If you only match the Powerball number (the red ball) and none of the white numbers in the standard U.S. Powerball game, you win a small fixed cash prize, typically 4 dollars per winning ticket.

Basic prize for just the Powerball

  • Matching only the red Powerball number (0 white numbers) pays about 4 dollars in the main U.S. Powerball game.
  • This prize is fixed and does not share in the giant jackpot; the jackpot requires matching all 5 white numbers plus the Powerball.

What if you add Power Play?

  • If you added the optional Power Play to your ticket, the “Powerball only” prize usually increases from 4 dollars to 8 dollars when any Power Play multiplier is drawn.
  • Power Play can multiply many non‑jackpot prizes, but it does not turn a “Powerball only” win into anything close to jackpot money.

Other common match levels

To give context, here are typical U.S. Powerball prize tiers without Power Play:

  • 1 white number + Powerball: about 4 dollars
  • 2 white numbers + Powerball: about 7 dollars
  • 3 white numbers (no Powerball): about 7 dollars
  • 3 white numbers + Powerball: about 100 dollars
  • 4 white numbers + Powerball: about 50,000 dollars
  • 5 white numbers (no Powerball): 1,000,000 dollars
  • 5 white numbers + Powerball: jackpot (hundreds of millions or more, depending on the draw)

Variations and local rules

  • Prize amounts can vary slightly by state or territory lottery, especially for add‑ons like Double Play or local promotions.
  • Other countries that have a game also called “PowerBall,” such as South Africa, use different prize tables and odds, so the “Powerball‑only” payout there will not necessarily be 4 dollars.

TL;DR: In the main U.S. Powerball game, if you “just get the Powerball number,” you normally win a small fixed prize of about 4 dollars per ticket, or about 8 dollars if you bought the Power Play option.

Information gathered from public lottery sites and general internet data and portrayed here.