There's no strategy that changes your odds of winning Powerball: every combination has the same chance in every drawing. But some habits make the game cheaper, safer and less likely to end with a shared prize or a lost ticket. Here are the ones that matter.
Set your budget before you look at the jackpot
Decide how much you'll spend each week or month and stick to it, however big the jackpot gets. A $1 billion jackpot doesn't make your ticket more likely to win; it just makes more people play. More in responsible gaming.
Know the odds
The jackpot odds are 1 in 292,201,338 per play, and the odds of winning any prize are 1 in 24.87. Buying ten plays makes you ten times more likely to win, but it's still ten in 292 million. Knowing this helps you enjoy the game for what it is. The full breakdown is in Powerball odds.
Quick Pick or your own numbers: it's up to you
Quick Pick and hand-picked numbers have exactly the same odds. Hot numbers, cold numbers and “overdue” numbers don't change them either, because the balls have no memory. Our statistics and Predictor are there to make choosing more fun, not to predict the drawing.
Avoid the combinations everyone plays
You can't make a combination more likely to win, but you can make it less likely to be shared. Many people pick birthdays, so numbers from 1 to 31 are very popular; others play patterns on the slip, sequences like 1-2-3-4-5, or the same numbers from a fortune cookie or a TV show.
If those numbers win, the jackpot is split among many tickets. Mixing in numbers above 31 and avoiding obvious patterns doesn't improve your odds, but it helps you keep the whole prize if you win. Our Predictor has an option to skip popular combinations.
Decide on Power Play with your budget
Power Play costs $1 more per play and multiplies the lower prizes, but not the jackpot. It makes sense if you care about the smaller prizes; if you only play for the jackpot, the same dollar buys half an extra play. Either way, fit it into your budget. The details are in Power Play and Double Play.
Buy only from official sources
Buy from authorized retailers or your state lottery's official website or app. If you use a courier service, make sure your state allows it. And be wary of anyone selling guaranteed wins or asking for fees: see how to avoid Powerball scams.
Sign your ticket and check every drawing
Sign the back of your ticket as soon as you buy it and keep it somewhere safe. After each drawing, check it in our ticket checker, or look up the numbers in Powerball results.
Don't throw away a ticket without checking it, and remember that Multi-Draw tickets cover several drawings: keep them until the last one. Prizes expire after 90 days to one year, depending on your state.
Running an office pool the right way
- Put it in writing: who's in, how much each person pays and how prizes will be split.
- Choose one organizer to buy the tickets, and share copies of every ticket with the group before the drawing.
- Keep a record of who paid for each drawing, especially if the pool plays regularly.
- Agree in advance what happens if someone misses a payment, and whether small prizes are cashed or used to buy more tickets.
- If you win big, claim as a group so each member is paid and taxed on their own share.
If you win a big prize
- Take your time. Sign the ticket, put it somewhere safe and don't rush to claim.
- Keep it quiet while you get organized.
- Get professional advice from a tax advisor, a financial planner and a lawyer before choosing the cash option or the annuity.
- Check the deadlines: in some states, the cash option has to be chosen sooner than the prize must be claimed.
The full process is in how to claim a Powerball prize.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a way to increase my chances of winning Powerball?
Only by buying more plays, and each one adds a very small chance: the jackpot odds are 1 in 292,201,338 per play. No system, pattern or set of numbers makes a combination more likely to win.
Are hot numbers more likely to come up?
No. Each drawing is independent, so a number that came up often recently is no more or less likely to be drawn next time.
Why avoid birthdays when picking numbers?
Because many people use them, so combinations of numbers from 1 to 31 are very popular. They're just as likely to win, but if they do, you're more likely to share the jackpot.
How should we set up an office lottery pool?
Write down who's in, what each person pays and how prizes will be split, have one person buy the tickets and share copies of them with everyone before the drawing.
Last reviewed: . Independent information: official results are published by the lottery that runs the game.