Powerball power play

Reply #14

they say — Sun, 18 Oct 2026 19:57:56 GMT

Whether you pay $1 extra for power play, or not, my simulator shows that spending more money means losing more money, for the vast majority of players. But I still play anyway. Students need good schools.

Reply #13

OSCAR II — Sun, 18 Oct 2026 19:18:49 GMT

I've been around a few forums and on my first post I initiated I clicked reply at the bottom, .. it was a general response. The second one was up in their response and I thought I checked the box but... it didn't include.

I just don't get the power play. If you could play just PP you would get nothing. You have to win something first to initiate it. I want to win and it does nothing for my odds.

Thanks for the welcome.

Reply #12

grwurston — Sun, 18 Oct 2026 18:46:48 GMT

When you click on Reply to respond to someone you will see, Include original post in your reply with a little box in front of it. If you click on the box it will put a check mark in it. That way everyone will know exactly who you are replying to. Since you just joined LP yesterday I figured you may not be aware of that yet.

Welcome aboard

Reply #11

JustMaybe — Sun, 18 Oct 2026 16:48:52 GMT

My apologies - It looked like a response to my comment.

Wishing you luck along the way

Reply #10

they say — Sun, 18 Oct 2026 14:08:06 GMT

I don't like paying for insurance. But if I don't have it, and the unexpected strikes, I will wish I did. At $2 per week, I spend $100 per year. At $3 per week, $150 per year. My cost of insurance is $50 per year.

Can I afford it, that is the question.

Reply #9

GiveFive — Sun, 18 Oct 2026 13:05:36 GMT

Let's face it, everybody knows playing the lottery is a suckers bet. I play like I do simply because thats what I do and I can afford to play like I play. That said, I hold no expectation of winning millions. Like you, the lower odds of winning a second place prize is my motivation for buying the PowerPlay Option. The advertised PB jackpot doesn't tempt me at all. That's because if I was ever so lucky to match all six numbers, I'd take the cash option, not the annuity. So the advertised jackpot... [ More ]

Reply #8

FrostyGambling — Sun, 18 Oct 2026 06:01:46 GMT

I don't buy power play but sometimes I do buy double play.

Reply #7

OSCAR II — Sun, 18 Oct 2026 04:37:30 GMT

And I did not respond to you. I responded to the original post in general. I gave my opinion on why I don't play power play and I never will.

Reply #6

JustMaybe — Sun, 18 Oct 2026 03:17:21 GMT

I did not say it increases my odds.

I did not say I know I will not hit the big prize.

I did not say am content with a smaller prize, thought I would be if I won.

All you are saying is This is how I choose to interpret your comment

Which is still ok in the grand scheme of things

Reply #5

OSCAR II — Sun, 18 Oct 2026 03:05:23 GMT

It doesn't increase your odds in any way. I just don't see it, I would buy another ticket instead.

You're betting against yourself. You're saying I know I'm not going to hit the big prize so I'll take a couple peanuts extra if I hit one of the smaller prizes.

If you're content with a smaller prizes just play a smaller game.

I do play the double play occasionally, its a different game.

Reply #4

JustMaybe — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 20:25:41 GMT

My argument has always been on the odds of winning.

You have 1 in 292M odds to win the jackpot and 1 in 11M to win the second price.

In short you are more likely to win the second tier prize than the jackpot. The powerplay therefore makes the second tier prize worth the effort should you win.

The option provided by Megamillions is more favourable because the second tier prize can be 2, 3, 4, 5 or 10M. Whereas for powerball it's fixed at 2M.

Regardless of the state you live in, yo... [ More ]

Reply #3

Jackpot777 — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 19:00:19 GMT

I rarely play it because I'm going for the jackpot. I'd be more likely to play if it were like Mega Millions and the actual multiplier applied to the 2nd tier prize. Someone in NY just hit the Mega Millions 2nd tier and got $5 million. Had it been Powerball, it would automatically be $2 million.

Reply #2

they say — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 12:50:17 GMT

There's no wrong answer. It depends on the player's budget and objectives. Other opinions welcome.

Reply #1

Tucker Black — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 07:58:26 GMT

It's a gimmick. 96% of the time, you waste $1. If you do win anything, it's usually just a few dollars.

If you want to spend more money on Powerball to improve your chances of winning, just buy more tickets. A common strategy is to buy multiple tickets all with the same five white balls, each with a different Powerball number.

Powerball power play

they say — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 06:21:56 GMT

Costs $1 extra. I often wondered if it's worth it. Available simulation tools did not answer my question, so I wrote my own simulator. Maybe someday I can post the link. For now I can discuss the power play question, if anyone is interested.