Power Play and Double Play: Powerball's Add-Ons Explained
What Powerball's Power Play multiplier and the Double Play draw actually do, what they cost, and how to read them in the results.
A basic Powerball play costs $2. At the counter, or in the app if your state sells online, you'll be offered two extras: Power Play for $1 and, in some states, Double Play for $1. They do quite different things.
Power Play: a multiplier for smaller prizes
Before each draw a separate Power Play number is drawn: 2, 3, 4, 5 or 10. If you paid for Power Play, any prize you win below the jackpot is multiplied by it. There are two exceptions to know about:
- Matching all five white balls without the Powerball pays a flat $2 million with Power Play, whatever number is drawn.
- The 10x multiplier is only included when the advertised jackpot is $150 million or less.
Power Play never touches the jackpot. In the Powerball results, it's the number labeled "Power Play" next to the draw.
How often each multiplier has come up
Across the 1,422 draws since the current game began in October 2015:
| Power Play | Draws | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2x | 798 | 56.1% |
| 3x | 453 | 31.9% |
| 4x | 93 | 6.5% |
| 5x | 58 | 4.1% |
| 10x | 20 | 1.4% |
2x is by far the most common. The multiplier is drawn from a weighted set of balls, and there are fewer high multipliers than low ones. The 10x only appears in the draws where it was allowed.
Double Play: a second draw with your same numbers
Double Play is a separate draw held right after the main one. Your numbers are checked against a second set of five white balls and a Powerball. It has its own prize table with a top prize of $10 million rather than a rolling jackpot. It isn't offered in every state, so check before you buy.
On our results pages the Double Play numbers sit under the main result. A ticket without Double Play can only win on the main numbers, however well it matches the Double Play draw.
Are they worth it?
That's a personal call. The math, though, is simple. Power Play raises the size of mid-level prizes but doesn't change your odds of winning one. Double Play roughly doubles your chances of a prize from the same numbers, but its prizes are smaller. Neither affects your jackpot odds, which stay at 1 in 292,201,338 per play.