With three drawings held each week, the Powerball lottery is more popular than ever! Countless Americans eagerly wait every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday to hear if they have the lucky ticket that could mean millions or even billions in prize money. Though the lottery is primarily based on luck, some strategies could boost your chances of becoming a winner. Keep reading for experts’ top Powerball hacks for the next time you buy a ticket. Plus, find out the lottery game that actually has better odds!
When should you buy a Powerball ticket?
Powerball, previously known as Lotto America until 1992, is played in 48 jurisdictions. It also holds the record for the largest lottery prize ever won. That prize was $2.04 billion in November 2022 and was won by a California resident. The second-largest jackpot was $1.76 billion, which was won in 2023.
With a history of such massive winnings, it can be tempting to wait and buy your ticket as soon as you hear the size of the prize. However, you may be missing out if you’re just looking for those huge jackpots.
“Many people have come to believe that the only time to play is when jackpots near record levels,” says Jared James, founder of LottoEdge. “Winning $1 billion is generationally changing money. But so is $400 million or even $100 million. If you are playing to win life-changing money, you don’t need to wait for record-setting jackpots.”
When you do decide to play, there are some things experts say to keep in mind.
Powerball hacks that may boost your odds
Since all lottery games require a little (or a lot!) of luck, there’s no way to guarantee a win. “Because the odds of winning any prize playing Powerball remain the same at the time each drawing is held, there are no tried-and-true strategies for playing,” advises Chris Altruda, senior analyst for LotteryGeeks.com.
However, some Powerball hacks could at least boost your chances of winning some money. The next time you play, give these tips a try!
Use the entire play slip
It’s not uncommon for people to choose birthdays and anniversaries as their numbers. Though they may seem lucky to you, this could seriously limit your chances. “One person playing numbers comprised of months and days of birthdays may be in fact creating lower odds since no number in that set would be higher than 31,” says Altruda. “As a result, that player is removing more than half the possibilities in the main five-ball drawing.”
James adds that less than 3 percent of Powerball drawings have had all winning numbers 31 or below. For that reason, it’s better to mix things up!
Avoid choosing patterns
Equally as important as not choosing all date-related numbers is staying clear of any noticeable patterns. This could be something like 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30.
The reason? “Randomly drawn numbers don’t follow patterns,” says James. You’re no more likely to see a pattern than any other combination.
A better option is to mix it up throughout the play slip. “One method that would provide marginally better chances to win would be playing different combinations of numbers with each line of play,” adds Altruda. “The odds of a jackpot being hit are based on the percentage of possible combinations of numbers played every drawing.”
You can also choose the Quick Pick option, which will create this unique combination of numbers for you!
Choose both odd and even digits
It may seem that there’s no downside to selecting a random mix of all even or all odd numbers, but you may not be as likely to win. Instead, a combination of the two has proven to be the most successful.
“The best mix was three even and two odd or two even and three odd,” shares James. “About 64 percent of winning results had this mix of even and odd.”
Switch up what’s on your ticket
Like to play Powerball on a regular basis? Experts say there’s one common strategy you’ll want to avoid.
“The biggest misconception people have when it comes to the Powerball lottery may be the one that leads to people playing the most: Picking the same numbers drawing after drawing increases a player’s odds of winning,” explains Altruda. “Simply put, it’s not true because the number of balls in the main hopper and the Powerball hopper does not change from one drawing to the next.”
How likely are you to win the Powerball jackpot?
Winning millions of dollars in the Powerball lottery seems like a dream! But with so many number combinations and people playing, it may not feel like it’s even worth buying tickets if there’s little chance of winning.
Unfortunately, the lottery was designed to be a business. This means it has to be hard for people to win for the business to make money, says Sheldon Jacobson, professor of computer science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. But it certainly can still be fun to try to win the jackpot!
“If people view buying a ticket as entertainment for the enjoyment, like buying a movie ticket, then have fun with the purchase and the money taken from you,” adds Jacobson. “If you actually expect to make money, this is a flawed perception.”
An equally enjoyable alternative that could win you money? Scratch offs! The payoff is smaller than any monumental prizes, but there are better odds. Surprisingly, even Powerball’s smaller prizes can be tough to win.
“For example, to win $100 on Powerball, the odds are about 1 in 10,400,” says James. “But on a $2 scratch off, you’ll find odds of winning $100 as low as 1 in 236, depending on the state.”
The next time you buy a Powerball ticket, consider grabbing a scratch-off ticket too—you may still get lucky!
