Pick 4 is a simple, fast-paced draw game played in most states. It's not a multi-state lottery though; each state holds its own drawings, and they usually have slightly different rules, features, and terminology.
You're about to read our guide on filling out a North Carolina Pick 4 playslip!
First things first, choose four numbers from 0 to 9. Duplicates are allowed, and often affect the ticket's odds and prizes! Or, you can use the QP (Quick Pick) box instead and the lottery terminal will assign you a random set of numbers.
Your numbers need to match the drawn numbers to win, but which way should they match? Players can choose from Exact Order, Any Order, 50/50, Combo, and Pairs. If you're not familiar with these terms, head to our Ways to Play guide, where we explain in detail.
With every ticket, you can choose to wager either $0.50 or $1. The only difference here is that the $1 prizes are twice as high as the $0.50 ones. Things are different if you've gone with a Combo play though, with tickets costing up to $24.
The Fireball is an optional extra that greatly improves your chances of winning a prize! In essence, it gives you a 5th number that you can use to replace any of the main drawn numbers to create a winning combo. Adding the Fireball doubles the cost of your ticket.
On your playslip, you can choose whether you want your ticket to be for the upcoming Day draw (03:00 PM), the Evening draw (11:22 PM), or Both. The Advance Play field on your playslip can be used to enter your ticket(s) into a future draw, rather than the next upcoming one. You can also use the Multidraw field to enter from 2 to 7 draws back-to-back.
The Fireball is a 5th number ball from 0 to 9, drawn immediately after the main numbers. Players with a Fireball ticket can substitute any of the drawn numbers with the Fireball number to create new winning combinations.
For example, if you got a Fireball ticket with the numbers 1223, and the drawn numbers were 1203, FB 2, you would still win, as the 0 can be swapped with the Fireball 2. Bear in mind that your chosen numbers never change (this is a common misunderstanding), only the drawn, winning numbers can be substituted with the Fireball.
One of the coolest things about the Fireball is that you can win multiple prizes with the same ticket. For example, if you played 1110 and the winning numbers were 1110, FB 1, you'd get a prize for matching the number in the exact order without needing the Fireball. But, you'd also get three other prizes, as you can substitute the Fireball 1 for all three of the main number 1's: 1110, 1110, 1110!
The odds and prizes for each tier are fixed in North Carolina Pick 4, so they won't change from one draw to the next. Visit our Odds and Prizes page to find out what's on offer.