9 Ways to Win the Powerball: Everything You Should Know Before Playing (2024)

Even if you don't hit the jackpot you could win something

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9 Ways to Win the Powerball: Everything You Should Know Before Playing (1)9 Ways to Win the Powerball: Everything You Should Know Before Playing (2)

If you're playing the Powerball, of course, you're going for the jackpot. But with your odds sitting at 1 in 292 million for the big win, you should know the other ways to cash in if you don't have all six numbers. In total, there are eight other ways to recoup the cost of your ticket and even win up to $1 million, without hitting the jackpot. For just $2 a ticket, what's the harm in playing your luck every now and again.

Powerball numbers are called every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET. The numbers consist of five white balls numbered 1 through 69 and one red ball, the Powerball, which will be between 1 and 26. Players can select their numbers for themselves or opt for quick pick, and have their numbers selected for them. To win the jackpot, you must have the numbers of all five white balls correct and the Powerball. Though the odds of winning the jackpot aren't great, the odds of winning the smallest award is much better at 1 in 38.32.

8 Ways to Win Powerball If You Don't Hit the Jackpot:

The first way to win is to hit the jackpot. If you missed a number here or there for the jackpot, don't fret. You can still win something if you have any of these additional eight winning combinations:

  • If you have 5 white numbers correct but not the Powerball you win $1 million.
  • If you have 4 out of 5 of the white numbers AND the Powerball you win $50,000.
  • Match 4 out of 5 of the white numbers only and win $100.
  • With 3 white numbers AND the Powerball you win $100.
  • 3 white numbers only wins $7.
  • Two white numbers AND the Powerball equals $7.
  • If you have just one white number AND the Powerball you win $4.
  • Finally, if you only have the Powerball correct you win $4.

Of course, if you opted for Power Play when buying your tickets, the winnings for all prizes other than the jackpot are much greater. The Power Play rules are announced at each drawing and can double, triple or even quadruple your prize money.

So, if you're going to play Powerball make sure not to leave any money on the table even if you didn't hit the jackpot! Depending on where you live, you have 90 days to 1 year to claim your prize. Check your local news for the winning numbers, or go to the official Powerball website.

9 Ways to Win the Powerball: Everything You Should Know Before Playing (3)

Maggie Horton

Associate News Editor

Maggie Horton is the Associate News Editor at Country Living. She covers all things entertainment from celebrity news to TV shows and movies. When she's not posting to social media, researching the latest celebrity gossip or binging the hottest new TV series, you can find her at a local concert or outside enjoying nature.

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9 Ways to Win the Powerball: Everything You Should Know Before Playing (2024)

FAQs

9 Ways to Win the Powerball: Everything You Should Know Before Playing? ›

There is only one way to increase your odds of winning Powerball. You have to buy more tickets. Purchasing multiple tickets can be done in two ways: The basic method is choosing numbers randomly or using a quick pick machine.

What are the 9 ways to win Powerball? ›

To win, match one of the 9 Ways to Win:
  • 5 white balls + 1 red Powerball = Grand prize.
  • 5 white balls = $1 million.
  • 4 white balls + 1 red Powerball = $50,000.
  • 4 white balls = $100.
  • 3 white balls + 1 red Powerball = $100.
  • 3 white balls = $7.
  • 2 white balls + 1 red Powerball = $7.
  • 1 white ball + 1 red Powerball = $4.
Sep 18, 2023

Is there a trick to Powerball? ›

There is only one way to increase your odds of winning Powerball. You have to buy more tickets. Purchasing multiple tickets can be done in two ways: The basic method is choosing numbers randomly or using a quick pick machine.

How to win jackpot Powerball? ›

In order to win the Powerball jackpot you need to guess all six numbers correctly. However, you can still win some cash with just a few. The jackpot is now at $34 million for Saturday's drawing after a lucky winner claimed the prize on Monday.

What happens if you get all 5 numbers but not the Powerball? ›

Matching three main numbers and the Powerball or four main numbers, that's a $100 payout. To land a $50,000 prize, you'll have to match four main numbers and the Powerball. If you match five main numbers but not the Powerball, your ticket is worth $1 million.

Is there a pattern to win Powerball? ›

There is no wrong way to choose Powerball numbers. There's also no magic formula to pick the winning numbers. But ... we went back and looked at the winning numbers for every drawing since the jackpot started at $20 million in April. We didn't find a particular pattern.

What is the smartest way to play Powerball? ›

  1. Mix Even & Odd Numbers. ...
  2. Split Between Low & High Numbers. ...
  3. Add Up Those Numbers. ...
  4. Buy More Than One Ticket. ...
  5. Don't Group Your Numbers Together. ...
  6. Don't Repeat Winning Numbers. ...
  7. Try Doing The Easy Pick Yourself.

How can I increase my chances of winning the Powerball? ›

The only way to improve your probability of winning the big jackpot is to buy more tickets. If it is a lottery where you choose your own numbers, then you can win more smaller prizes by blanketing the entire range of numbers over multiple tickets.

Is there a secret to Powerball? ›

What is the most likely way to win the lottery? “There's really no secret. Otherwise, the cat would be out of the bag. I would say the only advice we sometimes do give our players and it's decent advice, is if you want to make your dollar go further, you might consider going in on a group.

How to win Powerball guaranteed? ›

Guaranteeing a Powerball jackpot win is theoretically possible, but it's basically impossible to pull off in practice. Securing a smaller Powerball win is more realistic, but you'll probably still lose more than you gain. Investing is a surer way to grow your wealth over time.

How to win the Powerball lottery mathematically? ›

There is only one known way to ensure winning the jackpot. That is to buy at least one lottery ticket for every possible number combination. For example, one has to buy 13,983,816 different tickets to ensure to win the jackpot in a 6/49 game.

What Powerball numbers hit the most? ›

Here are the 10 most common numbers to be drawn on the five white balls over the past nearly eight years, according to LottoNumbers.com.
  • 61: Drawn 90 times.
  • 32: Drawn 89 times.
  • 63: Drawn 87 times.
  • 21: Drawn 86 times.
  • 36: Drawn 84 times.
  • 23: Drawn 82 times.
  • 69: Drawn 81 times.
  • 37: Drawn 79 times.
Oct 9, 2023

What is the best strategy to win the lottery? ›

To better your chances of winning any lottery, you have to buy more tickets, he said. The more tickets, the more chances of choosing the right combination of numbers.

What is the difference between a 2 dollar and 3 dollar Powerball ticket? ›

The Power Play option — which costs an extra $1.00, turning a $2 ticket into a $3 ticket — does the following: has no effect on the Jackpot/Grand Prize, always doubles the payout of the second-most-lucrative prize, and.

What if I have three Powerball numbers? ›

3 numbers - $7 again.

What if I got the Powerball number only? ›

Yes, if you just hit the Powerball number, you win $4.

This gives you the $2 purchase of your ticket back, plus an extra $2. According to Powerball's official website, the odds of your ticket matching only the Powerball is 1 in 38.32.

What is the system 9 in Powerball? ›

A System covers all possible 7 number combinations of your 8 or more numbers. The type of System chosen relates to how many numbers are played. For example, a System 9 gives you every combination of your 9 numbers, and a System 14 gives you every combination of your 14 numbers.

How many numbers do you need to win anything on Powerball? ›

How many Powerball numbers do you need to win a prize? You only need to match one number in Powerball to win a prize. However, that number must be the Powerball worth $4. Visit powerball.com for the entire prize chart.

How many ways are there to win on a Powerball ticket? ›

To watch the drawings, click HERE. The Powerball jackpot grows until it is won. Players win a prize by matching one of the 9 ways to win.

What do you get for 2 numbers and Powerball? ›

2 numbers plus the Powerball - $7

If your ticket matches two numbers and the Powerball you'll get $7 but the odds to get there begin to skyrocket to 1 in 701.

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