AMAZING: Minnesota man wins back-to-back lottery jackpots

Comment #41

justxploring — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 23:56:53 GMT

Yes, I was a proud New Englander at the time. Born raised. The Celtics, The Boston Patriots, The Boston Bruins, The Red Sox. A great town! (Beans or no beans.) Surprised I didn't think of this example. Thanks CALotteryGuy.

Comment #40

CA LotteryGuy — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 23:22:22 GMT

pumpi76... as far as odds and sports team championships, I echo everything else that has been written about teams, coaches, etc.

However as far as your statement that no team will win in 7 years in a row; well it has happend. In fact in a 13 year span (between the 1956-57 and 1968-69 seasons) the Boston Celtics won 11 championships and at one point 11 in a row! That is the defintion of a sports dynasty.

Comment #39

Coin Toss — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 23:00:47 GMT

KY Floyd

The back to back hits are incredible from a mystical perspective, and I'll still say mathematical, too.

Did everyone who play the first game play the secnd game?

very likely not.

Did people who had not played the first game play the second game?

Very likely yes.

Is this common, same person back to back hits?

Obvipusly not with as many lottery drawings as there have been since New Hampshire started it all.

The ods against a particular set of numbers from drawi... [ More ]

Comment #38

justxploring — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 18:28:38 GMT

Not at all. You are giving an entirely different example which has nothing to do with luck or chance. When a team wins a championship it takes skill, athletic ability, great coaching and team effort and planning your strategy against the opponents.

Comment #37

pumpi76 — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 18:14:16 GMT

Look at the Chicago Bulls and the NBA for example...I am sure every team will have the odds of winning the NBA Championship...But what are the odds that one team will win it almost 7 year in a row?That's what make the Chicago Bulls the greatest thing ever..I am sure some teams may come close to getting 7 championships on their lifetime, but no team will win it in a row, that's what make the Chicago Bulls (under MIchael Jordan), the greatest team EVER (which made Michael Jordan the greatest playe... [ More ]

Comment #36

KY Floyd — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 17:43:54 GMT

This story and the other stories about people winning twice are the perfect answer to your last question. The odds of winning are always a function of the game's odds and how many tickets you have, and only a function of the game's odds and how many tickets you have. Nothing else matters. Buy a ticket and your odds of winning are exactly the same as the odds for anyone else who buys a ticket. It doesn't matter whether you've never won before, won a few years ago or won the last 5 days in a row... [ More ]

Comment #35

dumars798 — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 08:16:11 GMT

Wtg...very lucky

Comment #34

CASH Only — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 16:14:53 GMT

You can find out on LP which games are ball-drawn and which have computerized drawings. AFAIK all of Minnesota's games are computerized, except of course Powerball.

Comment #33

LckyLary — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 16:11:06 GMT

The odds of a jackpot win ON 2 SPECIFIC DRAWINGS (consecutive or otherwise) and BY PLAYING ONLY ONE TICKET each time would be one in 170,000 squared. I THINK it comes to (check my math) 28,900,000,000 (28 BILLION, 900 million!!!) to 1. HOWEVER comma there are ways to reduce the odds! Instead of a specific two drawings, make it over several months or years any 2 conecutive (or otherwise) drawings, and instead of one ticket each time, make it 100 (or whatever) tickets each time, especially t... [ More ]

Comment #32

justxploring — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 01:13:19 GMT

EXACTLY, COIN TOSS!!

So is there is difference between odds and chance? I believe odds are mathematical statistics. The odds are always 170,000 to one that a person will win this game.

But what are the chances someone will win twice? Very great indeed. 2 consecutive days? Astronomical!

There is another way of looking at it too - as if he is playing 2 different games and won both. So then instead of a game with 31 numbers, for example, there would be 62 numbers. So the

Comment #31

Coin Toss — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 00:56:03 GMT

I think when they say the ods against.... in a case like this the focus is on the odds against the same person hitting, and I think that is actually nore a mystical thing than a mathematical thing.

Consider:

What are the odds against hitting this jackpot?

1:170,000, Sue.

Yeah, but I hit it last draw, so now what are MY odds

Comment #30

justxploring — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 00:39:28 GMT

Strange that you posted this while I was typing. This is what I was writing which sort of agrees with your concept:

Okay, I have another way of looking at the odds here. I know this might sound stupid, but every time I read these posts, I am thinking of each lottery draw as an entirely different game.

So, let's say Sue Jones buys a ticket to a game where the odds are 1:170,000 and she wins.

Then Joe Brown buys a ticket to a game where the odds are 1:170,000 and he wins.

Does... [ More ]

Comment #29

pumpi76 — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 00:30:51 GMT

And i bet that if he bought 2 tickets on day 1 and on day 2 he would have had the same odds as if he had bought it on day 1 and on day 3 or 4 or 5 or any other day that's not consecutive...And that's on of the things i disagree with mathematics, because everyone knows is harder to win a lottery on day 1 and on day 2 (consecutively), than it is to win it on day 1 and on day 3 or any day that's not consecutive...Example..As it happened to you that you win the pick3 one day and win it 5 or 7 days l... [ More ]

Comment #28

pumpi76 — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 00:08:08 GMT

It also made news on MSNBC..They also used the word: Virtually Incalculable..

Here is the site: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17190964/?GT1=9033

KYfloyd, you were right, my bad...

I agree with Prob988..I would be unlucky if i beat those odds and just got 50K...

Comment #27

Badger — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 12:39:24 GMT

Calculating odds is a d iverting pastime, and most of us do it. But in the end, it appears that if you are meant to hit, you will, and the odds mean nothing. Even with the 142 million to one PB odds, someone will eventually beat those odds and hit it.

Therefore, I look more at how much I'm spending than what the odds are that I will hit.

Comment #26

KY Floyd — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 07:17:54 GMT

The payouts aren't based on winning twice, and two winners on two consecutive days is the norm. Do you think they should pay a lot more to any two people who win on consecutive days

Comment #25

KY Floyd — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 07:13:23 GMT

I didn't say it was 170,000 X 2, I said it was 170,000^2. That's 170,000 squared, or 170,000 X 170,000, which is 85,000 times less likely than 170,000 X 2.

It isn't when the two wins happen that determines the odds. It's how many tickets he had and for how many drawings. The probability of two events happening depend on how many events could happen and the chances for each event to happen. If he bought a single ticket every day for 10 days there would be the possibility of winning on any or... [ More ]

Comment #24

Coin Toss — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 06:20:51 GMT

The MegaMoney here is 5 numbers. First 4 numbers from 1 to 44 and the MegaBall 1 to 22

So actually, like PB and MM, it's two lottery gmes in one. If you guess right and get the 4 in the 44 matrix, you still have to have the right MegaBall.

Comment #23

justxploring — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 05:52:09 GMT

The MegaMoney here is 5 numbers. First 4 numbers from 1 to 44 and the MegaBall 1 to 22

Odds are 1:2,986,522 according to the FL web site

Last week there was a news article announcing a woman won it a second time (not in a row, but still, twice with those odds!!) She won $2M on Jan 30 and split a jackpot (winning $320K) in 1998. Maybe I'm playing the wrong game!

But I really think, in most cases, it's just being at the right place at the right time. (they were quick picks... [ More ]

Comment #22

dumars798 — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 05:48:44 GMT

WTG

Comment #21

LOTTOMIKE — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 04:40:28 GMT

wow.i wish we had a similar matrix here in tennessee...

Comment #20

Prob988 — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 03:42:30 GMT

His odds of doing that would be one in 29 billion. I'd feel ripped of if I beat such odds and only got 50 grand.

Comment #19

pumpi76 — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 03:16:45 GMT

I don't think is as easy as to say 170,000 X 2...and i disagree...Is a little easy to do it any day after the first win, but VERY hard to do it the following day...

More Important than winning the state's lotteries is the movie Red Planet.. ...

Comment #18

Thoth — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 02:54:02 GMT

The odds are are almost atronomical...

The odds of winning once are 1 in ...

(31!)/((31-5)!)/(5!)=169,911

So twice in a row is...169,911 x 169,911

28,869,747,921

Hmm...about 1 in 28.87 billion

Comment #17

JAP69 — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 02:51:17 GMT

Could be a Lottery Post member using Todds wheels.

Does not say how many tickets were purchased for each draw.

Comment #16

DoubleDown — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 02:37:27 GMT

Lots of us would love to hit ONCE !

Proof positive that if it's " your time " it is your time.

...DD

Comment #15

CA LotteryGuy — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 02:35:54 GMT

Re Mega Millions and Super Lotto Plus....I will let you all know when that happens to me

Comment #14

dphillips — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 02:16:52 GMT

Of course, I was being facetious!

However, I loved your response.

Competition, huh? You hit the nail on the head.

Comment #13

RJOh — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 01:35:46 GMT

$50,000 after taxes isn't going to go vary far so you had better wait until he wins a jackpot worth several million dollars but of course you'll have a lot more competition then.

Comment #12

ambelamba — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 01:35:01 GMT

It would make quite a scene if someone in California wins Megamillions and Super Lotto Plus back-to-back.

Comment #11

dphillips — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 01:04:19 GMT

I wonder if he's married? Since, I'm not, and he's that lucky, I'm going to ask him: will he marry me

Comment #10

KY Floyd — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 21:04:25 GMT

the odds of it happening are virtually incalculable

Geez. Has anyone ever considered making it illegal for morons to be reporters? The odds are extremely steep and extremely easy to calculate. If the odds of doing it once are 1 in 170,000 then the odds of doing it twice are 1 in 170,000^2, assuming the guy only bought two tickets.

If he bought more tickets the odds go down. If he bought two tickest for each of those drawings but not for any other day then the odds were 1 in 85,000^2. As... [ More ]

Comment #9

pumpi76 — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 20:50:57 GMT

Tony95, i think the odds are higher if you do it the following day...The question should be what are the odds of doing it twice and in a row...Couple of people have done it twice but not the following day, which is hard..I don't know is just my opinion..

Comment #8

justxploring — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 20:02:31 GMT

Thanks, JAG331.

Okay, it all makes sense to me. I was being lazy I guess, but sometimes it's nice to see it written out clearly so I can say Oh, I see. This is why I was so opposed to increasing the Florida Lotto from 49 to 53 numbers. That was several years back, so I have to let that rant go, but I still think 6/49 is high enough. If I wasn't so committed to playing my Lotto numbers (I should be committed LOL!) I would probably play the pick-5 games more often. It's true th... [ More ]

Comment #7

JAG331 — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 19:08:45 GMT

I'll give the explanation a try.

The odds don't increase equally with each extra ball in the lottery. Every extra ball adds more odds than the previous ball. Odds of winning a 5/31 jackpot are precisely 1 in 169,911. Odds in a 5/32 jackpot are 1 in 201,376. A difference of 31,465. But the odds of winning a 5/33 jackpot are 1 in 237,336, a difference of 35,960 above the 5/32 game.

The formula for figuring out odds is a bit complex, but it can be boiled down to this:

Start with the t... [ More ]

Comment #6

wizeguy — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 18:54:02 GMT

Congrats Raymond

Comment #5

JAG331 — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 18:47:34 GMT

Now here's the $25,000 question.....QPs or does this guy have a system

Comment #4

justxploring — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 18:37:59 GMT

Good for him!! I'd love to win just one $25,000 jackpot.

The odds of winning one Northstar Cash jackpot is about 1 in 170,000.

Regarding a pick-5 game: the odds shown for Florida Fantasy 5 which has 36 numbers is 1:377,000

The average jackpot is $250,000. Sometimes one person wins, but often there are 3 or 4 winners. Obviously, the population here makes a difference, since there have been as many as 15 or 20 winners (although that's unusual) splitting one jackpot, especially if the... [ More ]

Comment #3

tony95 — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 18:30:33 GMT

I hit 4 of 5 in our state lottery twice in the same week, I don't know if this was lucky or unlucky, because the payout only $400 total, but 5 of 5 would have been $500,000.

The article said the odds were 1 in 170,000, what are the odds of doing that twice in a row

Comment #2

MissNYC — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 18:24:02 GMT

Wow...I'd like to take him to Vegas with me this summer! Congrats

Comment #1

CASH Only — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 17:52:58 GMT

He needs to aim higher now. Like trying to hit Hot Lotto. Powerball will always be around, even if it continues to change its matrixes every few years.

AMAZING: Minnesota man wins back-to-back lottery jackpots

Lottery Post — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 16:55:26 GMT

A Northstar Cash ticket that Raymond Snouffer Jr. purchased for the Feb. 10 drawing matched all five winning numbers drawn (11-14-23-26-31) to win the $25,000 jackpot.

The next day he did it again. A ticket that he purchased for the Feb. 11 Northstar Cash drawing matched all five winning numbers drawn (3-7-11-19-28) to win another $25,000 jackpot!

This unbelievable feat has never been done in Minnesota on any jackpot game, and the odds of it happening are virtually incalculable. But what i... [ More ]