Explore the odds and chances of winning a Powerball jackpot, along with all the other ways to win a Powerball cash prize.
Playing Powerball is fun and exciting for thousands of people who stop into their local retailer to buy their weekly tickets. The hopes of winning a Powerball jackpot, along with hearing all the winner stories, make it an enticing game to play. Despite the mounting odds of becoming a jackpot winner, players return, too, because Powerball presents so many ways to win non-jackpot prize amounts. And those odds are worth knowing since even a $50,000, $100,000, or $1M Powerball prize can be life-changing. Today, we’re unraveling all the odds for you!
Everyone Knows the Odds of Winning a Powerball Jackpot
Since winning a Powerball jackpot is more of a high-profile concept, most players generally understand the odds are sizable. It’s estimated that any given player, in any given drawing, for any given jackpot dollar amount, has a one in 292.2 million chance of matching all the numbers drawn for a jackpot win. Those seem steep, but what about winning other prize amounts?
Odds of Winning $1M
Should you be lucky enough to align all five white balls without selecting the right red Powerball, you’re still a prize winner. In these instances, the player wins $1M. The odds are in your favor, far more than those of a Powerball jackpot, too. Analysis suggests that your chances of winning $1M are one in 11,688,053.52.
Odds of Winning $50,000
If your number-picking methods work, and you’re able to match four white balls along with the red Powerball, you’re a winner! These combinations are eligible for a $50,000 prize. The odds of winning are even sweeter, with one in 913,129.18.
Two Ways to Win $100
You can become a $100 Powerball winner in two ways. Either you match four white balls only, or you match three white balls and the red Powerball to win. And the odds are one in 36,525.17 and one in 14,494.11, respectively.
Other Odds and Smaller Prizes
The general odds of winning “anything” in Powerball are one in 24.87. Those odds are based on $2 gameplay and include even the smallest prizes available. Here’s how the remaining winner options and odds break out:
- Three white balls only: $7 – 1 in 579.76
- Two white balls and one red Powerball: $7 – 1 in 701.33
- One white ball and one red Powerball: $4 – 1 in 91.98
- One red Powerball only: $4 – 1 in 38.32
Non-Jackpot Powerball Prizes Can Be Worth Even More
Keep those Powerball-playing odds in mind whenever you play. But don’t forget, those prize amounts can grow even higher when you consider the Power Play feature. For an extra dollar, you can engage the Power Play when you buy your $2 ticket. And based on the multiplier drawn for that game, your non-jackpot prize could double, triple, or quadruple! Here’s the structure for payouts on the non-jackpot multipliers:
- $1M Prize - Any multiplier results in $2M max
- $50,000 Prize - Multipliers include 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X, and 10X ($500,000 max)
- $100 Prize - Multipliers include 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X, and 10X ($1,000 max)
- $7 Prize - Multipliers include 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X, and 10X ($70 max)
- $4 Prize - Multipliers include 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X, and 10X ($40 max)
Is There Any Way to Increase Your Odds?
So, now that you know and understand the odds of winning any prize amount when playing Powerball, you might be wondering if there are any real methods of improving your odds. Despite the many beliefs and methods people subscribe to when playing, there’s only one way to improve your chances of winning. Buying more tickets for each drawing will subtly increase your odds. The more tickets you buy in a given drawing, the better your shot of winning. And this concept makes playing with a pool of people more advantageous, since in those scenarios, your group buys several tickets at once.
Don’t just get excited about winning a Powerball jackpot. When you know the odds for all the other ways to win, it’s all the more fun to play!