Powerball Odds Explained: Every Prize Tier
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Powerball uses a 5/69 + 1/26 draw matrix. You pick 5 white balls from 1–69 and 1 red Powerball from 1–26. The headline number: the odds of matching all six are 1 in 292,201,338. But there are nine prize tiers overall, and the odds of winning any prize are about 1 in 24.87.
All nine prize tiers
| Match | Prize | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| 5 white + Powerball | Jackpot | 1 in 292,201,338 |
| 5 white | $1,000,000 | 1 in 11,688,053 |
| 4 white + Powerball | $50,000 | 1 in 913,129 |
| 4 white | $100 | 1 in 36,525 |
| 3 white + Powerball | $100 | 1 in 14,494 |
| 3 white | $7 | 1 in 580 |
| 2 white + Powerball | $7 | 1 in 701 |
| 1 white + Powerball | $4 | 1 in 92 |
| Powerball only | $4 | 1 in 38 |
Source: Multi-State Lottery Association
Why the jackpot odds are so long
The number of ways to pick 5 from 69 is C(69,5) = 11,238,513. Multiply by 26 (the Powerball picks) and you get 292,201,338 unique combinations. The game switched to this matrix in October 2015 to create larger, rarer jackpots.