Pick 2 Explained: The Smallest Daily Lottery Game

Pick 2 is the smallest of the daily Pick games. You choose a two-digit number, and if it matches the drawn number the way your bet requires, you win. With just two digits there are only 100 possible numbers, from 00 to 99. That makes it the simplest game in the Pick family and the one with the shortest odds.

This guide covers how Pick 2 is played, two lotteries that draw it, the odds, and what the official sources say about prices and prizes.

How Pick 2 works

The basic idea is the same everywhere. A two-digit winning number is drawn, and you try to match it. Each digit can be anything from 0 to 9, and repeats are allowed. In Florida, you select one number from each of two columns, and you may choose the same number in both columns.

If you don’t want to pick, both Pennsylvania and Florida offer Quick Pick, where the terminal or computer chooses your numbers at random.

The straight odds are 1 in 100, because there are 100 possible numbers and only one exact match. Every draw is random, so each number has the same chance every time.

Play types

Pick 2 offers several ways to bet on the same two digits. The common ones are:

• Straight: match both digits in exact order.
• Box: match both digits in any order. A box covers every order of your digits, so with two different digits (say 4 and 7) it covers both 47 and 74.
• Straight/Box: win in exact order or any order.
• Front/Back: match just the front digit or just the back digit.

Pennsylvania lists its play types as Straight, Box, Straight/Box, Super Straight, Front Digit and Back Digit. Florida lists Straight, Box, Straight/Box and Front/Back. For a deeper look at how these bets compare across the Pick games, see ways to play Pick games.

Pick 2 in Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania Lottery draws Pick 2 twice a day, with a day drawing and an evening drawing. You can play day, evening or both.

• The day drawing can be viewed on the PA Lottery website daily after 1:35 p.m.
• The evening drawing is held during the nightly drawing show at 6:59 p.m.
• Sales end at 1:05 p.m. for the day drawing and 6:57 p.m. for the evening drawing.

A Pennsylvania playslip has up to five panels, each with its own two-digit number. You can play up to seven draws in advance, and you can add the optional Wild Ball feature. Players must be 18 or older.

Pennsylvania also reminds players that a ticket is a bearer document, legally owned by whoever holds it until it is signed. Its first claiming step is filling in the back of the ticket with your name, address, phone number and signature.

Pick 2 in Florida

The Florida Lottery also draws Pick 2 twice a day:

• Midday: 1:30 p.m. ET
• Evening: 9:45 p.m. ET

Tickets can be bought up to 13 minutes before each drawing, which means 1:17 p.m. ET for midday and 9:32 p.m. ET for evening. If you mark BOTH, two separate tickets print. If you mark no draw time, the terminal prints a ticket for the next available drawing.

Every Florida play slip has 5 panels. The base ticket price is $0.50 or $1, and all Straight/Box plays cost $1. Florida lists the top prize as $50 and the overall odds as “varies,” since they depend on how you play.

Florida’s Advance Play lets you play the same numbers up to 6 months ahead. If you claim a prize on an Advance Play ticket before all its draws have happened, you get a continuation ticket for the remaining draws.

Add-ons: Wild Ball and Fireball

Both lotteries offer an optional extra feature.

In Florida it’s called Fireball. A separate Fireball number is drawn, and it can replace one of the two official winning digits, creating more winning combinations. Adding Fireball doubles your ticket price and applies to all panels played.

In Pennsylvania the add-on is Wild Ball, which you can select when you buy your Pick 2 ticket.

These features change which combinations count as winners, but they don’t change the fact that every draw is random.

Prizes

Of the two sources, Florida is the one that states a top prize for Pick 2: $50. The Pennsylvania source used here doesn’t list prize amounts, so check the PA Lottery’s own Pick 2 prizes information before you play.

If you want to see how Pick 2 odds compare with the bigger Pick games, try our Pick calculator or read how Pick 3 works.

The bottom line

Pick 2 is quick, simple and drawn twice a day in both Pennsylvania and Florida. You get 100 possible numbers, 1 in 100 straight odds, and a handful of play types to choose from. Play for fun, keep your ticket safe, and check the latest results on our Pick 2 page. To find other lotteries and their games, browse our states section.