How to Play Powerball

Winning the Powerball jackpot is a life-changing experience. If you've never played Powerball before, filling out your playslip can be intimidating. If you're interested in testing your luck, here are some steps to follow to make it easier to play Powerball.

Game Play

Playing Powerball isn't as complicated as you might think. It's as easy as one, two, three.

1. Choose five numbers between 1 and 69.
2. Choose a Powerball number between 1 and 26.
3. Buy your ticket. Base tickets cost $2.

That's all there is to it. Once you have your ticket, all you need to do is wait for the twice-weekly Powerball drawings, which take place on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 11 p.m.

How to Play

While picking numbers every week is one way to play, it's not your only option. Let's take a closer look at the different ways to play the game.

First, you have Easy Pick, which lets the computer choose six random numbers for you. You can also do a combination; you select some numbers, and the computer picks the rest.

You also can purchase Power Play®. For an additional $1 per play, you can earn between two and 10 times more money if you win a non-jackpot prize. The Power Play® can multiply your winnings by two, three, four, five or 10 times based upon the Power Play® ball that is drawn in a given drawing. There are 24 2x balls, 13 3x balls, three 4x balls and 5x balls each and one 10X ball.

A Multi-draw play means you're playing with the same numbers over and over again. You can play up to 26 times in a row with the same six numbers.

A Repeat play means you're getting the same numbers repeatedly for one drawing. You can purchase the same numbers up to 20 times per drawing.

There are Game Machines in 1,500+ stores across Virginia that allow you to skip the checkout lines and get your Powerball tickets without the hassle of going to a cashier. You can also create a Virginia Lottery account and purchase your tickets online while you are anywhere in Virginia.

How to Win Powerball

Now that you have your tickets, it's time to wait for the twice-weekly drawings to see if your Powerball numbers come up. How do you win Powerball?

If you've matched all five numbers plus the Powerball number, you win the current jackpot. Congratulations! It's important to note, however, that the Power Play® multiplier doesn't apply to jackpot wins.

According to Powerball rules, if you match five numbers but miss the Powerball, you can win $1 million (if you do not purchase Power Play®) or $2 million (if you do purchase Power Play®). Note that the Power Play® multipliers do not apply here. Selecting Power Play® just increases your win from $1 million to $2 million.

Without Power Play®, four numbers plus the Powerball number wins $50,000. With Power Play®, you can win between $100,000 and $250,000. Without the Powerball, matching four numbers wins between $100 and $500 — the same amount you'll win if you match three balls and the Powerball.

Three balls by themselves, or two balls and the Powerball, wins between $7 and $35. One ball plus the Powerball or the Powerball by itself wins between $4 and $20.

If the annuity jackpot is equal to or more than $150 million, the 10x Power Play® ball is removed from the drawing.

Will you pick the winning numbers?

Now that you know how Powerball works, the only question left is this: Will you pick the winning numbers? You can't win the jackpot if you don’t play!

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_{Last modified 8/19/19}