You've probably been there. It’s late on a Thursday night, or maybe a Monday, and you’re staring at a crumpled slip of paper with six numbers circled in ink. You check the official New Jersey Pick Six lotto results on your phone, and your heart does that weird little skip. You matched four. Or maybe five.
Suddenly, you’re calculating. You think you’ve just cleared a few thousand bucks. But then you look at the actual payout and it’s… different.
Honestly, the Pick Six is one of those games that everyone in the Garden State thinks they understand, yet almost no one actually tracks the nuances of the "XTRA" multiplier or the "Double Play" draw. It’s not just about matching six numbers anymore. The game has changed, and if you aren't keeping up with the latest structural shifts, you’re basically flying blind.
The Most Recent New Jersey Pick Six Lotto Results
If you’re looking for the most recent winning combination, the drawing on Thursday, January 15, 2026, turned out to be a bit of a statistical beast. The winning numbers were 8, 12, 13, 20, 35, and 41.
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No one hit the big one.
That means the jackpot for the next drawing on Saturday, January 17, has climbed to an estimated $11.1 million. If you prefer the bird in the hand, the cash option is sitting at roughly $5.07 million.
Here is the thing about these results: the "Double Play" numbers are entirely separate. For that same Thursday night, the Double Play draw produced 8, 10, 24, 42, 43, and 44. People constantly mix these up. They see the "8" at the start and think they’ve won the main jackpot when they actually played the Double Play addon. It’s a $1 mistake that leads to a lot of heartbreak at the retail counter.
What the Payouts Actually Looked Like
For that January 15 draw, the payouts tell a story of how difficult this game can be.
- 5 out of 6: While the "estimated" prize for this tier is usually $2,500, the actual pool fluctuates. On some nights, it’s closer to $1,300; on others, it might spike if fewer people hit those specific middle-range numbers.
- 4 out of 6: Usually nets you about $50.
- 3 out of 6: This is the floor. It’s a flat $3.
But wait. There's a catch.
Why Your Ticket Might Be Worth 10x More
Every single $2 Pick Six ticket now includes something called XTRA automatically. This is a game-changer that most casual players forget about until they see their receipt. When the drawing happens, a separate multiplier—1x, 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, or 10x—is applied to every ticket.
If you matched five numbers on Thursday and your ticket had a 5x XTRA multiplier, that $1,500 prize just became $7,500.
It’s random. You don't pick it. The computer just spits it out when you buy the ticket. This is why you see such wild variation in what people actually take home. Two people can have the exact same five winning numbers, but one walks away with five times more money because they got lucky with a multiplier at a Wawa in Cherry Hill.
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The Double Play Factor
For an extra buck, you can opt into Double Play. This is a second drawing held immediately after the main one. The top prize is a fixed $250,000 cash. Unlike the main jackpot, this doesn't roll over. It stays at a quarter-million.
The odds? Exactly the same as the main game: 1 in 9,366,819.
Is it worth it? Mathematically, it’s a tough sell, but for the "dreamers" who want two bites at the apple for the price of a cup of coffee, it’s the most popular addon in the state.
The Strategy Nobody Talks About: The "Jackpot Was Hit" Rule
New Jersey has a very specific promotion running right now through June 30, 2026. It’s called the "Jackpot Was Hit! Pick-6 Promotion." Here is how it works. Whenever someone actually wins the big jackpot and it resets to the base $2 million level, a seven-day window opens. During those seven days, if you buy three plays on a single ticket, the system automatically gives you a free $2 Quick Pick for the next drawing.
Most people ignore the jackpot when it’s "low" at $2 million. They wait for it to hit $10 million or $20 million before they start buying.
Expert players do the opposite. They wait for the reset. Why? Because you’re essentially getting a 33% bonus on your play for an entire week. It’s the only time the house edge in the New Jersey Pick Six lotto results actually softens a little bit.
How to Claim Without Getting Tax-Strangled
If you actually win—and I mean really win, like the $11 million currently on the table—don't just run to Trenton. New Jersey is one of the few states that allows some level of anonymity, but there are hoops.
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- Sign the back immediately. An unsigned ticket is "bearer instrument," meaning if you drop it in the parking lot, whoever finds it owns it.
- The $600 Rule. Anything under $599.99 can be cashed at a local retailer.
- The $10,000 App Limit. You can actually file a claim via the NJ Lottery mobile app for prizes between $600 and $10,000. It’s surprisingly smooth.
- State Taxes. NJ takes a chunk. For prizes over $10,000, the state withholds 5% (for residents) or 8% (for non-residents). That’s on top of the federal 24% withholding.
Basically, if you win $1 million, you aren't seeing $1 million. You’re seeing closer to $700,000 after everyone takes their cut.
Practical Steps for Your Next Play
If you’re going to play the Saturday draw, don't just pick birthdays. The number pool is 1 to 46. Most people pick dates, which only go up to 31. This means numbers like 35, 41, and 46 are statistically "under-played." You won't win more often by picking them, but if you do win, you’re less likely to have to split the pot with 12 other people who also used their grandmother’s birthday.
Check your old tickets. Seriously.
The NJ Lottery has millions in unclaimed prizes every year. You have exactly one year from the date of the drawing to claim your prize. If you have a stack of tickets in your glove box from last Christmas, you’re running out of time.
Go to a retailer, use the self-service scanner, and listen for the "winner" chime. Even a $3 win is better than letting the state keep your money. Just remember that the next drawing is Saturday night at 10:57 PM. Get your tickets before the 10:53 PM cutoff or you’ll be stuck waiting for Monday’s results.