Pick 5 games are less common worldwide than Pick 6 but are popular in the USA. The prizes are smaller but the odds are much better. There's more to it than relying on a quick pick though if you want to maximise your chances of winning pick 5.
So let's get started.
How Does Pick 5 Lottery Work?
Pick 5 is a lottery game where 5 main balls are drawn out. Typically the 5 main balls are drawn from a range of 1-39 numbers.
The range of numbers does vary a lot across different Pick 5 games though so you need to watch out for this. There can be as few as 5 drawn from 32 or as many as 5 from 52. This makes a big difference to your odds of winning.
If Pick 6 is more your game however then read how to win on the pick 6 lottery
How To Play Pick 5
To play Pick 5 you choose 5 numbers from the range of numbers available. Often this is 1-39, but can be more or less. Each number you pick must be different - you cannot pick the same number more than once in any line/combination.
To choose your numbers you simply mark each one clearly in a block of all the available numbers. Playslips have more than one block of numbers, called a panel, so you can play more than one combination on the same ticket. You can then also complete as many playslips as you need to cover all the combinations that you want to play. Each playslip will print a separate ticket.
Pick 5 Jackpot Odds
The jackpot odds for the Pick 5 game depend on the range of balls available in the game. For a '5 from 42' game (also called 5/42) the jackpot odds are 1 in 850,668. To put that into perspective, the US Mega Millions is 355 times harder to win that this (Mega Millions is a Powerball type game, you can read more on how to win Powerball lottery games here).
The larger the range of numbers the harder the jackpot will be to win. So a 5/47 game will be harder to win than a 5/45 game.
These are the jackpot odds for the most common pick 5 games:-
| Pick 5 Format | Jackpot Odds |
|---|---|
| 5 from 31 | 1 in 169,911 |
| 5 from 32 | 1 in 201,376 |
| 5 from 35 | 1 in 324,632 |
| 5 from 36 | 1 in 376,992 |
| 5 from 37 | 1 in 435,897 |
| 5 from 38 | 1 in 501,942 |
| 5 from 39 | 1 in 575,757 |
| 5 from 41 | 1 in 749,398 |
| 5 from 42 | 1 in 850,668 |
| 5 from 43 | 1 in 962,598 |
| 5 from 45 | 1 in 1,221,759 |
| 5 from 52 | 1 in 2,598,960 |
The odds therefore get much harder when more balls are added. The 5/52 draw is 15 times harder to win than a 5/31 draw. That means you would have to play 15 combinations in a 5/52 draw just to have the same chance of winning as 1 combination in a 5/31 draw.
What are the odds of winning the Pick 5?
The odds of winning Pick 5 are 1 in 575,757 for a 5 from 39 game, if you buy one combination. The odds can be more or less than this if there are more or less than 39 numbers in the game (see the Pick 5 Jackpot Odds).
Winning Pick 5
How do you win pick 5?
To win the jackpot on the Pick 5 you must match all 5 of the numbers drawn. The order in which the balls are drawn does not matter.
How much does pick 5 payout?
The payout for the Pick 5 jackpot is usually around $100,000. But it can easily be 2 or 3 times this with rollovers (where the prize is not won and 'rolls over' to the next draw). It can also be lower as the prize is shared between all winners who match all 5 numbers.
How many numbers do you need to win on pick 5?
To win something on the Pick 5 you must match at least 2 of the numbers drawn. This will typically pay out a free play ticket.
Pick 5 Lottery Strategies
These are some strategies you can apply to improve your chances of winning Pick 5.
Focus Your Efforts
If you decide that Pick 5 is the right game, then avoid playing anything else. If you focus all of your efforts on one game then you will have a better overall chance of winning it.
Don't Play Every Draw
Pick 5 is often drawn daily, but you don't need to play every day. Instead you can save up your budget to play in specific draws and play more combinations in those draws. This will improve your odds of winning.
Choose The Less Popular Draws
More people play lottery at the weekends. So if you choose to play the less popular Monday draw and win then you are more likely to receive the full jackpot amount without having to share it with any other winners.
Keep Your Tickets Safe
Always store your tickets somewhere very safe. Then check them soon after the draw is complete, or better yet, check them while watching the live draw as this is more fun. A lot of tickets get lost or accidentally thrown away. This is the reason why a lot of prizes end up unclaimed - and sometimes that even includes jackpots.
Pick 5 Lottery Numbers Strategy
There are a number of different strategies you can use to improve your chances, but there are no magic systems that will guarantee winning numbers.
If you avoid picking popular numbers this can greatly increase the size of the jackpot if you do win the lottery. This particularly applies to so-called 'lucky' numbers. Combinations of lucky numbers are played by hundreds and even thousands of people in the same game. If they ever win then they will all share the jackpot and end up with less than a $1,000 each.
You can also try to identify numbers that are more likely to appear but there are no proven methods of doing this.
Beware of misinformation on this subject though. Many people claim things like all odd or all even combinations are less likely. This is incorrect. The balls themselves are not aware of the numbers printed on them so cannot be affected by patterns like this.
Questions
Can you win pick 5 with 4 numbers?
Yes, you can win pick 5 with just 4 numbers. Matching 4 numbers will pay out the 'match 4' prize. It could on special occasions also pay out the jackpot, but this only applies to 'roll down' draws where the jackpot has reached it's maximum and is guaranteed to be paid out that draw. On these occasions if nobody matches all 5 numbers the pick 5 jackpot would be paid out to match 4 winners.
How much do you win if you get 3 numbers on pick 5?
If you get 3 numbers on Pick 5 you win the match 3 prize. This will normally pay out around $10 to $20 (depending on the specific game).
How much do you win if you get 4 numbers on pick 5?
If you get 4 numbers on Pick 5 you win the match 4 prize. This will normally pay out around $300 to $500 (depending on the specific game).