You can play Pick 3 in a variety of different ways in Ohio. Find out more about all the different wager types further down the page, and follow the step-by-step guide below to navigate your way through all the selections you must make when you take part.
Draws take place at 12:29 p.m. and 7:29 p.m. every day, although the Saturday evening draw is a little later as it is held during the Cash Explosion Game Show which airs between 7:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
Choose how you want to try and match the winning numbers. The following wager types are available – Straight, Box, Back-Up bet, Wheel or Pair.
Pick three numbers between 0 and 9 (or two if playing a Pair). You can select your own or get a random selection by requesting a Quick Pick.
You can pay as little as $0.50 per wager, or as much as $6 for some types of bet. The more you wager, the more you can win.
You can decide to enter the next midday drawing, evening drawing, or both. Enter multiple drawings in advance to make sure you don’t miss out on a future day.
You must make sure you buy your tickets before 12:25 p.m. for a midday drawing. If you are entering an evening draw, the cut-off time is 7:25 p.m. every day apart from Saturday, when it is 7:45 p.m.
Choosing your wager type is a key part of the strategy when you play Pick 3, and depends whether you want to try and win the best prizes, give yourself the best chance of winning, or go for something in-between. Here is more about each type:
The aim of a Straight wager is to match the three winning numbers exactly in order. You can pick any combination of numbers you want - the odds are the same.
You win a Box wager if the three numbers you select are drawn in any order. There are two types of boxed bets:
Also known as a Straight/Box in other states, a Back-Up bet gives you the chance to win the Box prize if your numbers appear in a different order. For instance, if you pick 123 as a Back-Up and the numbers drawn are 213, you win the Box portion of the prize only. If the winning combination is 123, you win both parts of the prize.
If you play a Wheel, a separate Straight wager is entered for each combination of numbers within your selected set. This allows you to win if your numbers appear in any order, just like a Box, but the payout is much higher. Another difference is that you have to pay for each combination of numbers that you enter.
With a Pair wager, you just need to select two numbers rather than two. You must match both digits exactly to win.
Each type of wager has its own fixed payout, based on the odds of winning. If you match all three numbers in exact order, for example, you win $500 for a $1 wager, far more than the $83 you would receive for a 6-Way Box. Go to the Odds and Payouts page to find out how much you can win in Pick 3.
