Straight, Box, Combo and More: Every Way to Play Pick Games

Pick games give you more ways to play than any other lottery game. They all come down to one question: does your number have to match in the exact order, or in any order? Names and prices vary a little by state, but these are the play types you’ll see most.

Straight

Your number has to match in the exact order. It’s the hardest to win and pays the most. Pick 3 straight odds are 1 in 1,000; Pick 4 straight odds are 1 in 10,000.

Box

Your number can match in any order. A box covers every order of your digits, so it wins more often but pays less. How many orders it covers depends on repeated digits: a Pick 3 number with three different digits is a 6-way box; with one pair, a 3-way box. Some states call this “any order”.

Straight/box

Half your bet goes on straight and half on box. In New York, a $1 straight/box play is 50 cents on each. Match in the exact order and you win both prizes; match in another order and you win the box prize. North Carolina calls this 50/50 (Exact/Any).

Combo

A combo buys every straight order of your number on one ticket, so you win the full straight prize whatever order the digits come in. It costs one play per order: a 6-way Pick 3 combo at $1 a play costs $6.

Front pair and back pair

Some states let you play only two digits of a Pick 3 or Pick 4: the first two (front pair) or the last two (back pair). It’s a smaller game inside the big one, with its own odds and prizes. Not every state offers it.

Which should you play?

None of them changes the odds of any number being drawn; they only change how you can win and how much you get. Pick the one that sounds fun, and set a budget before you play. To compare plays for any number, try the Pick calculator.