You can play Pick 3 by visiting any Illinois Lottery retailer, or you can take part online. Draws take place at 12:40 p.m. and 9:22 p.m. It’s a simple game to enjoy, but there are a few steps to follow. Read a player’s guide below, then learn about all the possible play types further down the page.
You can pick from several types of play – Straight, Box, Straight/Box, Combo, Front Pair or Back Pair.
Play for just $0.50 per play, or you can make your wager amount $1, $2, $3, $4 or $5.
Pick three numbers from 0 to 9. If you’re looking for a random selection, you can get a Quick Pick.
Select the Midday draw, Evening draw or both. You can also play up to six consecutive days.
Choose the Fireball option to give yourself extra chances to win.
The cut-off times are 12:35 p.m. and 9:15 p.m., and the total cost takes into account your wager amount, play style and how many draws you have entered.
If you buy a ticket from a retailer, sign the back of it and keep it safe until the draw takes place and you can check the results. If you play online, your numbers will be stored securely and checked for you after the draw so you can find out straight away whether you are a winner.
One of the most important decisions to make when you play Pick 3 is which style of play to go for. Some of the terms may be unfamiliar, but it’s easy to understand each one.
Straight – This is a wager that the three numbers you pick will be drawn in that exact order. You have to get all three correct, in the same positions, to win.
Box – If you box up a set of three numbers, it means they can be drawn in any order and you would win. All three numbers must still be drawn – there’s no prize for getting one or two right – but the position they appear doesn’t matter.
Straight/Box – You can divide your play into two, with half the cost going on a Straight and half on a Box. You can win both parts of the wager if your three digits are drawn in exact order, or just the Box prize if they appear another way.
Combo – A Combo wager uses every possible combination of Straight plays within your selected set of numbers, so you are effectively entering three or six Straights instead of one. You win the same prize as a Straight if your three numbers appear in any order, because you have every possibility covered. However, you do have to pay for each combination entered.
Front Pair - Predict the two numbers that will be drawn first and second, in the order you think they will appear. You can leave the third column blank on your playslip.
Back Pair – This is a wager on the last two winning numbers, so you don’t have to select a digit from the first column when filling in a playslip. You must get both digits correct to win.
For Box, Straight/Box and Combo plays, the combination of numbers you select helps to determine what prize you can win. If you choose two numbers that are the same and one that is different, such as 112, this is known as a 3-Way play. If you have three different numbers, for example 123, it is called a 6-Way play. The term refers to the number of possible combinations for those three digits.
You can add the Fireball to your play to give you more chances to win. It is just a case of marking the relevant option on your playslip or asking the retailer. A fourth number from 0 to 9, known as the Fireball, is drawn after the first three. You can replace any of the drawn numbers with the Fireball to give you a winning combination. It doubles the cost of a wager to add Fireball.
There is a fixed prize amount for each play type, based on the odds of winning. The most you can win is for a Straight play, which offers a return of 500x your stake. Your wager amount also dictates how much you could win, so it is possible to win $2,500 on a Straight. Go to the Prizes page.