Jersey Cash 5: Find the Bullseye Before Reading the Prize Chart

Jersey Cash 5 has five winning numbers, but one of them carries an extra job. The last number drawn is designated the Bullseye, and matching it can change the prize for a smaller match count. It is part of the five-number result, not a sixth ball you need to select.

That is the detail to establish before using the prize chart. A list sorted into ascending order can make every number look equivalent, so use an official result that identifies the Bullseye rather than trying to infer it from the largest number on the screen.

Your selection remains five numbers from forty-five

Each basic play costs $2 and includes Bullseye. Select five different numbers from 1 through 45 or use Quick Pick. You do not choose which selection will serve as the Bullseye; that designation comes from the drawing.

For example, 8, 15, 23, 34 and 45 is a valid selection. Writing 45 last on your own line does not nominate it for the feature. Nor does the largest winning number automatically become the Bullseye when the result is displayed in numerical order.

The included feature and the optional purchase are different things. Bullseye is part of the basic entry. XTRA costs an additional $1 per play per drawing and affects eligible non-jackpot awards. A basic entry with XTRA therefore costs $3 for one drawing.

Count matches, then identify whether one is the Bullseye

The standard chart distinguishes four matches with Bullseye at $500 from four without it at $250. Three matches pay $30 with Bullseye or $15 without it. Two matches qualify for $5 only when the Bullseye is among those two matches.

Suppose the five winning numbers are 8, 15, 23, 34 and 41, with 23 designated the Bullseye. The sample selection 8, 15, 23, 34 and 45 has four matches including Bullseye, so its standard category is $500.

A second selection, 8, 15, 34, 41 and 45, also has four matches, but misses 23. Its standard category is $250. Both plays matched four of the same five-number result; the particular number missed changes the award.

Neither play matches all five. The Bullseye does not stand in for the missing number or convert a four-match result into the jackpot. It determines the applicable lower-tier category.

Two matching numbers need a closer look

Use the same hypothetical result and Bullseye. A play containing 8 and 23, with its other three selections missing, falls in the two-with-Bullseye category. A play matching 8 and 15 but not 23 does not reach that category.

This is why checking only the total number of matches can discard a real small win or suggest one that the chart does not award. Write the result as “two, Bullseye yes” rather than simply “two.”

Awards on a single play are not added across every smaller match category it contains. A four-with-Bullseye result belongs in that row; it is not a separate collection of two-, three- and four-match prizes. Have an actual ticket validated through the lottery’s official process.

Apply XTRA only if it was purchased

XTRA uses a drawn multiplier to increase the eligible non-jackpot prize. The published chart shows multipliers from 2X through 5X. It does not multiply the jackpot.

For a hypothetical four-with-Bullseye result with a 3X multiplier, the standard $500 category becomes $1,500 if XTRA was purchased. Without XTRA on the entry, the appearance of 3X in the drawing results does not increase that play’s award.

The order of your checking steps is useful here: establish the match count, check Bullseye, identify the base category, then consult the purchased XTRA status and official multiplier. Starting with the largest amount visible in the chart invites an incorrect expectation.

For multiple drawings, the added cost applies per play per drawing. Confirm the total before buying rather than assuming a single extra dollar covers every future entry on a multi-draw purchase.

The jackpot depends on all five numbers

There are 1,221,759 possible five-number sets from a pool of 45, giving one selection jackpot odds of 1 in 1,221,759 in one drawing. The Bullseye designation does not add a separately selected number to that calculation.

The jackpot is shared when more than one qualifying ticket wins. The advertised amount is an estimate subject to the official rules, so matching the complete set and determining an individual payout are related but separate questions.

A familiar Cash 5 name elsewhere does not establish these rules. North Carolina Cash 5 uses a different pool and add-on structure. Research and check the state-specific game on the ticket.

Verify the issued ticket before putting it away

Check the selections, drawing dates and XTRA status on the actual ticket. A playslip records a request; the issued entry records what was purchased. For a multi-draw ticket, keep track of the remaining dates after checking an early result.

When reviewing results, use the official Bullseye identification and the correct drawing. If you want another local format, the New Jersey directory includes Pick-6, whose rules should be checked separately. There is no shortcut that makes one game’s bonus or multiplier work across all New Jersey tickets.