After thinking about how the follower system is actually calculated, based off of the most frequent follower of each digit in each column, it is with almost certainty that I am already using the data that the test program might produce as it's highest count.

As a result, the test may be re-framed to just run the pick 2 and see if that is correct. I still need to run the C conversion of Cython, but that was happening anyway.

So the new strategy will be to use these numbers I have now, and make an "additive" strategy...

Going to resume playing, but only the pick 2.

IF there is a hit, the pick 3 will be added UNTIL the free plays from the pick 2 win run out, then back to just the pick 2.

IF there is a pick 3 hit in the pick 2 win window, then the pick 4 and pick 5 will be added.

This keeps out of pocket expenses (which they will be since I used the last of the pick 3 winnings to buy the Raspberry Pi 5 kit) to a $2 per played day maximum. As I only play usually 4 days a week, that will make the system cost $8 per week, rather than $8 per day... a 75% reduction!.

I already feel better about the new strategy because it is now as low of a play budget as I can make it while still actually playing.

Cython mastery will come in handy for far more than the lottery, so I will be super motivated to continue to learn all about it, it is a common practice for data scientists who use Python to write c code subroutines when working with intense calculations on large data sets. That will give me practice with writing c code outside of the scope of Arduino sketches.

So the new goal is to run the ten billion tests on only the pick 2, for the purpose of testing my hypothesis that the follower data, which I can generate in 90 seconds, will indeed be the highest matching list of the top 3. If it is not a match, then I am honor bound to run the rest of the tests.

I still need to hope for Cython to make even the pick 2 test runnable in a lifetime... therefore luck is still a factor.

Happy Coding!