If you were holding a ticket last night hoping for a life-altering phone call to your boss, you’re probably scrolling through this with a bit of nervous energy. I get it. We’ve all been there, squinting at those tiny red and white circles on the screen, praying they match the crumpled slip of paper on the kitchen counter. Honestly, the Saturday, January 17, 2026, drawing was a big one. The jackpot had climbed to a staggering $179 million.
The winning powerball numbers from saturday night were 5, 8, 27, 49, 57, and the red Powerball was 14.
If you happened to check the Power Play box, the multiplier was 4x.
Did anyone actually hit the jackpot?
Short answer? No. Nobody woke up this morning as a brand-new centimillionaire. The Multi-State Lottery Association confirmed that no ticket matched all six numbers. It’s kinda wild when you think about the sheer volume of tickets sold across 45 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, but the math is just brutal. The odds of hitting that grand prize stay fixed at 1 in 292,201,338.
Because there was no jackpot winner, the prize is doing what it does best: growing. For the next drawing on Monday, January 19, the estimated jackpot has already jumped to $193 million, with a cash option of roughly $87.9 million.
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The big winners who actually cashed in
Even though the top prize stayed put, Saturday night wasn’t a total wash. Some people are definitely having a better Sunday than the rest of us.
Specifically, one lucky player in South Carolina matched all five white balls and had the Power Play option. Because the multiplier was 4x, they didn't just get the standard million; they're looking at a $2 million payday. Another ticket in California also matched all five white balls. In California, prize amounts are pari-mutuel (based on sales), so that winner is taking home $812,200.
Across the country, 19 tickets managed to match four white balls plus the Powerball. That’s normally a $50,000 prize. If any of those folks had the Power Play, they just quadrupled that to $200,000. It’s not "buy a private island" money, but it’s definitely "pay off the mortgage and buy a nice car" money.
What about the Double Play results?
A lot of people forget about the Double Play add-on, which is a second drawing held right after the main one. If you paid the extra buck for that, the numbers you were looking for were 1, 4, 6, 34, 56, and the Double Play Powerball was 19.
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The top prize for Double Play is a fixed $10 million cash. No one hit that either, but it's worth double-checking your ticket just in case you won one of the smaller tiers.
Why the "small" wins matter
Most people just look at the jackpot and toss their ticket if it doesn't match. Don't do that. Seriously.
Over 600,000 tickets won some kind of prize last night. Most of those are $4 or $7 wins—basically just enough to buy a couple more tickets or a fancy coffee—but they add up. In Maryland alone, over 14,000 people won something.
Pro Tip: Use a lottery app or the official Powerball website to scan your ticket. Humans are notoriously bad at reading long strings of numbers under pressure. I’ve heard too many stories of people throwing away $500 winners because they were only looking at the Powerball.
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The tax reality nobody likes to talk about
If you had won that $179 million, you wouldn't actually see $179 million. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
First, you have to choose between the annuity (30 payments over 29 years) or the cash option. Most people take the cash, which for Saturday was about $81.5 million.
Then, Uncle Sam takes his cut. There’s a mandatory 24% federal withholding right off the top, and usually, you’ll end up owing closer to 37% when tax season rolls around. If you live in a state like New York or California, you’re looking at another chunk for state taxes. In the end, a "$179 million" win often nets out to somewhere around **$50 million to $55 million** in your actual bank account. Still enough to never work again, but a far cry from the headline number.
What to do if you have a winning ticket
If you realized while reading this that your numbers actually match, take a breath. Put the ticket in a safe place—like a fireproof box or a bank deposit box.
- Sign the back of the ticket immediately. In most states, a lottery ticket is a "bearer instrument," meaning whoever holds it can claim it.
- Shut up. Don't post it on Facebook. Don't tell your cousin who's always asking for "loans."
- Call a pro. You need a tax attorney and a financial advisor before you even think about walking into the lottery office.
- Check the deadline. You usually have between 90 days and a year to claim your prize, depending on the state. Don't rush in tomorrow morning.
The winning powerball numbers from saturday night have set the stage for a massive Monday draw. Whether you're chasing the new $193 million prize or just checking to see if you won your $2 back, stay smart about it. The odds are long, but as the saying goes, you can't win if you don't play. Just make sure you're playing for fun, not as a retirement plan.
Next Steps for Players:
Check your physical ticket against the official results on the Powerball website or your state's lottery app. If you didn't win, you can hold onto your ticket to see if your state offers a "second chance" drawing, which many do for non-winning entries. Otherwise, the next chance to play is Monday night—get your tickets before the 10:00 p.m. ET cutoff.