How to Play Powerball: A Complete Beginner's Guide

To play Powerball, you pick five white-ball numbers from 1 to 69 and one red Powerball number from 1 to 26, pay $2 per play at an authorized lottery retailer (or online where your state allows it), and wait for the next drawing on Monday, Wednesday or Saturday night at 10:59 p.m. ET. You win the jackpot by matching all six numbers, and you can win one of eight smaller prizes by matching fewer, starting with just the red Powerball.

That's the whole game in two sentences. The rest of this guide walks through each step in more detail: how the play slip works, what the optional add-ons do, how prizes are decided, and what to do after the drawing.

What Powerball is

Powerball is a multi-state lottery game coordinated by the Multi-State Lottery Association and sold by individual state lotteries. It's available in nearly every U.S. state plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Every ticket, no matter where it was bought, is entered in the same national drawing, so the winning numbers are the same everywhere.

Because so many jurisdictions sell the same game, the jackpot can grow very large when nobody wins for a while. The advertised jackpot is an estimated annuity value paid over 30 years; winners can also choose a smaller lump-sum cash value instead.

The basic rules at a glance

One detail that trips up beginners: the white balls and the red ball come from two separate drums. The Powerball number can be the same as one of your white-ball numbers. If you pick 7 as a white ball and 7 as the Powerball, that's a perfectly valid play.

How to play Powerball, step by step

Step 1: Find where you can buy a ticket

Most players buy at a licensed retailer, such as a convenience store, grocery store or gas station that displays the lottery logo. Some states also sell Powerball through their official lottery website or app. Rules on online sales are set state by state, so check your own state lottery's website before assuming you can buy online. Only buy from your state lottery or its licensed retailers.

Step 2: Fill out a play slip (or ask for a Quick Pick)

A Powerball play slip has several panels, usually labeled A, B, C and so on. Each panel is one $2 play. In a panel you:

1. Mark five numbers in the 1–69 white-ball grid.
2. Mark one number in the 1–26 Powerball grid.
3. Or mark the "QP" (Quick Pick) box to let the terminal choose some or all of the numbers at random.

You can also skip the slip entirely and just ask the clerk for a Quick Pick. Either way, your odds are exactly the same. Every combination has the same 1 in 292,201,338 chance of hitting the jackpot.

Step 3: Decide on add-ons

The slip has boxes for optional features. Each one adds $1 to every play on the slip:

• Power Play multiplies most non-jackpot prizes by 2, 3, 4, 5 or 10 times, depending on a separately drawn multiplier. A Match 5 prize becomes $2 million instead of $1 million.
• Double Play enters your same numbers into a second, separate drawing held after the main one, with a top prize of $10 million. It's only offered in some jurisdictions.

Neither add-on changes your odds of winning the main game. They only change what certain wins pay.

Step 4: Choose how many drawings

Many slips include a multi-draw option so you can play the same numbers for several consecutive drawings at once. The number of drawings available varies by state. If you don't mark anything, your ticket is for the next drawing only.

Step 5: Pay and check your ticket

Hand over the slip and pay. The retailer prints your official ticket. Before you leave the counter, check that:

• The numbers match what you marked.
• The drawing date (or date range) is correct.
• Any add-ons you paid for are printed on the ticket.

The printed ticket, not the play slip, is what proves you played. Sign the back in most states, keep it somewhere safe, and don't share a photo of the front, which can show barcodes used for claiming.

Step 6: Watch the drawing or check the results

Drawings take place Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET, normally at the Florida Lottery's draw studio in Tallahassee. Results are posted on powerball.com and on every state lottery site shortly afterward. You can also scan your ticket with a retailer's ticket checker or your state lottery's app.

Keep in mind that ticket sales close before the drawing. The cutoff varies by state. In Florida, for example, Powerball sales close at 10:00 p.m. ET on drawing nights, according to the Florida Lottery.

How Powerball prizes work

There are nine ways to win. Every prize except the jackpot is a set cash amount in most states (California pays non-jackpot prizes on a pari-mutuel basis, so amounts there vary).

Source: powerball.com prize chart. Base prizes without Power Play.

Notice that matching two white balls without the Powerball wins nothing, and neither does matching one white ball alone. Order also doesn't matter for the white balls. If the drawn white balls are 4, 18, 22, 39 and 61, and your ticket has 61, 39, 22, 18 and 4, you've matched all five.

A worked example

Say the winning numbers are 8 – 15 – 27 – 44 – 63, Powerball 12. Here's how three tickets would do:

If the second ticket had Power Play and the multiplier drawn was 3x, that $7 would become $21.

Taking the jackpot: annuity or cash

The jackpot amount you see advertised is an estimate of the annuity option: one immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments that rise by 5% each year, for 30 payments in total. The cash option is a single, smaller lump sum roughly equal to the money in the jackpot prize pool. If more than one ticket matches all six numbers, the jackpot is split equally.

All prizes are subject to taxes. For U.S. citizens, prizes over $5,000 have 24% federal income tax withheld, and the top federal tax bracket is 37%, so the withholding may not cover everything you owe. State taxes range from nothing to several percent depending on where you live. This is general information, not tax advice; a tax professional can help with your situation.

After the drawing: checking and claiming

If you win, how you claim depends on the amount and your state. Small prizes can usually be cashed at any retailer that sells the game. Larger prizes need to be claimed at a lottery office or by mail, and the very largest require an in-person visit. The deadline to claim also varies: Florida, for instance, gives you 180 days from the drawing date, and a jackpot winner there must claim within the first 60 days to choose the cash option. Check your own state lottery's rules, and don't let a winning ticket sit in a drawer.

Common beginner mistakes to avoid

• Assuming a "pattern" improves your odds. Birthdays, lucky numbers and "hot" numbers are all just as likely as any other combination. Past results don't influence future draws.
• Buying after the cutoff and expecting tonight's drawing. Tickets sold after sales close go to the next drawing.
• Not checking older tickets. Smaller prizes are often left unclaimed simply because people forget.
• Losing the ticket. In most states, a lottery ticket is a bearer instrument, which means whoever holds it can claim it. Sign it and keep it safe.
• Spending more than you planned. Powerball is entertainment, and the odds are long. Set a budget you'd be comfortable losing and stick to it.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Powerball ticket cost?

Each play costs $2. Power Play adds $1 per play, and Double Play adds $1 per play in jurisdictions that offer it, so a play with both add-ons costs $4.

Can the Powerball number be the same as a white-ball number?

Yes. The red Powerball is drawn from its own drum of 26 balls, so it can match any of your white-ball numbers.

Do I need all six numbers to win something?

No. You win a prize by matching just the red Powerball. There are nine prize tiers in total, and the overall odds of winning any prize are about 1 in 24.87.

Is a Quick Pick less likely to win?

No. Quick Pick numbers are generated at random by the terminal and have exactly the same chance of winning as numbers you pick yourself.

How old do you have to be to play?

Most states require players to be at least 18, but some set the minimum higher. Check your state lottery's rules.

Keep learning

• Powerball odds explained for every prize tier — where 1 in 292,201,338 comes from.
• The Powerball prize chart — what each combination pays, with and without Power Play.
• Powerball drawing days, times and ticket cutoffs — when to buy and when results come out.
• How to claim a Powerball prize — signing, deadlines and paperwork.

The bottom line

Powerball is simple: five numbers from 1 to 69, one from 1 to 26, $2 a play and three drawings a week. Add-ons like Power Play and Double Play cost $1 each and change what some wins pay, not your chances of winning. For the official rules, prize chart and latest results, see powerball.com and your own state lottery's website. If playing ever stops feeling like fun, free and confidential help is available 24/7 at 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738).