To play Pick 3, you must select three numbers from 0 to 9 (or two if you are playing a Pair). There are also various bet types and wager amounts to choose from. You can find out about all the different ways you can play further down the page, but just follow these quick steps below to get a Pick 3 ticket in Maryland:
Choose your numbers from 0 to 9. Mark the Quick Pick option if you want a random set
Select your bet type – Straight, Box, Straight & Box, Combo, Front Pair or Back Pair
Choose your wager amount. This is $0.50 or $1 for most bet types.
Pick your draw time - Midday, Evening or Both
To enter multiple draws in advance, you can mark the ‘Number of Days’ or ‘Number of Draws’ option on your playslip. It is possible to enter up to 14 consecutive draws - seven Midday draws and seven Evening draws.
The total cost of a ticket depends on your selected wager amount and how many drawings you are entering.
You can select any of the following bet types. Some offer larger prizes if you win, while others offer better odds.
A Straight play is simply a wager on three numbers being drawn in exactly that order. For instance, if you play 1-2-3, you only win if the numbers are drawn in the order 1-2-3. If they come out as 1-3-2, there would be no prize. You can play any combination of numbers you like with a Straight play, including triples (1-1-1, 2-2-2, 7-7-7).
Box bets allow your numbers to appear in any order. For example, I you play the numbers 1-2-3, you would win if those numbers appeared in any order, such as 1-3-2. There are two different kinds of Box:
Straight & Box bets cost a total of $1, and include a $0.50 Straight play and a $0.50 Box play on the same ticket. It allows you to try and win the bigger Straight prize, in the knowledge that you would still win the smaller Box prize if those numbers appeared in a different order.
If you played 1-2-3, for example, and 1-3-2 were drawn, you would still win the Box portion of the prize. If the drawn numbers were 1-2-3, you would win both prizes.
If you select a Combo, you are effectively playing three or six Straight bets at the same time, and the cost goes up proportionally. For example, if you play 1-2-3 as a Combo, you are betting on 1-2-3, 1-3-2, 2-1-3, 2-3-1, 3-1-2 and 3-2-1. If any combination of those numbers is drawn, you win the same prize as you would for a Straight.
You are allowed to just select two numbers on your playslip if you select either the Front Pair bet type or the Back Pair bet type. This is a wager on either the first two numbers or the last two numbers. You must get them both in the correct order to win.
Go to the Pick 3 Payouts page to see all the prizes that you can win for each bet type, based on the way you play and your wager amount. If you win a prize, you can cash it at any Maryland Lottery retailer.