Georgia Cash 3's 1-Off option can pay when the selected digits match exactly. But that does not make its exact-match payment the same as Straight. At a $1 wager, the published exact-match amounts are $250 for 1-Off and $500 for Straight.
That difference is the price of comparing two different winning conditions. A 1-Off ticket buys the listed neighboring outcomes as well as its exact match. It should be read using its own schedule from the start.
Keep the digits in their columns
Cash 3 uses three digits from 0 through 9. Straight requires the three selected digits in exactly their printed order. A $1 Straight selection on 456 pays $500 if 456 is drawn in the covered session.
For 1-Off, the comparisons remain positional. Each selected digit must match or be only one away from the corresponding drawn digit under the permitted combinations. You do not rearrange the result to make the differences look smaller.
Think in three columns rather than treating 456 as an ordinary whole number. Being close numerically to four hundred fifty-six is not the test. The first, second and third digit relationships are the test.
Work through one changed position
With a selected 456, a result of 556 differs by one in the first position and matches the other two. A result of 466 differs by one in the second position. Both illustrate one-digit 1-Off patterns, subject to the combinations printed on the issued ticket.
A result of 476 differs by two in the middle position. It is not a one-step change merely because only one position is wrong. “One digit changed” and “changed by one” are different conditions.
This is why the ticket's printed list is so useful. Georgia states that every 1-Off ticket displays the possible winning combinations and prize levels, and the official rules limit the winning combinations to those displayed.
Two or three changes use different rows
For the same selection, 546 illustrates two positions each differing by one, with the final six unchanged. A result of 345 illustrates three positions each differing by one. Do not count the number of changed positions and then ignore the size of each change.
The published $1 1-Off prizes are $24 for one digit off by one, $4 for two digits off by one and $8 for three digits off by one. Exact matching pays $250 on that wager.
The payments are not a steadily decreasing “closer is always better” scale. They are separate rows for separate qualifying patterns. Read the applicable row rather than inventing a payment based on how close the complete number feels.
1-Off is not a free addition to Straight
A Straight-only ticket on 456 does not win a 1-Off payment when 556 appears. You needed to purchase 1-Off. Similarly, a purchased 1-Off exact match does not automatically receive the $500 Straight-only payment in addition to its own exact-match amount.
At 50 cents, the published 1-Off amounts are half the $1 figures: $125 exact, $12 for one digit, $2 for two and $4 for three. Keep the wager amount attached to the row while checking.
Do not use a different state's similarly named option as a substitute. Georgia's rules include an exact-match payment on 1-Off; names alone do not establish that another lottery does the same.
Box and pairs solve different matching problems
Box accepts arrangements of the selected three digits. It does not relax a digit to a nearby value. On a selection of 456, a rearranged result such as 654 is a Box question, not an automatic 1-Off question.
Front Pair and Back Pair check two specific ordered positions, leaving the third unrestricted. Straight/Box splits a $1 purchase between exact-order and any-order coverage. Combo purchases the distinct exact orders at its full listed ticket cost.
These alternatives should be chosen according to the condition you want to buy. They are not fallback options available after seeing which part of the result was encouraging.
Match the session before the pattern
Georgia Cash 3 draws daily at 12:29 p.m., 6:59 p.m. and 11:34 p.m. Eastern. Identify Midday, Evening or Night on the ticket before checking the digits. A correct pattern in the wrong session does not qualify.
For repeated purchases, calculate the complete cost and read the sessions entered. Keep the original secure and use official checking or retailer validation for a possible prize. The published claim period is 180 days.
The Georgia directory lists other formats. Within Cash 3, the practical lesson is to preserve both parts of the request: the selected digits and the purchased play type. The same exact result can legitimately pay different amounts on different wagers.
Official sources
Rules checked 2026-10-19. Use the operator for current prizes, deadlines and ticket validation.