I never use back testing b/c the game is consistently changing. Therefore, there is no systematically fixed way to approach the pick 3/4, or for that matter, the pick 5 which I am currently interested in converting from my 3/4 spreadsheet (need excel 2010-more cells).
Most numbers that come out are a product of a recent trend. The key is being patient and knowing when to attack. Even when I had a method that hit 40 times str8 out of 60 draws (month) playing online, I still would have been at a loss of profit if I did not know when to attack. Granted, the wager is much more that the profit but it could be used effectively in both Pick 3/4. Nevertheless, I put that approach in my back pocket.
One of the reasons why I chose to abandon Paper and pencil methods is b/c psychologicly I knew of no system that could fulfill my gambling/winning dream. lol. So with persistance and my laptop I started researching and digging in as far as my brittle brain would take me and it took me to Excel. I think its a shame it took the pick 3 for me to have interest in learning a magnificent, time-saving peice of software. As of now, I am still searching for other tracking Ideas that I can master in hopes of manipulating it into a procedural approach.
Some of the macros and formulas in my sheet are quite amazing and forever will prohibit me from ever buying a wheel or service for a wheel. Wheeling is a basic and fundamental approach when designing numbers to play whether they are boxed or str8. I think its imperative to have both wheels present when designing winning numbers.
Obviously, with so many systems and methods available online, many have tried and failed, including myslef. The agony of having the losing number while wondering "why" lead to my lottery goal that states "Never again shall a number drop without me knowing all things that are associated with that number VISUALLY".
After all, the most daunting task when using or trying multiple systems together is that they rarely coincide with one another consistently that could potentially result in HUGE wins which we all seek and rarely find.