How to Choose Powerball Numbers & Improve Your Chances of Winning

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The basic rules of Powerball, plus the best winning strategies

Co-authored by Devin McSween

Last Updated: November 21, 2024 Fact Checked

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Picking Your Own Numbers

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Choosing Random Numbers

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Strategies to Increase Your Winning Odds

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Picking Your Own Numbers vs. Random Numbers

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Powerball has one of the biggest jackpots out of any lottery. To play, simply pick 5 numbers between 1-69 and 1 Powerball number between 1-26. You can either choose your own numbers or get the numbers randomly generated with a quick pick ticket, which we explain below. In this article, we’ll also cover strategies that can help increase your odds of winning. Read on to find out more!

How many numbers are in Powerball?

To play Powerball, select 5 numbers between 1-69 (the white balls) and 1 number between 1-26 (the red Powerball). Fill in the numbers you want to select on your ticket. To increase your odds of winning, choose non-sentimental numbers and a mix of commonly and uncommonly picked numbers.

Section 1 of 4:

How to Pick Your Own Powerball Numbers

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1
Request a play slip from the lottery terminal. To play Powerball, visit a Powerball retailer, like a gas station or a grocery store. Then, ask the clerk behind the counter for a play slip for you to pick your own numbers on the ticket.
- Some lottery retailers will have a container full of blank play slips that you can pull a slip from.
- For a list of retailers that sell Powerball tickets, go to your state’s lottery website and search for “Find a Retailer” on the page.
- Note: Powerball is available to play in every state except AL, AK, HI, NV, and UT.^{[1]
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Choose 5 numbers from the first field. The first field on the play slip has 69 numbers for you to choose from. Simply use a pencil to fill in the squares with the 5 numbers that you want to select.^{[2]
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- Make sure you fill in the square completely.
- Don’t use a pen, or the machine may not be able to read the slip.
- If you don’t have a pencil, ask a store employee or the cashier to use one.
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The second field has 26 numbers that you choose 1 Powerball number from. Just fill in the entire square of the number you select with a pencil.^{[3]
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Check the Power Play box to boost your winnings. You can increase all non-jackpot winnings by 2, 3, 4, 5, or 10 times by selecting the Power Play feature. Simply mark the box labeled “Yes” under the Power Play section on the left-hand side of the slip.^{[4]
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- Power Play doesn’t increase your chances of winning, but it can multiply the amount that you receive if you do win.
- The Power Play feature costs an extra $1. In Idaho and Montana, Power Play is automatically added to your ticket.
- The Power Play multiplier is randomly chosen before each Powerball drawing. The 10x multiplier is only available if the jackpot is less than $150 million.
5
Decide how you want to be paid if you win the jackpot. When you purchase most Powerball tickets, you have an option to choose how you would like to be paid if you win the jackpot. Choose between annual payments or cash value (lump sum) by marking the corresponding box.^{[5]
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- The annual payment option means you’ll be given 30 graduated payments over 29 years that add up to the grand prize amount.
- The cash value option means that you’ll receive a single payment of the net value of the grand prize. The cash value amount is less than the advertised jackpot amount because the jackpot is based on what 30 annual payments equate to.
- Note: If your ticket doesn’t have a payment choice option, most states give you 60 days to decide how you want to be paid.^{[6]
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Tip: You can’t change your payment option later, so choose wisely!
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Select the multi-draw option if you want to play the same numbers. If you really like the numbers you’ve chosen, you can play them for up to 10 drawings. At the left-hand side of the play slip, you’ll see a field labeled “Multi-Draw.” Choose the number of times that you want to play with the numbers you’ve chosen.^{[7]
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- Each extra drawing costs $2.
7
Purchase your Powerball ticket. When you’ve finished filling out your play slip, bring it to the clerk or cashier so they can calculate the price. A single game costs $2, but your ticket may cost more depending if you add Power Play or multi-draws. Make sure you don’t lose your ticket because anybody can redeem it if it’s a winner!^{[8]
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- Most Powerball tickets have 5 games that you can play (labeled board A through E). Each game costs $2, so if you decide to play all 5 games, your ticket costs $10.
- The play slip isn’t your Powerball ticket. It’s just a way for you to pick your own numbers.
8
Check the results of the Powerball drawing to see if you’re a winner. Watch the drawings broadcast on the local news every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday night at 10:59 p.m. ET. Or, go to Powerball’s website to check the winning numbers once they’re drawn. You can also use Powerball’s website to watch a live webcast of the drawing.^{[9]
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- The live drawing is aired on a local broadcast station. Check online to find which station airs the drawing in your area.
- If your ticket is a winner, you have 180 days to claim your prize!^{[10]
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  - If your prize is under $600, visit the store you bought your ticket from to claim your prize.
  - If your prize is $600 or over, your ticket has to be verified by the Lottery Office in the state where you bought the ticket. Check your state’s lottery website for instructions on how to claim large cash prizes.

Section 2 of 4:

How to Choose Random Numbers

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1
Visit a lottery retailer. Most gas stations, grocery stores, or markets sell Powerball tickets. Find one near you to purchase your own ticket.
- Check your state’s lottery website to find a Powerball retailer near you.
When you get to the counter, ask the clerk or cashier for a Powerball ticket and tell them you want the quick pick option. This means your numbers will be randomly selected by a computer for your ticket.^{[11]
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Choose the Power Play feature for an additional $1. For an extra buck, you can boost your winnings by up to a factor of 10 for non-grand prize winnings by choosing the Power Play feature. Tell the clerk that you want the Power Play feature and they’ll select the option and charge you $1 extra to purchase your ticket.^{[12]
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- Make sure you say something like, “And I’d like to do the Power Play.”
4
Tell the clerk how you want to be paid if you win the jackpot. Before you can buy your ticket, you have to decide how you want to be paid if you win the grand prize. You can choose an annual payment option, which means you’ll receive a payment annually for 29 years. The other option is to receive the cash value payment, which means you’ll receive 1 lump sum payment, but it will be less than the advertised jackpot value.^{[13]
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- Note: Most states give you 60 days to decide how you want to be paid if you win the jackpot, so if there’s not a space to fill out the payment option, don’t worry about it.^{[14]
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- You can’t change your payment option once you choose it!
Once you’ve chosen your payment options, the clerk will tell you the total cost of your ticket. Pay for it and keep your ticket stored somewhere safe at home.^{[15]
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Tip: Anybody can redeem a Powerball ticket, so make sure you don’t lose it. Store it in your house, not your wallet or car.
6
Watch the results to see if you’re a winner. The Powerball drawings are held every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday night at 10:59 p.m. ET. You can watch the drawing live on TV or on a webcast on the Powerball website. You can also go online to check the winning numbers after they’re drawn.^{[16]
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- The live broadcast airs on the local news and local broadcast stations. Check online to find out which station the drawings are aired on.
- If you win, you have 180 days to redeem your ticket!

Section 3 of 4:

Strategies to Increase Your Odds of Winning

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Lots of people choose numbers based on birth dates and anniversaries, which means the numbers 1 through 31 are common picks. This increases your odds of choosing the same numbers as other people, which means you might have to share the prize winnings. So, pick some random numbers outside of the 1-31 range.^{[17]
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Choose numbers that are more commonly picked. While each number has the same random chance of being picked, there are a few numbers that appear more frequently in drawings. So, choosing some of these numbers on your ticket may improve your odds of winning.^{[18]
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- The most common white ball numbers are currently: 61, 21, 69, 33, 27, 32.
- The most common Powerball numbers are currently: 4, 21, 18, 14, 24, 9.
- To keep track of the most (and least) commonly picked numbers, check Powerball.net’s website. The site updates after each drawing to list the frequency each number is picked. The site also lists draw data starting from 1992, which was when Powerball started!
3
Select numbers that are “due” to be picked. There are also numbers that aren’t picked as frequently and numbers haven’t been picked in several months. Some people believe these numbers are “due” to be picked, so choosing them on your ticket might increase your odds of winning. Just remember that each number has the same chance of being picked!^{[19]
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- The least common white ball numbers are currently: 13, 49, 26, 34, 29, 46.
- The least common Powerball numbers are currently: 12, 15, 16, 17, 23, 22.
- The most overdue white ball numbers are currently: 49, 36, 54, 28, 23, 35.
- The most overdue Powerball numbers are currently: 18, 24, 8, 1, 23, 26.
4
Pick a mix of odd and even numbers. Since there’s an equal amount of odd and even numbers to choose from, some people believe it’s best to select an equal mix of odd and even numbers to improve your chances of matching the drawing. This can also help you choose the numbers more randomly.^{[20]
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- While even and odd numbers have the same odds of being picked, it’s unlikely that the winning drawing is going to be all even or odd numbers.
There are also about an equal amount of low (1-34) and high (35-69) numbers to choose from. Because it’s unlikely that all of the numbers drawn will be high or low, choosing an equal mixture of high and low numbers can potentially improve your odds of winning.
While it’s entirely possible for the same numbers to be drawn again, there’s only a 3-4% chance of it happening. So, choose new and random numbers, instead.^{[21]
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7
Purchase more than one ticket. The best way to improve your odds of winning is to play more Powerball games. Just choose different combinations of numbers to increase your chances of selecting the winning numbers.^{[22]
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- If you have the means, consider playing 26 games and selecting a new Powerball number for each game. This ensures you win at least 1 game—matching the Powerball number earns you $4.
- Remember that your odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292 million, regardless of how many games you play.^{[23]
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- The odds of winning any prize is 1 in 24.87. So, playing more games gives you more of an opportunity to win a prize.

Section 4 of 4:

Should you pick numbers or choose random numbers?

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The odds of winning are the same for chosen or random numbers. Your odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292 million, regardless if you choose your numbers or get randomly generated numbers from a quick pick ticket. However, the majority of players choose randomly generated numbers, which means the majority of winners win on quick pick tickets.^{[24]
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- Pros of getting a quick pick ticket: It’s less likely that you’ll share numbers with other people (and thus less likely that you’ll have to share your winnings), as the numbers are random. The tickets are also usually faster and less stressful to fill out.
- Pros of choosing your own numbers: You get to control which numbers you select, which may be lucky, important to you, or based on certain strategies.
- Consider buying at least 2 games so you get to choose your own numbers for one game and get random numbers for the other.

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How many numbers must I correctly match to start winning prizes?

Gummy06

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You can win $4 or more just by matching the red Powerball number. Note that one or two white balls matched is no prize.

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How many numbers do I pick?

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You choose five white ball numbers between 1-69 and one red Powerball number between 1-26.

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How much tax will be deducted from the jackpot if you're an international player?

Gummy06

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A flat rate of 30% will be taken from your jackpot prize. You may also be subject to taxes in your home country as well.

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wikiHow Video: How to Pick Powerball Numbers

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Tips

There is no guaranteed way to win Powerball. Each white ball number and Powerball number has the same probability of being picked. While you can use certain strategies to help you choose which numbers to select, your chances of winning the jackpot remain 1 in 292 million.

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