Pick 3 requires you to match a winning three-digit combination between 000 and 999. To play, you have to select a play type, choose your numbers and decide how much to bet. Drawings take place 8 p.m., with ticket sales cutting off at 7:45 p.m.
There’s a full step-by-step guide to playing below, followed by more details about each play type.
Select three numbers between 0 and 9 (or two if playing a Pair), or get a Quick Pick if you would prefer to let the computer system generate a set at random.
Choose how you want to play – Straight, Box, Straight/Box, Superbox or Pair. The play type you pick helps to determine the prize you can win.
You can enter just the next drawing, or play up to 25 consecutive drawings. You can also enter a future draw by selecting any date in the next 25 days to enter. This is known as Advance Play.
For most bet types, you can pay $0.50 or $1 per play. The only exception is a Straight/Box, which is a fixed $1. The bigger your bet, the more you can win.
The amount you have to pay in total depends on how much you are betting per play, and the number of drawings. Once you have purchased your ticket, keep it safe until the draw takes place and then don’t forget to check the results.
You can pick between the following play types, depending on whether you are looking for the biggest prizes or the best odds. Go to the Payouts page to find out all the amounts you can win, and the chances of success for each play type.
To play a Straight, pick any combination of three numbers. You can even play a triple (three identical digits such as 111). You must match them all in exact order to win.
This is a bet on the three numbers you select being drawn in any order. There is no need to match them in the correct positions. You can pick any combination apart from a triple, but you’ll need to know whether it’s a 3-Way Box or not.
A 3-Way Box is when you pick two identical numbers and a third that is different, as a three-digit combination of this kind can be arranged three different ways. For example, 112 can be ordered 112, 121 or 211. If all your numbers are different, there are six possible combinations – 123, for instance, can be ordered 123, 132, 213, 231, 312 or 321.
Half your bet goes on a Straight play and half goes on a Box. You win both parts of the bet if your numbers are drawn exactly, but just the Box segment of the prize if they are selected in a different order. For example, if you wager 468 and the numbers are drawn as 684, you miss the Straight prize but still get a payout for the Box play.
This is a composite bet where you play a Straight on all possible combinations of your chosen numbers. For example, if you pick 789, you enter a separate Straight play on 789, 798, 879, 897, 978 and 987, and have to pay for each one. This type of play is sometimes known as a Combo or a Wheel in other states.
You pick just two numbers instead of three and try to match the first two digits drawn in exact order. When filling out a playslip, you can leave the third column of numbers blank.
This is a prediction on the second and third digits to be drawn. Again, you have to match them in the correct positions, so a wager of X23 would only be a winner if the numbers drawn are X23 (X being any number). If the winning digits were X32, the bet would be lost.