A player who reached out to us with questions about the Pick 3 and Pick 4 games unfortunately had a few details wrong about how the drawings work in those games, and I’m sharing the clarifications we provided here on the blog in case you’ve ever wondered the same thing.
The player thought that the combination of 1-4-5 in Pick 3 is the same as the combination of 5-1-4. We explained that they’re completely different. Here’s why:
Three separate drawing machines are used in each Pick 3 drawing, so the selection of each winning number has no impact on the other numbers selected.
For example, if 1 is selected as the first number in a drawing, it also can be selected as the second and third numbers in that same drawing. Each of the machines used in a Pick 3 drawing has its own set of drawing balls numbered 0-9, and that machine operates independently from the other two.
That’s different from the way the drawings work in games like Powerball and Mega Millions.
I’ll use Powerball as an example here: The first machine in a Powerball drawing contains white balls numbered 1-69 and the second machine contains red balls numbered 1-26. When one of the machines selects one of the numbers it contains, that number can’t be selected again by that machine during the drawing because that number already been taken out of play for the remainder of that machine’s part in the drawing.
That’s not how Pick 3 and Pick 4 work. They’re specifically designed to allow for winning combinations of identical numbers like 3-3-3 or 4-4-4-4. But they also allow combinations like 1-7-4 and 2-3-6-7 where each number is different.
Something would be wrong in the games if numbers couldn’t be selected more than once in a drawing. It’s a twist that makes Pick 3 and Pick 4 so unique and interesting to play!
If you’re a visual learner and it helps you to see how the drawings work, click here to see video of a Pick 3 drawing.
Feeling lucky
Posted by: Demonte Harper | January 29, 2020 at 04:08 PM
Hi, Justin. It would be a winner if the person had chosen the straight/box or box play. If the person only chose the straight play -- meaning that you win only if you match the winning numbers in the exact order selected in the drawing -- they might not have won.
Posted by: Mary Neubauer | January 28, 2020 at 01:11 PM
Gee I am a visual learner. But but but. I don't have any more $$$$$$.
Posted by: Julis | January 27, 2020 at 05:01 PM
Easy to figure this out. Lottery takes your money. You loose.
Posted by: Jim | January 25, 2020 at 06:48 PM
It would be a correct win if Iowa had a option of combo play which is a option in other State Lottery.
Posted by: Terry Randolph | January 25, 2020 at 01:30 AM