Pick 3 and Pick 4 are America's workhorse lottery games — most states draw them twice a day, every day, and searches like "what does straight/box mean" and "how much does Pick 4 pay" never stop. Here's how the bet types actually work, what each one pays, why the same game has five different names depending on your state, and when the midday and evening draws happen.
The basics: same game, many names
Whatever your state calls it, the game is identical at its core: you pick digits from 0–9 (repeats allowed), and the lottery draws that many digits in order.
- Pick 3 is also sold as Cash 3 (Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas), Daily 3 (Michigan, California, Indiana), Play 3 (Connecticut, Iowa), and Numbers (New York's "Numbers" game).
- Pick 4 appears as Cash 4, Daily 4, Play 4, and New York's Win 4.
Because each state runs its own independent drawing, the winning numbers in Tennessee's Cash 3 Midday have nothing to do with Ohio's Pick 3 Midday — always check your own state's draw.
Straight: exact order, biggest payout
A straight bet wins only if your digits match the drawn digits in exact order. Play 4-5-6 straight and the draw must be 4-5-6 — not 6-5-4.
- Pick 3 straight: odds 1 in 1,000, typically pays $500 on a $1 play.
- Pick 4 straight: odds 1 in 10,000, typically pays $5,000 on a $1 play.
Those fixed payouts are remarkably consistent across states, with one big exception: California's Daily 3 and Daily 4 are pari-mutuel, meaning winners split a prize pool, so the payout changes every draw.
Box: any order, smaller payout
A box bet wins if your digits come up in any order. The payout depends on how many arrangements your digits have — fewer ways to win means a bigger prize:
- Pick 3, 6-way box (three different digits, e.g. 1-2-3): about $80 on $1.
- Pick 3, 3-way box (a doubled digit, e.g. 1-1-2): about $160 on $1.
- Pick 4, 24-way box (four different digits): about $200 on $1.
- Pick 4, 12-way box (one pair, e.g. 1-1-2-3): about $400 on $1.
- Pick 4, 6-way box (two pairs, e.g. 1-1-2-2): about $800 on $1.
- Pick 4, 4-way box (a triple, e.g. 1-1-1-2): about $1,200 on $1.
Exact amounts vary a few dollars by state — your state lottery's payout chart is the authority. But the structure is universal: the box prize is roughly the straight prize divided by the number of arrangements.
Straight/box, combo, and pairs
- Straight/box splits your wager half-and-half. If your number hits in exact order you win both halves; any other order wins just the box half. It's the hedge bet.
- Combo buys a straight on every arrangement of your digits — a 6-way Pick 3 combo costs $6 and guarantees the full $500 straight payout if the digits come up in any order.
- Front pair / back pair (where offered) bets just the first two or last two digits, typically paying $50 on $1.
Many states also sell an add-on like Fireball or Wild Ball: it doubles your ticket price and draws an extra digit you can substitute into any position, creating more ways to win at reduced prize amounts.
Midday vs evening (and morning, and night)
Most states draw these games twice daily — a midday draw around noon–1:30 PM local time and an evening draw between roughly 6:30 and 11 PM local. They are completely separate drawings with separate tickets; a midday ticket can't win the evening draw. Some states go further: Tennessee adds a morning draw, and Texas draws Pick 3 and Daily 4 four times a day.
Every game page on Lottery Atlas — for example Pennsylvania Pick 3 Evening or Michigan Daily 3 Evening — shows that specific draw's schedule, latest numbers, and history. Pick your state from the homepage to find yours.
Bottom line
Straight = exact order, $500 (Pick 3) or $5,000 (Pick 4) per $1. Box = any order, smaller prizes based on how many arrangements your digits have. Straight/box hedges, combo guarantees the straight payout at a higher ticket cost, and midday and evening are independent drawings. The odds never change — 1 in 1,000 for Pick 3, 1 in 10,000 for Pick 4 — so the bet type only changes how you'd like to win, not whether you will.
Payout amounts reflect typical fixed-prize states and can vary; California pays pari-mutuel. Play responsibly — 1-800-GAMBLER.