way to Win
Powerball can be especially alluring because the jackpots will continue to grow until a winner has matched the numbers and is identified. And even more appealing are the variety of ways to win some cash. In fact, you can be a Powerball winner in nine different ways. Just matching the Powerball number alone is worth a $4.00 win. To win the big jackpot, the winning ticket will match all five white balls and the Powerball, collectively. But matching a selection of white balls and the Powerball can translate to sizable cash winnings, too. With so many ways to win, the overall odds of winning any Powerball prize is about one in 24.9, improving your chances of being a Powerball winner.
How to Tell if You Have a Winning Ticket
When it comes time to check your numbers, you have a variety of options. Several media outlets will often broadcast the winning numbers during news segments. But you can also check your local paper or check the winning numbers online or with mobile apps. If you discover you have a match, with some or all of your numbers, you can visit any local location that sells Powerball tickets and have them verify your numbers. But it’s critical that you sign your ticket first, to make it yours and avoid any scamming or theft at the counter. To claim your prize, you have to provide identification that matches your signature. Any prizes of $600 or less can usually be paid out by the venue that sold you your winning ticket. Larger rewards can be claimed at the nearest lottery office. If you have a winning combination of numbers, you can always contact the lottery and Powerball headquarters.
This Powerball for beginners guide can hopefully shed some light on how the game works. You can now hop online or venture out to your local retailer and play confidently for yourself!