Pick 4 is incredibly popular and easy to play. The odds are much better than most games but the prizes are much smaller too.
So is it the right game choice for you? Read on to find out - and how to win it.
In This Page
How Does Pick 4 Work?
Pick 4 works differently than a regular lottery draw. Instead of drawing e.g. 6 different numbers from a set of 1 to 49, it's a 'digit' based game.
Pick 4 games are most commonly computer based draws, so a computer randomly generates a number from 0 to 9 four times, to give the final winning combination for that draw. It's called Pick 4 because 4 numbers are picked.
Importantly, the order the numbers are drawn do matter, so if the result is 1480 and you have 0841 then you do not win. There are however more advanced ways to play your numbers that affect this which we'll come to in a moment.
How To Play Pick 4
How do you play Pick 4? Let's do a specific example. To play Pick 4 you choose 4 single digit numbers each from the range 0 to 9. The big difference is that your numbers can be repeated, so you can choose any combination from 0000 up to 9999. Meaning you can pick 1234, 7777, 1536, 0909, 0110 etc.
The unusual thing here for lottery players used to the big jackpot games like Pick 6 (more about how to win pick 6 lottery) is that you can repeat your numbers. With Pick 6 each number you pick has to be different, because numbers are drawn from a pool of balls that are not replaced after they have been picked. Pick 4 however generates 4 different numbers independently, so here you can have combinations like 1111 or 5566.
This is an example of one panel from a Pick 4 playslip:-
This panel does look complicated because it also has lots of advanced options. Just picking your numbers however is very easy. As you can see above there are four columns with boxes for the numbers 0 to 9, running from top to bottom. You simply mark one number in each column.
The panel on the left marked 'Days' is where you choose which draws you want to play those numbers for. Pick 4 games tend to be drawn frequently with multiple draws in one day. Here you can see this Pick 4 game is drawn six days a week (Mon to Sat), and each day there are four draws (Morning, Midday, Afternoon and Evening) giving a total of 24 draws every week. You can play all of these using just one playslip, or just specific draws by marking all the boxes you want to include.
Playslips also have multiple different panels (A, B, C, D etc) so you can play more than one combination on the same ticket. If you require more combinations you just complete additional playslips to cover all the different combinations. Each playslip you submit gives you a separate lottery ticket back.
Pick 4 Advanced Options
There are various different more advanced ways to play Pick 4. Most games include a 'Box' and 'Straight/Box' option, but there are others too.
Here are the different ways to play Pick 4:-
What does straight mean in Pick 4?
Straight in Pick 4 means matching all the winning numbers in the exact order, e.g. if the result is 1234 you must have picked your numbers as 1234 (you don't win anything if you picked 4321).
This play is also sometimes called 'Order' as you have to match the numbers 'in order'.
What does box mean in Pick 4?
Box in Pick 4 means matching all the winning numbers in any order, e.g. if the result is 1234 and you picked 4321 then you win.
This play is also sometimes called 'Any Order'.
Box play also has some more subtle options to it as well:-
Pick 4 - 24 way box
If you choose a box play and then select all different digits, e.g. 1234, then this is called a 24-way box. This is because there are exactly 24 different ways you can arrange those numbers and you would win if any of them came up.
For the numbers 1234 the different possibilities are: 1234, 1243, 1324, 1342, 1423, 1432, 2134, 2143, 2314, 2341, 2413, 2431, 3124, 3142, 3214, 3241, 3412, 3421, 4123, 4132, 4213, 4231, 4312 and 4321.
Pick 4 - 12 way box
If you choose a box play and pick numbers with 2 digits the same, this is called a 12-way box. This is because there are exactly 12 different ways you can arrange those numbers - it's less than 24 because the number is the same no matter which way round the identical 2 digits are.
If you chose 1123 then these are the 12 different ways those numbers can appear: 1123, 1132, 1213, 1231, 1312, 1321, 2113, 2131, 2311, 3112, 3121 and 3211. You win if any of them came up.
Pick 4 - 6 way box
If you choose a box play and pick 2 identical pairs of numbers, this is called a 6-way box. This is because there are exactly 6 ways you can arrange those numbers.
If you chose 1122 then these are the 6 different ways those numbers can be drawn: 1122, 1212, 1221, 2112, 2121 and 2211. You win if any of them came up.
Pick 4 - 4 way box
If you choose a box play and pick 3 identical digits, then this is called a 4-way box. This is because there are just 4 ways you can arrange those numbers.
If you chose 1222 then these are the only 4 ways those numbers can be drawn: 1222, 2122, 2212 and 2221. You win if any came up.
What does straight/box mean in Pick 4?
Straight/Box in Pick 4 means playing both Straight and Box plays together. So you win both the Straight prize and the Box prize if you match all the numbers in the exact order, or you win just the Box prize if you match them in any order.
What does combo mean in Pick 4?
A combo (or combination) play in Pick 4 means playing all 'Straight' combinations of your numbers. This means matching all the winning numbers in any order, but it is different from a Box play because you pay the price of playing each combination. So a 24-way combo play costs 24 times the normal cost of playing those numbers straight.
Why would you choose this option?
The payout is larger, i.e. it is the same as playing the numbers Straight. When you play a Box Combination the ticket price is lower but the payout is much less too. A Combo play is effectively the same as filling in a playslip with each possible combination of your numbers and playing each one Straight.
What does pair mean in Pick 4?
A pair in Pick 4 means a play where you only choose 2 numbers. These can be a 'front pair' or a 'back pair'. A back pair is matched against the first 2 digits of the winning numbers drawn, so if you choose '12' then you win for any result in the range of 1200 right up to 1299.
Similarly the back pair play is matched against the last 2 digits of the winning numbers, meaning if you play '12' as a back pair then you win for anything in the range of 0012 to 9912.
Ticket Price - 50c Play vs $1 Play
Most Pick 4 games also let you choose between two levels of ticket price. The only affect this has is that a $1 play gives you double the winnings of a 50c play. It doesn't affect how many entries you get or the odds of winning.
Pick 4 Odds
The Pick 4 odds are much simpler than the bigger lottery games. There are no prize tiers for matching various numbers.
So because the range of combinations run from 0000 to 9999 it's quite easy to see that there are 10,000 different combinations (i.e. 9,999 plus the '0000' combination). This also makes the odds easy to figure out - it's simply 1 in 10,000.
For comparison, winning Pick 5 with a common format of 5 balls drawn from 42 the odds are 1 in 850,668. Which makes it 85 times easier to win Pick 4. The amount you win is of course much smaller though.
Winning Pick 6 is of course harder than Pick 5 at around 1 in 13 million (for a 6 from 49 game), which makes the odds around 1,300 tougher to win than Pick 4.
What are the odds of winning pick 4?
These are odds of winning for each of the Pick 4 plays:-
| Play | Odds |
|---|---|
| Straight | 1:10,000 |
| Box: 4-way | 1:2,500 |
| Box: 6-way | 1:1,666.67 |
| Box: 12-way | 1:833.33 |
| Box: 24-way | 1:416.67 |
| Straight/Box: 4-way | 1:10,000 & 1:2,500 |
| Straight/Box: 6-way | 1:10,000 & 1:1,666.67 |
| Straight/Box: 12-way | 1:10,000 & 1:833.33 |
| Straight/Box: 24-way | 1:10,000 & 1:416.67 |
| Pairs: Front Pair | 1:100 |
| Pairs: Mid Pair | 1:100 |
| Pairs: Back Pair | 1:100 |
| Combo: 4-way | 1:2,500 |
| Combo: 6-way | 1:1,666.67 |
| Combo: 12-way | 1:833.33 |
| Combo: 24-way | 1:416.67 |
Winning on Pick 4
How do you win Pick 4?
To win the jackpot on Pick 4 you need to match all of the numbers in the order they are drawn. Unless you chose one of the advanced play options.
How much does Pick 4 pay out?
Pick 4 will pay out about $2,500 for a 50c play. But it can pay more or less than this if you chose advanced play options or a $1 play instead of 50c (in which case it would be double).
How many numbers do you need to win Pick 4?
With a standard play you need to match all of the numbers to win Pick 4. They must also be in the exact order drawn unless you played a box play. If you chose to play 'pairs' then you can win by matching just 2 numbers.
Powerball Game Lottery Strategies
If Pick 4 is your game of choice then there are a few basic strategies you can use to improve your chances of winning it. Think carefully before choosing Pick 4 though as the jackpot size is very small. Your best strategy may be to switch game completely and play something with a larger jackpot.
Stick With Your Chosen Game
If you choose to play Pick 4 then don't play in other games as well. Focus your efforts on playing just Pick 4 and overall you will gain a better chance of winning.
Choose Your Draws
There are a lot of draws every week with Pick 4, but you do not have to play every day or every draw within a day. Worrying about 'your numbers coming up' when you don't play is just superstition. So choose which draw matters the most to you, and completely ignore the rest. The math is complicated but the fact is this does give you better odds overall.
Get Your Plays In Early
Many people don't realise but combinations can 'sell out' with Pick 4. The lottery company only allow a certain number of each combination to be sold. This is to carefully limit their risk - if too many people played a combination and it won then they could lose a lot of money (because prizes are a fixed amount - there is no shared jackpot with this game). So they limit things.
To avoid being told your combinations have sold out, get your ticket early. Particularly if you play popular combinations like '1111' or '7777'.
Please Be Careful With Your Tickets
Always store your tickets somewhere safe and check those results promptly after the draw is over. Every year lottery companies report the amount of unclaimed prizes and it is always a large figure. The money goes back into the prize pot for someone to win, but don't let that happen to your winnings.
Pick 4 Numbers Strategy
The only way you can guarantee winning Pick 4 is to play all the numbers. It would take a while to fill in all the play slips but is manageable. The problem is it would cost you $5,000 and you would only win back $2,500. So not the best strategy. Be very careful when you see people selling Pick 4 systems that show you how to win the lottery and then show their winning tickets - because this is often how it's done (they don't show you all the losing tickets or how much they lost overall).
A common strategy with Pick 4 is to choose patterns that follow pairs, such as 1212 or 4545. Or sequential numbers such as 1234. People also often play all the same digits - 0000 and 7777 are the most popular plays of all. It's important to remember though that these patterns only exist in our minds as the draw machine just randomly chooses digits - it doesn't care if they are odd, even or sequential.
There are methods to identify numbers which have been drawn more often, but there is no solid evidence that these methods have shown any statistically recognizable improvements in odds.
Questions
What's the most you can win on Cash 4?
The most you can win on Cash is $5,000. This is for a $1 Straight Play.
If you get 3 numbers in Pick 4 do you win anything?
No, you don't win anything for matching 3 numbers on Pick 4 unless you are using one of the advanced play options.
How much do you win on Pick 4 Any Order?
You win up to around $1200 on Pick 4 for an Any Order win. This is for a 4-way $1 play. If you chose a 50c play it would be half this amount. It will also be less if you chose a 6-way, 12-way or 24-way play.
How much is Pick 4 Straight/Box payout?
Straight/Box on Pick 4 pays out up to $1200. This is for a $1 play where you match Straight. A box match with the same play would pay around $600.
