Pick Lottery Glossary: Straight, Box, Combo and More
Pick tickets and results use a small set of terms, and lotteries don't all use the same names for them. Each term below gets a sentence or two. When a definition here and a lottery's rules disagree, the official rules count.
Straight
A straight play matches only when the digits come out in the exact order you picked, which in Pick 3 is a 1 in 1,000 chance. Some lotteries call it Exact or Exact Order.
Box
A box play matches when your digits come out in any order. In Pick 3, 123 has 6 orders, so a box on it has a 1 in 167 chance.
Straight/box
One play split between a straight and a box, so it matches in the exact order or in any order. Each lottery decides whether it offers it and what to call it.
Combo
One ticket that plays every order of your digits as its own straight, so it costs as much as all those plays together: 123 in Pick 3 is 6 straights. Each lottery decides whether it offers it.
Front pair
Only the first two digits have to match, in exact order. Each lottery decides whether it offers it, and in which games.
Back pair
Only the last two digits have to match, in exact order. Each lottery decides whether it offers it, and in which games.
Draw time
The time of day a lottery holds a draw. Many lotteries draw a game more than once a day, and each draw time has its own results.
Midday and evening
The usual names for a day draw and a night draw of the same game, though some lotteries say Day, Night or something else. Each one is a separate draw with its own numbers.
Fireball
An extra digit some lotteries draw after the regular ones, which can stand in for one of them at an added cost. Each lottery decides whether it offers it, and our frequency counts leave it out.
Verified result
A result checked against the lottery's official source and a second, independent source before we publish it. Even so, the lottery's official results are the ones that count.
Frequency window
The range of dates a frequency count covers, shown with the number of draws in it. The count describes past draws in that window and does not change the odds of the next one.
Quick pick
Random digits made for you instead of picked by hand. A quick pick has the same odds as any number you choose.
Straight or box · Work out the odds of your number
Glossary questions
Why does my lottery use a different name for the same play?
Each lottery names its own plays. Exact, Exact Order and Straight mean the same thing, and so do Any Order and Box. Your lottery's official rules list the names it uses.
Does every lottery offer every play in this glossary?
No. Each lottery decides which plays it offers in each game, and box, straight/box, combo, the pairs and Fireball are offered only by some. Check the official rules of your game.
Results by state
More game guides
- Pick 2Two digits, from 00 to 99. In Puerto Rico it's Pega 2.
- Pick 3Three digits, from 000 to 999. You'll also see it as Cash 3, Daily 3, Play 3 or Numbers.
- Pick 4Four digits, from 0000 to 9999. It also goes by Win 4, Cash 4, Daily 4 or Play 4.
- Pick 5Five digits, from 00000 to 99999. Some lotteries name it Georgia 5, Play 5 or DC-5.
- Cash PopChoose numbers from 1 to 15. One is drawn each time, and each number has a 1 in 15 chance.
- Straight or boxExact order or any order: what each way of matching means.
- Odds and randomnessWhere the odds come from, why draws are independent, and what a count means.
- How monitors workWhat a saved number checks, and what it does not.
- Lottery strategyWhat a strategy can change in a Pick game, and what no system can.
Play for fun
Set a budget before you play and stick to it. The lottery is entertainment, not a way to make money.