The Mega Millions jackpot keeps climbing and climbing, and it has reached an impressive $164 million for tonight's drawing.

If you hope to claim that nifty nest egg for yourself and have thus invested in a ticket, then don't forget to also tune in at 11 p.m. ET, when the draw for the big prize is set to take place at the studios of WSB-TV, Atlanta's ABC affiliate.

If you take home the jackpot and want to pocket every last penny, the total will be paid out to you in annual installments over a 29-year period. Otherwise, you also have the option of an immediate lump sum, which, however, means that you will forfeit a bit to taxes and be stuck with "only" $98 million.

The lottery's winning numbers from the last drawing on Nov. 3 were 16, 29, 44, 69 and 74; the Mega Ball number was 12; and the Megaplier number was 5, according to the game's official website. The estimated jackpot was $144 million, but no one matched the winning Mega Millions numbers on that day.      

In fact, Tuesday's drawing produced no new millionaires at all. The multistate lottery reported that no one matched five numbers, which, depending on the Megaplier option, would have yielded between $1 million and $5 million. The feature is used in some states, allowing players to increase non-jackpot prize winnings by 2, 3, 4 or 5 times.

Mega Millions drawings take place every Tuesday and Friday, and the draw entry closes at 10:45 p.m. ET. Tickets for the game are sold in 43 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands -- a total of 45 jurisdictions. The odds of winning any prize are about 1 in 15, but your chances of hitting the jackpot are only about 1 in 259 million.

If you want to find out how close you are to hitting the jackpot and settling into the life of a millionaire, then click here to find out how to watch the Mega Millions drawings at 11 p.m. ET.