How Powerball Works: A Complete Guide

Powerball is one of the most popular lottery games in the United States, played across 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. How to Play Players select five numbers from 1 to 69 (white balls) and one Powerball number from 1 to 26 (red ball). Drawings are held every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 10:59 PM ET. Prize Tiers Powerball has 9 prize tiers: - Match 5 + Powerball = Jackpot (starts at $20M) - Match 5 = $1,000,000 - Match 4 + Powerball = $50,000 - Match 4 = $100 - Match 3 + Powerball = $100 - Match 3 = $7 - Match 2 + Powerball = $7 - Match 1 + Powerball = $4 - Match 0 + Powerball = $4 The Power Play multiplier (extra $1) can multiply non-jackpot prizes by 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, or 10x. Jackpot Options Winners can choose between an annuity (30 graduated payments over 29 years) or a lump-sum cash payment (typically about 47% of the advertised jackpot). Use our Jackpot Calculator to estimate your take-home amount after taxes.