The Mega Millions jackpot swelled to $512 million for Tuesday night's drawing, making it the fifth largest prize in the game's 16-year history.
All it takes to win the pot is $2 for a ticket and having the odds of 1 in 302.6 million in your favor. Players must select five numbers from 1 to 70 and one Mega Ball from 1 to 25. To win the jackpot, players must match all six numbers, but those matching just some can still win prizes. [[478390753, C]]
If one person wins the massive jackpot, the cash option would be roughly $303 million. Tuesday night's drawing will take place at 10 p.m. CST.
No one has hit the jackpot since May 4. That $142 million prize was the third winning jackpot this year.
Everyone has a different strategy to win, with experts recommending against quick picks and instead advising players to pick the same numbers every drawing - that way, every time they lose, the odds increase. [[479648203, C]]
Mega Millions is one of two national lottery games. It's played in 44 states plus Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The largest jackpot in U.S. history was a $1.6 billion Powerball jackpot won in January 2016 by players in three states. The record prize for Mega Millions was $656 million for the March 30, 2012, drawing, in which there were also three winning tickets from players in Illinois, Kansas and Maryland.
