The Powerball lottery is a popular multi-state lottery game in the United States. To play Powerball, players select 5 regular numbers from 1 to 69, and 1 Powerball number from 1 to 26. In order to win the Powerball jackpot, players must match all 5 regular numbers and the Powerball number. However, there are also smaller prizes available for matching fewer numbers. This leads to the question: is matching just 2 Powerball numbers enough to win any prize?
Quick Answer
No, matching only 2 Powerball numbers is not enough to win any prize in Powerball. To win the smallest Powerball prize, players must match at least 3 regular numbers or 2 regular numbers plus the Powerball number.
Powerball Basics
In order to understand if 2 Powerball numbers can win a prize, it’s important to first understand the basics of how Powerball works. Powerball drawings are held every Wednesday and Saturday night at 10:59 p.m. Eastern Time. At each drawing, 5 white balls numbered 1 to 69 are drawn, followed by 1 red Powerball numbered 1 to 26.
To play Powerball, players select 5 white ball numbers and 1 Powerball number on a play slip or Powerball playslip. This costs $2 per play. Players can also select Quick Pick to have the terminal randomly select the numbers for them. Tickets can be purchased up to one hour before the drawing occurs.
The Powerball jackpot starts at $20 million and continues to grow until someone wins it. Jackpots can roll over many times, leading to extremely large top prizes. For example, in January 2016, the jackpot reached a record $1.586 billion before it was finally won.
How to Win Powerball
There are 9 ways to win a Powerball prize:
1. Match 5 White Balls + Powerball
Match all 5 white balls in any order and the red Powerball to win the jackpot prize. The odds of this are 1 in 292,201,338.
2. Match 5 White Balls
Match 5 out of the 5 white balls in any order to win $1 million. The odds are 1 in 11,688,053.52.
3. Match 4 White Balls + Powerball
Match 4 out of the 5 white balls in any order and the Powerball to win $50,000. The odds are 1 in 913,129.
4. Match 4 White Balls
Match 4 out of the 5 white balls in any order to win $100. The odds are 1 in 36,525.
5. Match 3 White Balls + Powerball
Match 3 out of the 5 white balls in any order and the Powerball to win $100. The odds are 1 in 14,494.
6. Match 3 White Balls
Match 3 out of the 5 white balls in any order to win $7. The odds are 1 in 579.
7. Match 2 White Balls + Powerball
Match 2 out of the 5 white balls in any order and the Powerball to win $7. The odds are 1 in 701.
8. Match 1 White Ball + Powerball
Match 1 of the 5 white balls in any order and the Powerball to win $4. The odds are 1 in 91.
9. Match Powerball
Match just the red Powerball to win $4. The odds are 1 in 38.
As you can see, the smallest Powerball prize requires matching either 2 white balls and the Powerball, or 3 white balls. Matching only the Powerball itself wins a $4 prize.
Can You Win With Just 2 Powerball Numbers?
Based on the Powerball prize chart above, it is clear that matching just 2 Powerball numbers alone is not enough to win any prize.
The 2 Powerball numbers could be:
- 2 white ball numbers
- 1 white ball number + the Powerball
- Just the Powerball
However, none of these 2-number combinations will win a prize. Here’s a breakdown:
2 White Ball Numbers
Matching only 2 of the 5 white ball numbers does not meet the minimum requirement of 3 white balls or 2 white balls + Powerball needed to win a $7 prize.
1 White Ball Number + The Powerball
Again, this falls short of the 3 white balls or 2 white + Powerball threshold required for the smallest prize.
Just the Powerball
Matching solely the red Powerball number wins $4. However, since we’re discussing whether just 2 Powerball numbers can win, this single number does not qualify.
The answer is definitively no – 2 Powerball numbers alone, whether white balls, the Powerball, or a combination, will never be enough to win any Powerball prize amount.
Examples of 2 Number Powerball Tickets
Here are some examples of Powerball tickets with only 2 numbers marked that do not win any prize:
Example 1
White ball numbers: 62, 65
Powerball number: 22
This ticket matches 2 out of the 5 white balls. But without a 3rd white ball or the Powerball, it does not win anything.
Example 2
White ball numbers: 18
Powerball number: 20
Here only 1 white ball and the Powerball are matched. Still not enough for a prize.
Example 3
White ball numbers: none
Powerball number: 4
Matching just the red Powerball and no white balls wins nothing.
So in all of these examples with only 2 total numbers matched, the Powerball tickets are not winners.
Minimum Number of Matches To Win Powerball
Here is a summary of the minimum number of ball matches required to win each Powerball prize:
| Prize | Minimum Matches Needed |
|---|---|
| Jackpot | 5 white balls + Powerball |
| $1 million | 5 white balls |
| $50,000 | 4 white balls + Powerball |
| $100 | 4 white balls |
| $100 | 3 white balls + Powerball |
| $7 | 3 white balls |
| $7 | 2 white balls + Powerball |
| $4 | 1 white ball + Powerball |
| $4 | Powerball only |
As the table illustrates, every prize from $4 up to the jackpot requires matching at least 3 balls total. There is no Powerball prize for matching only 2 numbers.
Other Ways To Win With Just 2 Numbers
While matching 2 Powerball numbers alone doesn’t win any prize, there are a couple other ways to win small amounts with just 2 numbers:
Power Play
By paying an extra $1 per Powerball play, you can multiply non-jackpot prize amounts by 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, or 10x using the Power Play feature. If you match the Powerball plus 1 white ball (normally $4), the Power Play could boost that to $40 if the 10x multiplier was selected for that drawing.
Double Play
Double Play is an optional add-on game available in some states that gives players a second chance to match numbers after the main Powerball drawing, using the same numbers on their ticket. The Double Play prize for matching just 1 white ball + Powerball is $7. So with Double Play, 2 numbers could win you something.
But for the standard Powerball game on its own, 2 matched numbers will never qualify for any prize amount.
Why You Need More Than 2 Numbers
Winning Powerball takes matching a minimum of 3 numbers because of the game’s extremely long odds. With 69 white balls and 26 Powerballs available, the odds of randomly matching 2 particular numbers is:
- 2 white balls: 1 in 1,780
- 1 white ball + Powerball: 1 in 8,891
- Just Powerball: 1 in 676
At those high odds, nearly every Powerball ticket would win something if the minimum match was just 2 numbers. Powerball would not be able to support such frequent wins while still offering life-changing jackpots.
By requiring at least 3 numbers, the odds of randomly winning a Powerball prize become:
- 3 white balls: 1 in 7,384
- 2 white balls + Powerball: 1 in 11,688
- 1 white ball + Powerball: 1 in 18,492
This ensures that Powerball can deliver on its huge jackpots while still offering smaller prizes for matching 3 or more numbers.
How To Increase Your Chances
If you want to improve your odds of winning a Powerball prize, there are a few tips to increase your chances beyond just relying on 2 numbers:
- Buy multiple tickets – more number combinations gives more chances to match 3+ balls
- Join an office pool or lottery syndicate
- Use a balanced number selection – don’t just pick calendar numbers
- Take advantage of the Power Play multiplier
- Play Double Play for a second set of number matches
Combining some of these strategies can significantly improve your Powerball odds without breaking the bank on tons of tickets.
Key Takeaways
The main points about whether 2 Powerball numbers is a winner:
- No prize can be won by matching only 2 Powerball numbers
- The smallest Powerball prize requires 3 number matches
- 2 white balls, 1 white + Powerball, or just the Powerball does not win
- Long odds mean 2 matches would result in too many lower-tier winners
- Power Play or Double Play can sometimes yield prizes from 2 numbers
- Improving odds requires buying more tickets in a strategic way
The Bottom Line
While winning the jackpot takes matching all 6 numbers, every other Powerball prize requires hitting at least 3. With odds of more than 1 in 290 million, matching all 6 is incredibly difficult – which is why even getting just 5 numbers is an automatic $1 million prize.
But at the other end, allowing prizes for matching fewer than 3 numbers would create millions more lower-tier winners and make it difficult for Powerball to support the game’s huge jackpots. So while 2 matches is all it takes in some instant scratch games, Powerball requires that little extra luck of getting 3 numbers or more to walk away with any winnings.
