Today’s Powerball players, novice and veteran alike, need to know a few key insights about how to play, what to expect, and enjoying the game.
Whether you’re a veteran Powerball player or a complete novice, there are some important details to know about America’s favorite lottery. Certain aspects of the game have changed over the years, including the introduction of a new day of drawings. And with so many different ways to win, even those of you who play often can find value in a bit of a refresher. Here’s what today’s Powerball players should know about this iconic game, including some insights about your chances of winning.
Playing Powerball and Knowing the Rules
Let’s begin with Powerball basics. To play, you’ll want to visit any authorized Powerball retailer to buy your tickets. And once at the counter, you can choose to have the numbers selected for you as a Quick Pick play, or you can get a ticket with the numbers you choose.
Powerball tickets are priced at two dollars each. And for an additional buck, you can add the “PowerPlay” option to your game. This added feature will boost the amount you win for any non-jackpot prize. For example, with a PowerPlay, should you win $50,000 because you matched some numbers, your prize could double because you played the extra feature. So, the maximum you can spend on any Powerball game is three dollars.
You can also now play the Powerball Multi-Draw. This game feature allows you to play your chosen roster of numbers over several different drawings at once. So, if you want to play your digits on all three games in one week, you can elect to do so at the time of purchase. And the Future Drawing option lets you pick specific dates to play in the future, including any upcoming birthdays, lucky days, or dates of significance to you.
Powerball drawings occur three times each week, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. The winning numbers will be shared on your favorite television news programs, usually in the local newspapers and, of course, online. To be a jackpot winner, you’ll need to match all five “white” balls plus the one “red” Powerball number.
More than a Few Ways to Win
Depending on the number of balls you manage to match with your game and whether or not you’ve elected the PowerPlay feature, there are plenty of opportunities for you to win prizes other than the massive jackpot.
Basic Powerball Payouts:
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5 Matching White Balls and the Powerball: Jackpot (starts at $40 million, has no upper limit)
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5 Matching White Balls, but no Powerball: $1,000,000
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4 Matching White Balls and the Powerball: $50,000
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4 Matching White Balls, but no Powerball: $100
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3 Matching White Balls and the Powerball: $100
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3 Matching White Balls, but no Powerball: $7
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2 Matching White Balls and the Powerball: $7
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1 Matching White Ball and the Powerball: $4
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Just the Powerball: $4
Understanding Your Powerball Odds
With three drawings every week, you have an increased opportunity to play Powerball. And because there are tiers of prize payouts, depending on the total amount of numbers you match, there are more than a few ways to be a cash prize winner.
If no one wins a particular Powerball drawing, the prize rolls over to the next Powerball drawing, with an increased amount. Typically, the Powerball jackpot begins at $40 million and then swells by an additional $10 million with each game that doesn’t produce a winner. But what are your odds of becoming a big winner?
The official odds of matching all your numbers in a drawing and winning the jackpot are about 1 in 292.2 million. To win the $50,000 cash prize, matching four white balls and the Powerball, your odds are one in 913,129. The overall odds for winning any prize amount is one and 24.87, which means your chances of at least winning back your ticket purchase are pretty good. And because each drawing is completely random and independent of any other drawings, your odds of winning essentially reset each time you play.
Now that you have a complete understanding of how to play Powerball, all you need to do is get out there and play!