Kentucky United States
Member #32,651
February 14, 2006
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Quote: Originally posted by justxploring on Dec 12, 2007
I would never say something is impossible if there's a chance of winning, just unlikely if the odds are great. PB and MM have astronomical odds. Our Lotto game is 1:23M so, I recently began to play pick-5 and FL is 1 to 36. 1 in about 370K combinations compared to 146M or 170M sounds much easier to hit, right? If I spend $2 every day ($60 a month) on this one game I will spend more than $720 at the end of the year. That's more than the cost of a new computer or a new TV or several new suits or my annual electric bill. Of course it's only about 16 fill-ups at the tank these days!
Anyway, I took 720 plays and, assuming every day a different combination is drawn (which probably won't be the case over time) it could take more than 500 years for me to win. Yikes. So, although it lowers my chances, I decided that I can't afford another $60 a month and will just spend $1 and skip a few days now & then.
So I guess what I am trying to say is that hope and confidence are great things to have. We need both of them all the time. I grew up with little self-esteem, and if I had more confidence in myself, I probably would have gone a lot further in life. A positive attitude is very important too. We attract what is in our minds and hearts. But my fear is that I hear so many people saying they are sure they are going to win, that I truly believe they're banking on it, not putting in whatever effort they need to work, save, live if they never hit. Maybe I'm wrong or maybe nobody will admit it, but that's the tone I often hear on this board. There are only X amount of winners every year, which means that those people will eventually lose their hope and confidence & have shattered dreams after a while which is very sad.
"Our Lotto game is 1:23M so, I recently began to play pick-5 and FL is 1 to 36. 1 in about 370K combinations compared to 146M or 170M sounds much easier to hit, right?
If I spend $2 every day ($60 a month) on this one game I will spend more than $720 at the end of the year."
The overall odds are 1 in 7.58 so you can expect a return of around $100 worth of cash and/or free plays. Compared to overall odds in Lotto (1 in 67.36), I think you're on the right track. If you're getting $2 in QPs, you might consider getting one QP and one EZmatch (1 in 4.88) to get a better return.
"There are only X amount of winners every year, which means that those people will eventually lose their hope and confidence & have shattered dreams after a while which is very sad."
When the Ohio Lotto started in 1983 it was a 6/40 game and I had no idea of how to pick my own numbers so I wrote down all 40 numbers and drew them from my hat and played 8 combinations for $4 (at 50 cents a ticket). The idea was that I would have each of the numbers drawn and hopefully all 6 of them on one ticket.
By today's standards the jackpots were small but we could still dream until we saw the results. But the results of one draw didn't stop the dreams because we knew there would be another drawing. I suppose if I added up all the money I've spent on the dream, it would be considerable but nothing compared to what I could have won.
Over the years the jackpots have become higher and so have the dreams but we also have better playing strategies and techqiues. I've always been a half full type of guy so I don't think my hope and confidence will ever be shattered as long as I know there will be another drawing.
Zeta Reticuli Star System United States
Member #30,469
January 17, 2006
11,788 Posts
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Some of the sports books in Vegas used to offer 1,000,000 to 1 odds on any female winning the Boston Marathon.
People would bet it just to keep the ticket as a souveneir, and one of our shift booses told everyone that for a buxk, any bet that pays 1,000,000 to 1 is a good bet, even if it comes under "possible but not probable".
I'll say it again, though, in lotto the person who bets a buck or two with a lot of hope is far better off than someone who bets a lot of money because they "just know" they are going to win.
Those who run the lotteries love it when players look for consistency in something that's designed not to have any. So many systems, so many theories, so few jackpot winners.
There is one and only one 'proven' system, and that is to book the action. No matter the game, let the players pick their own losers.