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Pick 3

Illinois Pick 3 gives you control over how you want to play, with a variety of options as you seek to match three numbers from 0 to 9. You can choose how to play, your wager amount, and even add the Fireball feature to increase your chances of winning.

The Pick 3 lottery is drawn twice a day, seven days a week. There’s a Midday draw, which takes place at 12:40 PM CT, and an Evening draw at 9:22 PM CT.

Friday, Dec 20, 2024
Midday Result:
  • 8
  • 9
  • 3
  • 4
Evening Result:
  • 5
  • 3
  • 4
  • 8
Prize Payout More Pick 3 Numbers
Jackpot:
$88 Million
Play Online

How to Play

Whether you play online or in a retail store, you need to follow the steps below to take part in Pick 3.

1

Pick Your Play Style - You can choose from several different ways to play in Pick 3 – Straight, Box, Straight/Box, Combo, Front Pair or Back Pair.

2

Choose Your Wager Amount - You can pay either $0.50 or $1 per play. The higher your wager, the higher your potential payouts.

3

Pick Your Numbers - Select your numbers from 0 to 9 in line with the play style you have selected. You can choose your own numbers or get a Quick Pick.

4

Decide on Fireball - If you play Pick 3 plus Fireball, you can replace any of the three drawn numbers with the ‘Fireball’ number that is also selected. Adding Fireball doubles the cost of your wager.

5

Select Your Draws - Choose whether to play the Midday draw, the Evening draw, or both. You can also play your numbers in multiple consecutive days.

6

Pay For Entries - The total cost of you play depends on the wager amount, how many draws you have entered and whether or not you added Fireball.

Play Styles

Here is more information about the different play styles you can choose from and how each one works:

  • Straight - This is a prediction that the numbers you have selected will be drawn exactly in that order.
  • Box - You win a Box bet if the three numbers you select are drawn in any order. For example, if you pick 123, you would win if the numbers are 123, 132, 213, 231, 312 or 321. This is known as a 6-Way Box as there are six different ways you can win. If two of your numbers are the same, it would be a 3-Way Box as there would be just three possible winning combinations. For example, the numbers 112 give you 112, 121 and 211.
  • Straight/Box - Half of your wager goes on your numbers appearing in that exact order, and half that they will be drawn in any order.
  • Combo - This combines all the possible combinations of your three numbers into individual Straight wagers. For example, if you played the numbers 588, your Combo would consist of Straight wagers on 588, 585 and 855.
  • Front Pair - A prediction on the first two winning numbers. If you select 45X, for example, you win if the first two numbers are 4 and 5 in that order, regardless of what the third number is. You lose if the first two numbers are anything else, including 5 then 4.
  • Back Pair - You predict the final two numbers in the exact order they will be drawn.

Fireball

When a Pick 3 draw takes place, three numbers from 0 to 9 are selected to create the winning line. A fourth number, known as the Fireball, is also drawn at random from another set of 0 to 9.

If you’ve added the option to play Pick 3 with Fireball, you can replace any of the drawn numbers with the Fireball, boosting your chances of winning. For example, if you’ve played the numbers 456 and the winning numbers are 459, but the Fireball is 6, you can switch the 9 out of the winning line and replace it with the Fireball of 6 to give you a win.

Prizes and Odds

All the prizes in Pick 3 are fixed, depending on your play style and wager amount. The table below shows all the payouts that are available, whether you added the Fireball or not.

Illinois Pick 3 Prizes and Odds of Winning
Play Type $0.50 Prize $0.50 + Fireball Prize $1.00 Prize $1.00 + Fireball Prize Odds of Winning Odds of Winning with Fireball
Straight $250 $100 $500 $200 1 in 1,000 1 in 333
3-Way Box $80 $30 $160 $60 1 in 333 1 in 111
6-Way Box $40 $15 $80 $30 1 in 167 1 in 56
3-Way Combo $250 ($1.50 wager) $100 $500 ($3 wager) $200 1 in 333 1 in 111
6-Way Combo $250 ($3 wager) $100 $500 ($6 wager) $200 1 in 167 1 in 56
3-Way Straight/Box N/A N/A $330 for both
$80 for Box only		 $130/$30 1 in 1,000
1 in 333 (Box only)		 1 in 333
1 in 111 (Box only)
6-Way Straight/Box N/A N/A $290 for both
$40 for Box only		 $115/$15 1 in 1,000
1 in 167 (Box only)		 1 in 333
1 in 56 (Box only)
Front Pair $25 $10 $50 $20 1 in 100 1 in 33
Back Pair $25 $10 $50 $20 1 in 100 1 in 33