Ohio Pick 5 vs Pick 4: Which Lottery Has Better Odds?
A head-to-head comparison of Ohio Pick 5 and Pick 4 — odds, payouts, bet types, and which game is worth your dollar.
- September 18, 2026
- 8 min read
- #Ohio Lottery
- #Pick 5
- #Pick 4
- #Lottery Odds
Ohio Pick 5 has a $50,000 jackpot but harder odds — 1 in 100,000 Straight. Ohio Pick 4 has 10× better Straight odds (1 in 10,000) with a $5,000 max prize. Both cost $1 per play and draw twice daily. Pick 4 wins on odds and hit frequency; Pick 5 wins on maximum prize size. Both are run by the Ohio Lottery and fund Ohio education.
1. Odds Comparison: Every Bet Type
Ohio Pick 5 picks 5 digits (0–9) independently — 100,000 possible Straight combinations. Ohio Pick 4 picks 4 digits — 10,000 combinations. The extra digit is what drives Pick 5's longer odds at every tier.
| Bet Type | Ohio Pick 5 | Ohio Pick 4 | Better Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackpot / Straight Pick 5 pays $50K · Pick 4 pays $5K | 1 in 100,000 | 1 in 10,000✓ | Pick 4 |
| Box (lowest — most combinations) Pick 5 pays $2,500 · Pick 4 pays $200 | 1 in 5,000 (20-way) | 1 in 417 (24-way)✓ | Pick 4 |
| Box (mid) | 1 in 10,000 (10-way) | 1 in 833 (12-way)✓ | Pick 4 |
| Box (fewest combinations) | 1 in 20,000 (5-way) | 1 in 1,667 (6-way)✓ | Pick 4 |
| Front/Back Pair Pick 4 only | N/A | 1 in 100✓ | Pick 4 |
Pick 4 has better odds at every comparable tier. Pick 5's advantage is exclusively the larger prize ceiling.
2. Payout Comparison
Both games use fixed payouts (not pari-mutuel). The prize you see is the prize you get, regardless of how many other winners there are.
| Bet Type | Ohio Pick 5 | Ohio Pick 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Straight ($1) | $50,000 | $5,000 |
| Straight ($0.50) | $25,000 | $2,500 |
| Box — fewest combos ($1) | $10,000 (5-way) | $800 (6-way) |
| Box — most combos ($1) | $2,500 (20-way) | $200 (24-way) |
| Combo ($1 per combo) | $50,000 (all Straights) | $5,000 (all Straights) |
| Front/Back Pair ($1) | N/A | $50 |
3. Game Overview
- Pick: 5 digits (0–9) in order
- Straight odds: 1 in 100,000
- Max prize: $50,000 (Straight $1)
- Ticket cost: $0.50 or $1
- Draws: Midday & Evening, daily
- Draw times: 12:29 PM & 7:29 PM ET
- Bet types: Straight, Box, Combo
- Pick: 4 digits (0–9) in order
- Straight odds: 1 in 10,000
- Max prize: $5,000 (Straight $1)
- Ticket cost: $0.50 or $1
- Draws: Midday & Evening, daily
- Draw times: 12:29 PM & 7:29 PM ET
- Bet types: Straight, Box, Combo, Pairs
4. Value Per Dollar
Both games cost the same ($1 per play). The value trade-off is entirely about prize size vs odds.
5. The Ohio Angle
Which Should You Play?
- ✓You want the highest possible prize from an Ohio daily game ($50,000)
- ✓You're comfortable with longer odds in exchange for a bigger win
- ✓You want the only Ohio daily game with a true jackpot tier
- ✓You want 10× better odds of a Straight win
- ✓You want Front/Back Pair bets for shorter-odds plays
- ✓You prefer more frequent smaller wins over rare larger ones
The practical answer: most Ohio daily game players play both — Pick 4 for the better-odds daily action, Pick 5 as an occasional jackpot play. At $1 each and four combined draws per day, playing both costs $2/day for access to every Ohio daily numbers game.
Ohio Pick 5 & Pick 4 Statistics on Lottorios
Lottorios tracks live draw data for both games — hot digits, cold digits, overdue numbers, and full draw history. Updated automatically after every midday and evening draw.