Powerball Jackpot Hits $500 Million — Do You Have the Winning Ticket?

Last minute sales of Powerball tickets for tonight's drawing (February 11) have pushed the estimated jackpot to $500 million. Do you feel like you're the winner?

At $500 million, this could be the third largest Powerball Jackpot ever won. The largest jackpot was $590.5 million. That jackpot was won by Gloria Mackenzie in Florida. The 84-year old woman won the top prize with a quick-pick ticket.

Here are the five largest Powerball jackpots won, to date.

1. $590.5 million - May 2013
2. $587.5 million  - November 2012
3. $448.4 million - August 2013
4. $425.3 million - February 2014
5. $399.4 million - September 2013

Closer to home, there's Claude "Al" G. the Rifle, Colo. man who won a $90-million Powerball jackpot last summer.

What are your odds of winning the Powerball jackpot? According the Colorado Lottery, it's 1 in 176 million. Here are some things with better odds than winning the Powerball jackpot.

• Becoming President (10 million to 1)
• Becoming a Famous Movie Star (1.5 million to 1)
• Birthing Identical Quadruplets (13 million to 1)
• Getting a Royal Flush in a First Hand of Poker (650,000 to 1)
• Dying in an Asteroid Apocalypse (12,500 to 1)

Sure, the odds of winning aren't in your favor, but so what? It's fun to play and win or lose, you'll have something to talk about at work tomorrow. Then again, If you win, you're the person who won't be showing up for work tomorrow. That will get people talking.

[CNN Money][Huffington Post]