Playing the Extra Dollar on the Jackpot Games

Reply #24

duffy$ — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 13:10:40 GMT

Thought I'd fire this topic up again ... yes, I like the multipliers also ... but when you go through 4 or 5 months of no hits then I begin to wonder if I would have been better off buying an extra ticket. I have been fine tuning my lottery strategy again. I've decided to hold at $100 a month (+ or-) in my lottery spending ... that's $1200 a year plus $40 on two $20 raffle tickets twice a year. However, I have changed my PB and MM playing ... I decided I would drop back from $10 a draw to $5 and... [ More ]

Reply #23

rdgrnr — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 17:24:22 GMT

To me, two chances in 195 million isn't a hell of a lot better than one.

You're much more likely to be struck by lightning while spittin tobacco juice in a possum's eye while steppin on a plum than winning the JP with either one or two.

So I'll take the multipliers everytime.

Reply #22

duffy$ — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 13:27:32 GMT

I thought I'd post a small update dealing with last night's PB drawing. I had 5 tickets with the extra dollar. I was pretty sure I had hit the PB last night after I went online to check the numbers early this morning. You ask (even if you didn't, I'll pretend you did!) ... how could you know you had a hit ... very simple, that lousy 2 multiplier came out again. I checked my first 4 tickets and nothing ... the last ticket had 8 for the PB ... so I got $6 ... I've gone through $70 ... 5 $2 tickets... [ More ]

Reply #21

KY Floyd — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 17:58:59 GMT

If you hit something and the regret not playing the multiplier, think about what would have been different if you had played the multiplier. For starters, you'd only have played half as many lines. Depending on how you pick the lines you play there's about a 50% chance you'll know that you wouln't have played the winning line. In that case you didn't miss out on the bigger prize, you won a prize you never would have.

Then there's the butterfly effect. If you do something different when you bu... [ More ]

Reply #20

ameriken — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 02:49:26 GMT

@ THRIFTY...

Thanks, you just confirmed my decision. I gave some thought to it today and decided I am better off doubling my # of lines.

If I hit something decent I may have some regret not buying the 'plier, but on the other hand I also realize that if I had bought half the tickets with the 'plier, I may not have even hit it in the first place.

Reply #19

THRIFTY — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 21:47:33 GMT

when it comes to lottery, you will hit the target sooner when you fire more shots at it . It is like using a shotgun VS. an automatic pistol. Read my analysis about it at this thread https://www.lotterypost.com/thread/228417. http://www.packalonji.blogspot.com

Reply #18

ameriken — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 18:54:51 GMT

I play the powerplay/megaplier and have been wondering: even with the smaller prizes, am I better off in the long run to spend $10 (for example) to buy 10 lines, or to spend $10 to buy 5 lines with the powerplay

Reply #17

duffy$ — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 15:35:35 GMT

I like the power play on both games myself ... unless the dollars get a little short and I cut that extra dollar off for a few plays ... still have the games covered though. I try to always have the extra dollar on Power Ball ... for two reasons (in my figuring odds) ... first, when PB changed the game some years back, adding more regular numbers but removing some PB numbers ... I figure the odds are a little better maybe just getting a PB hit with a multiplier to get some money back ... of cour... [ More ]

Reply #16

dallascowboyfan — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 13:31:26 GMT

I always go with the power-play/mega-plyer...

Reply #15

duffy$ — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 03:25:28 GMT

Sounds like a plan to me ... would be a lot easier for sure after a Jackpot win, you have lots of gold in Australia and not having to worry about expenses would make the hunt a lot more fun. I've been to the West in the US and the fresh air and mountains a person doesn't forget. I hope you get that hit ... tonight in PA the Cash 5 ($1 game) had one winning ticket ...jackpot was up to $750,000 but with the extra play, they added $61,000 to the total ... $811,000 ... nice win for somebody.... [ More ]

Reply #14

savagegoose — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 19:10:36 GMT

funny you should mention gold fossiking. one of my idle dreams of when i win is getting a 4wd camper and loading up with a top of the range metal detector, some camping equip, a dog. and heading off to the gold fields.

this is if i won insane amounts of money. then i wouldnt really care if i never saw a speck of gold the whole time im there,just lay back not a care in the world. and do something ive had an interest in, but knowing it would be a struggle on my budget.

especially the no... [ More ]

Reply #13

duffy$ — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 16:12:27 GMT

Yes, I agree there's no right or wrong way to play those jackpot games ... everybody has a theory, a gimmick or something. I'll never forget when PA first started the lottery ... there weren't too many games when it started ... they had a Lotto game that went off on a Friday ... I can't remember if there was just one drawing or two when it started ... just one I think ... anyway, I was much younger then and I was convinced I would hit the Lotto game within 5 years ... that seemed like a reasonab... [ More ]

Reply #12

savagegoose — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 08:20:38 GMT

oh and i should just add.,

theres no right and wrong way to play, we're all pie in the sky dreamers, hoping to be luckier than the odds dictate.

only rule to follow is go with your heart, its your money play how you want. at the end of the day its who holds the winning tickethas the biggest grin.

that leaves the other 99.999% of us with frowns

Reply #11

Rowen — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 04:16:06 GMT

I wouldn't say that it's always about being cheap. More like accepting the reality that it's near certain that you are not gonna win so just have fun with it and limit your losses. The mulitpler is a way for the lucky few to get richer while most everyone else lose more money. Don't think the state lottery would put it in place if it didn't work to their advantage lol...

I think I would be more estatic about winning that 200,000 or 250,000 than bummed out about losing out on the million.... [ More ]

Reply #10

Rowen — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 03:27:54 GMT

I don't bother with the bonus play anymore. It's about baby steps. I figure i should win a sizable amount first like 2nd or 3rd prize before i start spending that extra dollar which could be spent on next drawing. And I only spend a dollar a drawing and only when jackpot's over 100. Remember it's a dollar and a dream. Good Luck

Reply #9

rcbbuckeye — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 03:09:33 GMT

I almost always play megaplier and powerplay, though I used to not spend the extra buck. Most of the time it's an extra dollar spent without any return, but I play it now because the odds are much better to get 5 of 5 without the mega/power ball, and I would be pretty mad at myself if I only won 200K or 250K instead of a million.

When I spent the extra dollar on another line instead, I usually still didn't win.

Reply #8

savagegoose — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 15:22:15 GMT

nice to read your history. i dont get power play here, but im willing to voice an opinion.

what are the odds of winning any prize?

isnt it something like 1 in 4 or 5? so the odds that an power play will return nothing is the opposite of that.

ie 3 in 4 or 4 in 5.

im not a big fan of power plays as i see them as almost always losing, just likeregular ticvkets almost always lose.

just my opionion, and personally i would go for the extra chance at the jackpot , not the 1 mill if... [ More ]

Reply #7

duffy$ — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 12:18:56 GMT

Yes C0w Pi3, that's certainly my thinking ... ever since that change was made to the PB ... an automatic one million with the 5 numbers regardless of the multiplier ... this is when that to play or not to play that extra dollar started with me. Of course I realize that trying to hit 5 numbers is just as hard as trying to hit the jackpot, most of us will probably never do it .... but I have to have my ticket (s) for the drawing, have to have HOPE ... we all know, No Ticket ... No Chance for nothi... [ More ]

Reply #6

C0w Pi3 — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 04:18:06 GMT

Isn't $1,000,000 considered a pretty good jackpot ? It's life changing at least maybe not as much as the actual jackpot though. :P

Reply #5

GiveFive — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 02:01:32 GMT

It sounds to me like you have a limited budget for playing the lottery so I'm a little reluctant to tell you what to do with regard to buying the Megaplier or the Power Play. But my hat's off to you, in that you know not to spend more money than you can afford to lose playing the lottery. Good job!!

Very recently in New York the following situation happened;

Someone went into a convenience store and asked for a MM QP. The clerk mistakenly punched up a MM QP with the megaplier. The customer... [ More ]

Reply #4

Win$500Quick — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 00:25:24 GMT

I want the jackpot or nothing.

Reply #3

duffy$ — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 16:45:34 GMT

Thanks for the replies ... as for my lottery budget ... I decided just before 2011 started to up my lottery budget to $100 (was spending $70) ... I actually need around $114 a month ... but I'm figuring (hoping!) that I can at least win $14 from all the lottery play. That would allow me to play the extra dollar on PB and MM and the other big PA jackpot games. I had it set to do this for three months starting Jan 1st and see how I did in monetary return ... I had a decent Jan return but a bad Feb... [ More ]

Reply #2

Guru101 — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 16:08:50 GMT

I don't get the Power Play. I'm going for the jackpot and would rather buy more lines.

Reply #1

Raven62 — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 15:50:11 GMT

It depends on how many Tickets you're Buying and what your Lottery Budget is...

Playing the Extra Dollar on the Jackpot Games

duffy$ — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 14:54:07 GMT

Hi ... been reading here for some time, decided to join and ask this question. I myself would like to know what others have decided when it comes to playing the extra dollar on the PB and MM jackpot games, worth it or not worth it? I've gone back and forth on this for years. I play the extra dollar for a few months, usually hit nothing or if I do get a small hit ... it always seems to be the 2 times ball that comes out, at least it seems that way. After a few months of playing the extra dollar I... [ More ]