There are different ways to play Pick 3, depending on whether you want to try and win the biggest prizes, give yourself the best odds, or would prefer to get a combination of the two.
Before examining all the play types, you should also be aware that there are a few ways you can pick different combinations of numbers, which also impact on your chances of winning.
A Straight play is a wager on your three selected numbers being drawn in that exact order. If they are drawn in any other order, or if just one or two of the numbers are selected in the correct positions, you do not win.
If your three numbers are boxed, it means they can appear in any order and you would win. The order does not matter. For example, if you play the numbers 5-4-4, you would still win if the numbers drawn were 4-4-5 or 4-5-4.
When you select the STR/BX option on your playslip, you are covering both the Straight and the Box play, with $0.50 spent on each. If you select 6-7-8, for example, you win the full prize for both the Straight and the Box if the winning numbers are 6-7-8. If the numbers drawn are 6-8-6, you win the Box prize but not the Straight.
A combo play combines all the possible Straights within a set of numbers. For example, if you play the numbers 9-9-0, you are also entering 9-0-9 and 0-9-9. You win the Straight prize if any combination of those numbers is drawn, but you have to pay for each combination.
If you choose the Front Pair option on your playslip, you only have to select a number from each of the first two lines on the panel (for example 1-2-*). You win if the first two numbers drawn are 1-2, but not if they are 2-1.
This is a prediction on the last two winning numbers, so you do not need to pick a digit from the first line (for example *-7-7). You only win in this example if the last two numbers are 7-7.
You can add the Fireball to any play type and it creates even more winning opportunities. Go to the Fireball page to find out all about how it works.