Which Texas lottery has the best odds of winning?

When choosing a Texas (TX) lottery game, odds matter a lot to players. In general, simpler games with smaller jackpots offer better odds of winning any prize, while multi-state jackpots like Mega Millions or Powerball have much tougher odds.

Casual players (who want frequent wins) often prefer daily or state-only games, whereas frequent jackpot chasers might play the big draws. Below we compare each TX game’s odds, prize size and draw schedule.

• Pick 3 (Texas) – A $1 game drawn 4 times a day (morning, day, evening, night).
  Players pick three digits (000–999). A straight (exact-order) win pays up to ~$500 (exact prize depends on play type), with jackpot odds 1 in 1,000 for a $1 straight bet.
  Box (any-order) plays have better odds – e.g. a 6-way box (all digits different) is ~1 in 167. With the Fireball option and smaller prizes for matching 1–2 numbers, the overall chance to win something on a ticket is much higher (on the order of one in a few dozen). Because it has four draws per day, Pick 3 gives very frequent chances to win.
  
  
• Daily 4 (Texas) – A 50¢–$1 game drawn 4 times daily, where you pick a 4-digit number. The straight jackpot is $2,500 (50¢ play) or $5,000 (for $1). Straight (exact-order) odds are 1 in 10,000. Box wagers improve odds dramatically: for example, a 6‑way box (two pairs of digits) is 1 in 1,667 for a $1 play. In practice, Daily 4 has many prize tiers, so your chances of winning some prize on a ticket can be on the order of 1 in 10–15 (depending on play type). Like Pick 3, Daily 4’s frequent drawings mean players have daily shots at wins.
  
  
• Cash 5 (TX) – A $1 game drawn 6 nights a week (Mon–Sat). Players pick 5 of 35. Jackpot is a fixed $25,000 (paid to up to 3 winners, then pari‑mutuel if more winners). The odds to hit all 5 numbers (jackpot) are about 1 in 324,632, quite good by lottery standards. Any‑prize odds are 1 in 7.2, meaning roughly 1-in-7 tickets wins something. Because of those odds and frequent draws, Cash 5 is a favorite for casual TX players.
  
  
• Texas Two Step – A $1 game drawn twice a week (Mon/Thu). Players choose 4 numbers from 1–35 plus one bonus ball. Jackpot starts at $200,000. Jackpot odds are 1 in 1,832,600, and overall odds to win any prize are about 1 in 32.4. This makes Two Step much harder than Cash 5 but easier than multi-state games. Its midsize jackpot and clear prize structure appeal to frequent players.
  
  
• All or Nothing – A $2 game drawn 3 times a week (Mon/Wed/Sat). Players pick 12 numbers (from 1–24) on each board. You win the $250,000 top prize by matching all 12 or none of the 12 drawn numbers – a “double-win” chance. All or Nothing’s jackpot odds are 1 in 2,704,156. But including every prize tier, the overall odds of winning any prize are only 1 in 4.5 (the best overall odds of all TX games). In other words, roughly every 4–5 plays wins at least break-even or better. This makes All or Nothing the easiest Texas game in which to win something, even though its jackpot is modest.
  
  
• Lotto Texas – A $1 game drawn twice a week (Wed/Sat). Pick 6 of 54 numbers. Jackpots start at $4 million and can grow huge. However, the odds to win the jackpot are about 1 in 25,827,165, making it far harder than Cash 5 or All or Nothing. Smaller prizes (matching fewer numbers) raise your overall win chances to about 1 in 71 (for any prize). Lotto Texas is popular for its big jackpots, but it offers some of the toughest odds of TX’s state games.
  
  
• Mega Millions – A $2 multi-state game (TX participates) with drawings Tue/Fri. Players pick 5 of 1–70 plus one Mega Ball (1–25). Jackpots begin at $20M and often exceed hundreds of millions. Jackpot odds are 1 in 302,575,350. But there are 9 prize tiers. Notably, matching just the Mega Ball wins $2; those odds are 1 in 37. Including that, your chance of winning any prize is roughly 1 in 24 (the official overall odds are about 1 in 24.9). In practice, Mega Millions’ enormous jackpots come with very long odds, but smaller prizes fall much more often.
  
  
• Powerball – A $2 multi-state game (TX participates) drawn Mon/Wed/Sat. Pick 5 of 1–69 plus a Powerball (1–26). Jackpots start at $40M+. Jackpot odds are around 1 in 292,201,338. There are 9 prize tiers here too; matching just the Powerball (if no other numbers match) wins $4 with odds about 1 in 38. The overall odds of winning any prize (with Powerball drawings) are about 1 in 24.87. Like Mega Millions, Powerball’s main appeal is its huge potential jackpot, but a win of any kind is much more likely than the jackpot.
  
  

Comparing Odds and Picking the “Best”

For casual players who want frequent wins or to “have fun playing,” the state’s smaller games are easiest. In fact, All or Nothing stands out: it has the best overall odds (1 in 4.5 including break-even prizes). In other words, roughly every 5th play wins at least something (even if it’s just a $2 back). Cash 5 is next-easiest overall (odds ~1 in 7.2), and it offers a modest jackpot ($25K). Pick 3 and Daily 4 have tiny jackpots but have very high chances of small prizes each day, so many players enjoy the near-daily wins.

For jackpot-hunters, Cash 5 offers the easiest jackpot odds (1 in ~324,632) – far better than All or Nothing’s jackpot odds (1 in ~2.7 million) or Texas Two Step (1:1.83 million). By contrast, Lotto Texas (1:25.8 million), Mega Millions (1:302.6M) and Powerball (1:292M) are extremely hard but offer huge prizes.

In summary, the Texas game with the best odds of winning any prize is All or Nothing (about 1-in-4.5). For the easiest jackpot win, Cash 5 is the best bet (1-in-324,632). But remember: larger jackpots always mean tougher odds.

Check the Texas lottery results page on LotteryCoast for the latest winning numbers and stats, and visit each game’s page (Cash 5, Two Step, etc.) for details and odds.