Play NC Pick 4 and you could win up to $5,000 on a $1 wager! With two draws every day of the week and multiple play types, fans have plenty of chances to take home a win. The Midday draw is held at 3:00 PM ET, and the Evening draw takes place at 11:22 PM ET. Ticket sales are paused shortly before the draws, at 2:45 PM and 10:59 PM respectively.
In the following table, you can view the play type details, prize values for a $0.50 and $1 bet, and odds of taking home a payout.
| Play Type | Example | 50¢ Play Payout | $1 Play Payout | Odds of Winning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exact Order Match in order drawn | ||||
| Exact | 1234 | $2,500 | $5,000 | 1 in 10,000 |
| Any Match in any order | ||||
| 4-Way | 1112 | $600 | $1,200 | 1 in 2,500 |
| 6-Way | 1122 | $600 | $800 | 1 in 167 |
| 12-Way | 1122 | $200 | $400 | 1 in 833 |
| 24-Way | 1122 | $100 | $200 | 1 in 417 |
| Exact/Any Exact/Any Order. Cost: $1 | Box Payout | Straight Payout | ||
| 4-Way | 1122 | $600 | $3,100 | 1 in 2,000 & 1 in 10,000 |
| 6-Way | 1234 | $400 | $2,900 | 1 in 1,667 & 1 in 10,000 |
| 12-Way | 1234 | $200 | $2,700 | 1 in 833 & 1 in 10,000 |
| 24-Way | 1234 | $100 | $2,600 | 1 in 417 & 1 in 10,000 |
| Combo All Exact combinations of a 4-digit number | ||||
| 4-Way | 1122 | $2,500 ($2 Play) | $5,000 ($4 Play) | 1 in 2,500 |
| 6-Way | 1234 | $2,500 ($3 Play) | $5,000 ($6 Play) | 1 in 1,667 |
| 12-Way | 1234 | $2,500 ($6 Play) | $5,000 ($12 Play) | 1 in 833 |
| 24-Way | 1234 | $2,500 ($12 Play) | $5,000 ($24 Play) | 1 in 417 |
| Pairs Match two numbers in Exact Order | ||||
| Front Pair | 12xx | $25 | $50 | 1 in 100 |
| Back Pair | xx12 | $25 | $50 | 1 in 100 |
Fireball is an optional add-on for NC Pick 4 that you can add by checking the Fireball box on your playslip. It doubles the cost of your wager, but considerably boosts your chances of winning.
An extra number from 0-9 is drawn - the Fireball number - which can be used to replace any one of the main Pick 4 numbers. If you played Exact Order 8452, and the winning numbers were 8450 with a Fireball of 2, you'd still win, as you can replace the 0 with the Fireball 2!
It is possible to win multiple times on one ticket depending on the numbers you play. For example, if you pick the numbers 2466 as an Exact Order play, the drawn numbers are 2466 and the Fireball is also 6, then you've already won your main play. But what's more, you can replace both ‘6s’ from the winning set with the Fireball number of 6, giving you three wins in total!
Since Fireball was introduced to Pick 4 on September 18, 2022, replacing the Sum it Up and 1-Off add-ons. These payouts shown are for a $1 base play.
| Play Type | Fireball Prize | Fireball Odds of Winning |
|---|---|---|
| Exact Match in exact order | ||
| Exact | $1,350 | 1 in 2,703 |
| Any Match in any order | ||
| 4-Way | $340 | 1 in 699 |
| 6-Way | $224 | 1 in 472 |
| 12-Way | $112 | 1 in 240 |
| 24-Way | $56 | 1 in 123 |
| Exact/Any Exact: Match in exact order | ||
| 4-Way | $675 | 1 in 2,632 |
| 6-Way | $675 | 1 in 2,632 |
| 12-Way | $675 | 1 in 2,564 |
| 24-Way | $675 | 1 in 2,500 |
| Exact/Any Any: Match in any order | ||
| 4-Way | $170 | 1 in 699 |
| 6-Way | $112 | 1 in 472 |
| 12-Way | $56 | 1 in 240 |
| 24-Way | $28 | 1 in 123 |
| Combo All Exact combinations of a 4-digit number | ||
| 4-Way Cost:$4 | $1,350 | 1 in 699 |
| 6-Way Cost:$6 | $1,350 | 1 in 472 |
| 12-Way Cost:$12 | $1,350 | 1 in 240 |
| 24-Way Cost:$24 | $1,350 | 1 in 123 |
| Pairs Match two in exact order. | ||
| Front Pair | $14 | 1 in 56 |
| Back Pair | $14 | 1 in 56 |
Select four digits from 0 to 9, or mark Quick Pick to receive random numbers from the lottery terminal. You can use the same digit multiple times, and this will even affect your odds and prizes for some play types. The play slip has space to play five separate tickets; each panel is one entry.
There are multiple ways to play – Exact Order, Any Order, 50/50, Combo, or Pairs (Front or Back). This determines how your numbers can use the drawn numbers to make a winning match. Each play type has its own odds of winning and payouts - read on for details.
Decide whether to spend $0.50 or $1.00 on your wager (50/50 plays always cost $1, while Combo plays can cost from $2 to $24). Payouts for $1 wagers are twice as high as the $0.50 payouts - there's no other difference.
Add the Fireball option to your play to give you more ways to win - we'll explain just how this works later in the Fireball section. Using the Fireball add-on doubles the cost of your wager.
You can play either the Midday or Evening draw, or both. Leave this section blank to be entered into the next available draw. If you select both, you'll get one ticket for each draw. Use Multidraw to play up to seven Day or Evening draws in a row. You can also use the Advance Play option to enter your numbers in specific future draws.
Exact: Your numbers must match the winning numbers in the exact order they're drawn.
Any Order: Your numbers must match the winning numbers, but the order doesn't matter.
50/50 (Exact + Any): The Exact and Any Order plays together on one ticket. The cost to play is $1. Matching the numbers in any order wins you the $0.50 Any Order prize, and you'll also win the $0.50 Exact Order prize if your numbers match in drawn-order.
Combo: All possible combinations of your digits are entered as a separate Exact Order play. In practice, this means you can win the Exact Order prize (the biggest Pick 4 payout) with Any Order odds. The only drawback is the increased ticket cost, which is equal to your wager amount multiplied by the number of unique combinations your chosen digits can make.
Pairs (Front or Back): For Front Pair plays, you only need to choose a number in each of the first two columns, and these need to match the winning numbers in exact order. For Back Pair, choose a number in each of the last two columns and match the last two winning numbers in exact order.
The numbers you pick determine how many ways you could win. For Any Order and 50/50 plays, playing more "Ways" offers better winning odds, while playing fewer Ways means bigger prizes. For Combo tickets, the prize stays the same no matter how many Ways you play. Playing more Ways grants better odds, but the ticket cost also increases.
You have to be at least 18 years old to play Pick 4.
Yes, if you play in-store. However, you must cancel your ticket within 15 minutes of the purchase time, and before sales close for the next draw. Tickets can only be canceled at the same retail terminal where they were bought.
If a number is sold out, it means that you can’t play that particular four-digit combination. It happens when sales are so high that the ‘liability limit’ has been reached. If further wagers were allowed and those numbers were drawn, there would not be enough money in the prize fund for everyone to receive the advertised payout.
Yes, Fireball can be played alongside any type of wager. Adding this option doubles the cost of your play(s).
None of them. The numbers you pick do not change - the Fireball can replace any of the drawn/winning numbers.
The deadline for claiming lottery prizes in North Carolina is 180 days after the draw date.
