Game of the Week: New Jersey Pick-6 Xtra — Everything You Need to Know

Written by Max Watt

August 27, 2026

There are several draw games available from the New Jersey Lottery. Some offer small prizes with high levels of customization and daily drawings, while others provide massive multi-state jackpots. Pick 6 provides a middle ground. Combining big jackpots and attractive odds that are much more favorable than the multi-state games, NJ Pick 6 is debatably the best of both worlds. Read on through our new Game of the Week guide to find out all about it.

What is NJ Pick 6?

Pick-6 is a traditional 6-from-46 lotto game run by the New Jersey Lottery, drawn three times a week. Every ticket automatically comes with the Xtra feature built in — there's no separate purchase required, unlike multiplier add-ons on other state games.

Xtra assigns a random multiplier to each ticket at the point of sale, and if that ticket wins a non-jackpot prize, the multiplier boosts the payout. The jackpot itself is never multiplied, but every other prize tier can be.

How to Play

Playing Pick-6 is simple:

1. Pick Numbers: Choose six numbers from 1 to 46, either yourself or via a Quick Pick.
2. Decide on Wagers: A wager costs $2 per play, and the Xtra multiplier is included automatically at no extra charge.
3. Draw Times: Draws are held every Monday, Thursday, and Saturday at approximately 10:57pm ET, with ticket sales closing shortly before each draw.
4. Add Double Play (optional): An optional Double Play add-on is available for an extra $1 per line, entering your same numbers into a second, separate drawing for a chance at prizes up to a fixed $250,000 jackpot.
5. Claim Prizes: Prizes must be claimed within one year of the draw date, and any win of $600 or more has to be claimed directly through the New Jersey Lottery rather than at a retailer.

Pick 6 Draw Schedule

NJ Pick 6 drawings take place three nights per week: Monday, Tuesday, and Saturday at roughly 10:57 PM Eastern Time. Tickets for the game must be purchased no later than 10:53 PM – five minutes before the event.

The Saturday drawing is relatively new, as NJ Lottery added it as July 12, 2025, expanding Pick 6 from two drawings per week to three. If you add Double Play for an extra $1, that drawing takes place immediately after the regular Pick-6 drawing.

Look at the table below to find out when Pick 6 drawings take place:

Pick 6 Jackpot History

Pick-6's biggest moments give a sense of how large this smaller game can provide the same air-punching victories that multi-state games offer. Including:

• $48.9 million (February 2001) — the largest Pick-6 jackpot ever won, hit by a single ticket sold in Clifton, Passaic County. It remains the state record more than two decades later.
• $35.5 million (May 2004) — the second-largest Pick-6 win in state history.
• $29.5 million (December 2018) — won by Judith Smith, a National Park Service ranger from Bayonne, on a ticket bought at Eddy's Wine & Liquors just days before she was furloughed without pay during the record-length federal government shutdown. At the time, it was the largest Pick-6 jackpot won since the 2004 prize.
• $22 million (October 25, 2025) — a Hudson County win purchased through a licensed courier app, described by the New Jersey Lottery as the largest jackpot ever collected from a courier-purchased ticket in the state.

Access NJ Pick 6 results here.

Prominent NJ Pick 6 Jackpot Winners

1. James and Eileen Rath — $48.9 Million (2001), the Biggest Pick-6 Jackpot Ever

The largest Pick-6 jackpot in New Jersey Lottery history belongs to James and Eileen Rath of Union, Union County, who claimed a staggering $48.9 million in 2001. More than two decades later, the Raths' win remains the benchmark against which every other Pick-6 jackpot in the state is measured, and it helped cement Pick-6 as one of New Jersey's signature home-grown lottery games.

2. Judith Smith — $29.5 Million (2019), the Furloughed Park Ranger Who Waited Out the Government Shutdown

Judith Smith, a Bayonne park ranger, bought her winning ticket on December 17, 2018, just days before the federal government shutdown closed her workplace. Furloughed and unsure what came next, Smith and her two children tucked the ticket away in a safe place and quietly sought legal and financial advice before finally stepping forward in February 2019 to claim the $29.5 million prize — at the time the largest New Jersey jackpot won since May 2004. Her story became a national symbol of resilience during a difficult stretch for federal workers.

3. The $22 Million Winner — New Jersey's Online Lottery Era Arrives

New Jersey was among the first states to legalize online lottery courier services, and that shift paid off in dramatic fashion when a player claimed a $22 million Pick-6 jackpot purchased entirely through a licensed lottery courier. The winner's identity was not publicly disclosed, but the win underscored how digital ticket sales have reshaped the way New Jerseyans play the lottery, letting winners strike it rich without ever stepping into a store.

The Verdict

NJ Pick 6 is a highly evolved draw game that has been creating Garden State millionaires since 1980. It’s a staple game for a reason, and now that it draws three times a week instead of two, it provides even more opportunities to win life-changing prizes.

If it sounds like a draw game you’d enjoy, then why not play today? Just head to your local licensed lottery retailer in New Jersey. Alternatively, skip the trip and order online. New Jersey Pick-6 jackpots are rolling over, and getting won, more often than ever.

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