How to Play Powerball: Numbers, Draws, Power Play and Prizes

Pick five numbers from 1 to 69 and a Powerball from 1 to 26 for $2. Here's how the drawings, Power Play, Double Play, prizes and ticket checks work.

Powerball is the $2 jackpot game sold in 45 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. You choose six numbers, three drawings a week pick six balls, and there are nine ways to win. Here’s everything you need, whether it’s your first ticket or your hundredth.

Pick your numbers

Every Powerball play has two parts:

Five white-ball numbers from 1 to 69
One red Powerball from 1 to 26

Mark your numbers on a play slip at any lottery retailer, or ask for a quick pick and the lottery terminal chooses random numbers for you. Neither way is better. It comes down to whether you enjoy choosing.

Want to see what a random set looks like before you head to the store? Our quick pick generator makes one in a tap.

Price: $2 per play. One exception: in Idaho and Montana, Powerball comes bundled with Power Play, so a play costs at least $3.

When the drawings happen

Drawings are every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. Eastern. They’re broadcast live from the Florida Lottery draw studio in Tallahassee and streamed on Powerball.com.

Ticket sales close before each drawing. Powerball says the cut-off is one to two hours ahead, depending on where you buy, so your state lottery is the place to check the exact time.

Curious what happens in that studio? See how lottery drawings work.

How prizes work

Match all five white balls, in any order, plus the red Powerball to win the jackpot. The jackpot starts at $20 million and grows until someone wins it. If more than one ticket matches, the jackpot is split among the winners.

The other eight prizes are set cash amounts:

Match	Prize	Odds
5 + Powerball	Jackpot	1 in 292,201,338
5	$1,000,000	1 in 11,688,053.52
4 + Powerball	$50,000	1 in 913,129.18
4	$100	1 in 36,525.17
3 + Powerball	$100	1 in 14,494.11
3	$7	1 in 579.76
2 + Powerball	$7	1 in 701.33
1 + Powerball	$4	1 in 91.98
Powerball only	$4	1 in 38.32

The overall odds of winning any prize are 1 in 24.87. California does things differently: prize amounts there are pari-mutuel, set by sales and the number of winners.

Notice the bottom row. Matching just the red ball still wins $4, so it’s worth checking every line, even if the white balls missed.

Jackpot winners choose between an annuity, paid as 30 graduated payments over 29 years, and a one-time cash payment. Both advertised amounts are before taxes. Our lump sum vs. annuity guide explains the choice.

Power Play: bigger non-jackpot prizes

For $1 more per play, Power Play multiplies any non-jackpot prize by 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X or 10X. The multiplier is drawn along with the numbers, so everyone with Power Play in that drawing gets the same one.

Match 5 is special: with Power Play it always pays $2 million, whatever the multiplier.
10X has a limit: it’s only in play when the advertised jackpot is $150 million or less.
Example: a $100 prize with a 3X Power Play pays $300.

When 10X is available, the multiplier odds are 24 in 43 for 2X, 13 in 43 for 3X, 3 in 43 for 4X, 2 in 43 for 5X and 1 in 43 for 10X.

Double Play: a second drawing

Double Play is another $1 add-on. Your same numbers go into a separate drawing held right after each Powerball drawing, with a top cash prize of $10 million.

Match	Double Play prize
5 + Powerball	$10,000,000
5	$500,000
4 + Powerball	$50,000
4 or 3 + Powerball	$500
3 or 2 + Powerball	$20
1 + Powerball	$10
Powerball only	$7

You can add both features to a ticket, but Power Play doesn’t multiply Double Play prizes.

Where it’s offered: 30 lotteries sell Double Play: Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, U.S. Virgin Islands and Washington.

How to check your ticket

A few rules from Powerball make checking easy:

Order doesn’t matter for white balls. Your ticket prints them in numerical order, and they can match the drawn numbers in any order.
The Powerball must match the red ball. The red number on your line has to match the red Powerball drawn.
Each line stands alone. You can’t combine numbers from different lines or different tickets.
Check your extras. If you bought Power Play, look up that drawing’s multiplier. If you bought Double Play, check those numbers too.

Our ticket checker compares your numbers with recent draws and shows which prize tier you matched. Latest results are on our Powerball page.

If you win

Claim where you bought. Prizes must be claimed in the state or jurisdiction that sold the ticket.
Smaller prizes: you can generally claim up to $600 at any licensed retailer there.
Bigger prizes: these go to some lottery offices, depending on the amount, or lottery headquarters.
Watch the deadline: claim periods usually run from 90 days to one year, and the expiration date is often printed on the back of the ticket.

Wondering where and how you can buy tickets? Our state pages cover each state’s rules.