Home & Garden
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With choices from $2 to $30 and games to keep you busy for hours, there are so many Cashword options from the Ohio Lottery. But with so many choices, how do you decide which ones to play first? To help you solve this, we decided to play them all and break them down for you one by one.
Here’s everything you need to know …
CASH EXPLOSION CASHWORD
The low-cost, high-fun option with a chance to make you TV-famous.
Price: $2
Top prize: $20,000
Number of games on ticket: 1 + bonus box
Game on the back: No
Overall odds: 1 in 4.22
How it plays
There’s plenty of game in this $2 ticket. With 18 letters for you to reveal and find and a three-word minimum to win … play time actually takes time, which is great. But wait, there’s more. Scratch the bonus box to see if you’ve won instantly or if you’re eligible to be a contestant on “Cash Explosion”!
Trade-offs
Lower top prize than other Cashwords but high entertainment for a $2 Scratch-Off. Plus, you get a chance to be on TV and potentially win even more.
What makes it fun
Beyond the joys of the Cashword game itself, every ticket gives you a chance to be a contestant on “Cash Explosion.” And what’s more fun than that?
SPECIAL EDITION CASHWORD
The full Cashword experience with two full puzzles to keep you entertained.
Price: $5
Top prize: $300,000
Number of games on ticket: 2 puzzles + bonus word
Game on the back: No
Overall odds: 1 in 4.11
How it plays
Scratch 20 letters and use them across two full Cashword puzzles. Just like the $2 ticket, find three or more words in either puzzle to win. This time, your bonus is tied to your 20 letters as well, which ties the whole ticket together nicely. Find the entire bonus word to win.
Trade-offs
The odds don’t change much between the $2 and the $5, but you get more games to play and higher prizes to win.
What makes it fun
For those who love Cashword, you get double the fun. And the bonus word just feels like a cherry on top.
$500,000 CASHWORD
Better odds meets expanded gameplay with even bigger prize possibilities.
Price: $10
Top prize: $500,000
Number of games on ticket: 2 puzzles
Game on the back: No
Overall odds: 1 in 3.69
How it plays
Just like the $5, reveal 20 letters and play across two puzzles. The change? The number of words to win has gone up (four or more) but so has the prizing.
Trade-offs
With no bonus or extra games, this ticket is pure Cashword without a lot of fluff. What you get in exchange is better odds and bigger prizes.
What makes it fun
Beyond the continued joys of playing Cashword, this game’s rewards come in the form of lower odds, bigger prizes, and no-nonsense gameplay.
$1,000,000 CASHWORD
The best odds in the Cashword family with engaging, layered gameplay.
Price: $20
Top prize: $1,000,000 ($40K/yr for 25 yrs)
Number of games on ticket: 3 puzzles + 4 bonus words
Game on the back: No
Overall odds: 1 in 3.18
How it plays
The 20 letters are back, but this time you play across three puzzles and four bonus words. The first two puzzles share prizing and the third has its own separate prize. Combine that with bonus words that could pay out instantly, and you have a lot of ways to win.
Trade-offs
It’s not the cheapest ticket in the group, but you get a lot of gameplay out of one ticket and – at 1 in 3.18 – the strongest overall odds of winning.
What makes it fun
It feels like you’re constantly discovering new ways to win. With three puzzles plus the bonus words, there’s a lot of gaming packed into this $20 Scratch-Off.
$2,000,000 CASHWORD
The ultimate Cashword experience: big prizes, high gameplay variety, plus bonus games on the back.
Price: $30
Top prize: $2,000,000 ($80K/yr for 25 years)
Number of games on ticket: 2 puzzles + 4 bonus words + quick win bonus + full bonus puzzle on back
Game on the back: Yes
Overall odds: 1 in 3.37
How it plays
The 20 letters remain consistent, as do the two puzzles, but this is where the similarities end. On top of the four bonus words you got in the $20, a quick win bonus has been added along with a special extra game on the back. This game even has its own letter set, so it’s almost like getting two tickets in one.
Trade-offs
You get what you pay for and this game has more of everything. More prizes, more instant win opportunities, and the biggest top prize.
What makes it fun
Beyond the sky-high prizing opportunities and better odds than the lower-tiered games, this game is action-packed. With the bonus words, quick wins and bonus puzzle on the back, this game is sure to keep anyone entertained for quite some time. If you love Cashword, this is as Cashword as it gets.
OVERALL IMPRESSIONS
No matter how you slice it, Ohio Lottery’s Cashword Scratch-Offs are a lot of fun to play and a great way to pass the time. Plus, with so many games to choose from, there’s no wrong way. The millions in prizes don’t hurt either. Hope this helps! And remember to keep it fun and play responsibly.
Social
A few years ago, I was really missing a sense of community and felt really sad and lonely. I had acquaintances, but no one that I spent a lot of time with.
I started reading a lot about the “loneliness epidemic”, and developed a theory that part of the cause was the lack of spaces to “just hang out” with people, especially people that you don’t already know well.
So I started a new thing…
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If I met someone that I thought was cool or interesting, I invited them to dinner or an activity at my home within the next ~2 weeks
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More often than not, people actually said yes
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I did not bail on the plan, and would actually host them as agreed
From there, my social circle exploded. I had a birthday party for the first time this year, and there were 15 people there! It’s been amazing for my social life and having a sense of structure and purpose in my schedule.
I think this works for a few reasons:
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Everyone is secretly lonely, and waiting for someone to ask them to hang out. No one wants to ask first, but people love to be asked.
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Being in your house builds closeness and intimacy very quickly. A few hours at home tells you more about a person than weeks meeting at a bar.
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Hanging out at home is free and casual, so it really “lowers the bar” for stress on the other person. It also puts all the planning on you, so all they have to do is show up.
A few tips I’ve learned over time:
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Be honest that you think a person is cool or interesting and you want to be friends as you’re inviting them. This gives context and signals good vibes.
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Invite them to something specific, ie. “Do you want to come over for dinner on Thursday at 7? I’ll make my famous eggplant parm!” vs “Do you want to hang out sometime?” << the specificity makes it easier to say yes to
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Be consistent and don’t flake. In my experience, if you flake on the first hang out, there won’t be a 2nd one.
Of course, you’ll sometimes get a no, and you have to be okay with that. But the connections you can make from the 70% that say yes are very worth the occasional rejection IMO.
As a bonus, my house is also way cleaner because I consistently have people in my home. Before, my place was always a mess but guests are a great forcing function.
Edit: I’m so glad that my experience has resonated with so many folks 🥲❤️.
Clarifying a few things about my experience:
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I am 28 years old, female, and live with my partner. While these factors have definitely influenced my journey here, I think the general advice is applicable to anyone.
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I live in a small apartment in an urban area. In my experience, people don’t really care that much about square footage as long as everyone has a place to sit down. I have 18 seats in my home, so that’s how many people I can have over at once. Usually, there are no more than 2-4 people though, so I very rarely get close to full.
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I don’t invite literal strangers over. I usually invite coworkers, friends of friends, neighbors, or people I meet at other structured events.
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I know not literally everyone is lonely, but I think a lot of people are. If you’re not lonely or think hosting is more stress than it’s worth, that’s a valid perspective too! I just think that many, many people are lonely, and hosting folks has been the easiest way I’ve found to jump start my social life.
Miscellaneous
I have two dogs, they are both well trained. However, dogs are still animals and anything can set them off. This could be anywhere from an accidental headbutt to biting. One of my dogs did accidentally headbutt a neighbor when we first got her because the neighbor bent down over her and tried to give her a kiss.
Be careful around new dogs!
