Playing PB with The Power Play in New York?Prev Topic Next Topic

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GiveFive

Florida - West Coast
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Apr 8, 2013, 7:55 pm

I realize that approximately 20% of all PowerBall ticket sales are sold with the Power Play option, but are you buying the Power Play option and live in or near New York State?

If you are consider this:

In PB with The PP added, your odds of winning two million dollars are 1:5,153,633 and you paid $3 per line.

If you played the same set of numbers twice on a Sweet Million ticket, you'd win 2 million dollars. (Beacuse the first 5 JP winners in Sweet Million are NOT pari-mutuel) and the odds of winning it are 1:3,838,380. You also paid $2 for each line you played twice.

Why in the world are you buying the Power Play??????

Play Smart!
kapla

United States
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July 24, 2010
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Apr 8, 2013, 8:16 pm

Quote: Originally posted by GiveFive on Apr 8, 2013
I realize that approximately 20% of all PowerBall ticket sales are sold with the Power Play option, but are you buying the Power Play option and live in or near New York State?

If you are consider this:

In PB with The PP added, your odds of winning two million dollars are 1:5,153,633 and you paid $3 per line.

If you played the same set of numbers twice on a Sweet Million ticket, you'd win 2 million dollars. (Beacuse the first 5 JP winners in Sweet Million are NOT pari-mutuel) and the odds of winning it are 1:3,838,380. You also paid $2 for each line you played twice.

Why in the world are you buying the Power Play??????

WOW, thanks for the breakdown on the numbers! I never liked it when PB went to $2 a play - I RARELY play it..
GiveFive

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Apr 9, 2013, 6:17 am

Quote: Originally posted by kapla on Apr 8, 2013
WOW, thanks for the breakdown on the numbers! I never liked it when PB went to $2 a play - I RARELY play it..

When it's over 150 million, I've been playing PB and buying the PP too.

I did that because the odds are much lower (down to 5 million to 1 from 175 million to 1). I was playing to win two million dollars more so than I was playing to win the JP.

But after I thought about it, I realized I could win 2 million playing SM by having the same set of 6 numbers on my ticket twice, and it would cost me a dollar less per line than PB with the PP. (Not to mention the odds are 1.3 million to 1 lower in SM than PB.)

Also, all the pay outs are doubled if you hit 3 or more numbers. Of course if you wanted to get crazy, you could play the same set of 6 numbers on 5 lines of your ticket..... but 5 bucks a line is a little steep....

Most New York lottery player's dont care for Sweet Million. IMHO, they dont have their thnking caps on.

Play Smart!
kapla

United States
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Apr 10, 2013, 4:10 am

" they dont have their thnking caps on"

good thing you do !!
dallascowboyfan

Oklahoma
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November 12, 2009
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Apr 10, 2013, 9:20 am

Quote: Originally posted by GiveFive on Apr 8, 2013
I realize that approximately 20% of all PowerBall ticket sales are sold with the Power Play option, but are you buying the Power Play option and live in or near New York State?

If you are consider this:

In PB with The PP added, your odds of winning two million dollars are 1:5,153,633 and you paid $3 per line.

If you played the same set of numbers twice on a Sweet Million ticket, you'd win 2 million dollars. (Beacuse the first 5 JP winners in Sweet Million are NOT pari-mutuel) and the odds of winning it are 1:3,838,380. You also paid $2 for each line you played twice.

Why in the world are you buying the Power Play??????

Good observation GiveFive

I Love Pink & Green 1908
BTW12

United Kingdom
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April 10, 2013
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Apr 10, 2013, 9:23 am

I have never played it, how can I join the club of players ?
KY Floyd

NY
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Apr 10, 2013, 2:31 pm

If you can calculate the odds of winning $40 million or more with a Sweet Millions ticket you'll know why people still play powerball in NY.

What puzzles me is why so many people play PB or MM when they're at low levels and the lotto prize gets high. For March 22nd and 23rd MM was advertising a $20 million jackpot and lotto was advertising a $24 million jackpot. For anyone who was paying attention, the 2nd place lotto prize was $224k, compared to the $250k 2nd place MM prize. Both tickets are $1 and the odds of winning the lotto jackpot are almost 8 times better. Players still bought about twice as many MM tickets a lotto tickets.
Coin Toss

Zeta Reticuli Star System
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Apr 10, 2013, 7:29 pm

GiveFive,

Sweet Million, 5 of 6 (much more likely to happen, no?) pays a whopping $500, which is an insult when the odds are 1:18, 815.59

Powerball, 4 + the Powerball pays 4 + Powerball $10,000 $40,000 1 in: 648,976.

Maybe that's why. The lower tier prizes are much more enticing.

To each their own, but I'd be a little ticked off wining $500 in a Pick 6 game as opposed to a $40,000 score in a 5 + 1 game, even if it did cost an extra buck.

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.
IPlayWeekly

Columbus, Ohio
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Apr 10, 2013, 8:28 pm

Quote: Originally posted by Coin Toss on Apr 10, 2013
GiveFive,

Sweet Million, 5 of 6 (much more likely to happen, no?) pays a whopping $500, which is an insult when the odds are 1:18, 815.59

Powerball, 4 + the Powerball pays 4 + Powerball $10,000 $40,000 1 in: 648,976.

Maybe that's why. The lower tier prizes are much more enticing.

To each their own, but I'd be a little ticked off wining $500 in a Pick 6 game as opposed to a $40,000 score in a 5 + 1 game, even if it did cost an extra buck.

I agree, thats why I do MM and PB
Stack47

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Apr 10, 2013, 9:19 pm

Quote: Originally posted by Coin Toss on Apr 10, 2013
GiveFive,

Sweet Million, 5 of 6 (much more likely to happen, no?) pays a whopping $500, which is an insult when the odds are 1:18, 815.59

Powerball, 4 + the Powerball pays 4 + Powerball $10,000 $40,000 1 in: 648,976.

Maybe that's why. The lower tier prizes are much more enticing.

To each their own, but I'd be a little ticked off wining $500 in a Pick 6 game as opposed to a $40,000 score in a 5 + 1 game, even if it did cost an extra buck.

It looked to me like GiveFive was comparing the odds of winning $2 million in one game to the odds of winning the same amount in another game. If the odds were exactly the same against winning $1 million and for the same two bucks, you get one PB ticket and two Sweet Million tickets. One $3 Powerplay ticket gives you one chance at $2 million and three $1 tickets with the same numbers gives you one chance at $3 million.

For the same price, one way you get two chances compared to one for the same payoff and the other you get $1 million more.

"To each their own, but I'd be a little ticked off wining $500 in a Pick 6 game as opposed to a $40,000 score in a 5 + 1 game, even if it did cost an extra buck."

If they were comparing the odds of winning $500, the odds playing a pick-3 number are much better. I'd be more ticked if I beat the odds of 1 in 19,088 of matching four numbers on a $3 PB ticket and only won $200 knowing the odds of matching 5 out of 6 is slightly better with 1 in 18,816 on a $1 dollar Sweet Million ticket and the payoff is $500.

I agree with "to each their own" except when the odds against winning $40,000 on a $3 ticket are 34 times larger than winning $500 on a $1 ticket.
Coin Toss

Zeta Reticuli Star System
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Apr 11, 2013, 12:33 am

Stack47,

I agree with "to each their own" except when the odds against winning $40,000 on a $3 ticket are 34 times larger than winning $500 on a $1 ticket.

Let's just agree to call it a sticky wicket as $40,000 is $35,500 better than $500!

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.
GiveFive

Florida - West Coast
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Apr 11, 2013, 6:16 am

Quote: Originally posted by Coin Toss on Apr 10, 2013
GiveFive,

Sweet Million, 5 of 6 (much more likely to happen, no?) pays a whopping $500, which is an insult when the odds are 1:18, 815.59

Powerball, 4 + the Powerball pays 4 + Powerball $10,000 $40,000 1 in: 648,976.

Maybe that's why. The lower tier prizes are much more enticing.

To each their own, but I'd be a little ticked off wining $500 in a Pick 6 game as opposed to a $40,000 score in a 5 + 1 game, even if it did cost an extra buck.

Your point is well taken Toss. The lower tier prizes in Sweet Million are definitely insulting. That's exactly why people in NY dont play the game. That, and because the JP doesnt roll over.

Maybe more players are playing for lower tier prizes than I realize or even give them credit for. I've heard many people say that they're "really playing for second place" in PowerBall. On the rare occasions when I do play PB, I'm thinking the same way, and I'm guilty of always adding the PowerPlay, even though I know I could pay less money to win that same two milion dollars by playing Sweet Million.

But ya know what? With my winning percentage/track record, (in any game) 500 bucks dont look all that bad!

Play Smart!
GiveFive

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Apr 11, 2013, 6:35 am

Quote: Originally posted by KY Floyd on Apr 10, 2013
If you can calculate the odds of winning $40 million or more with a Sweet Millions ticket you'll know why people still play powerball in NY.

What puzzles me is why so many people play PB or MM when they're at low levels and the lotto prize gets high. For March 22nd and 23rd MM was advertising a $20 million jackpot and lotto was advertising a $24 million jackpot. For anyone who was paying attention, the 2nd place lotto prize was $224k, compared to the $250k 2nd place MM prize. Both tickets are $1 and the odds of winning the lotto jackpot are almost 8 times better. Players still bought about twice as many MM tickets a lotto tickets.

No question about it! The lure of winning a 40 million dollar JP is very enticing. And it's impossible to win that amount playing Seet Million.

I also agree with your point about not understanding why people play MM at lower JP levels when Lotto's JP is higher.

I have a Lotto subscription simply because of the second place prize. I used to have to keep my eye on it, so when It got to a nice amount (like 224k) I would go buy a ticket. But because more often than not I would forget to buy it, I never got in on the action! So I solved that problem by subscribing. I also get the added "benefit" of being in Lotto if/when it's JP gets higher than MM's.

My son and I, and I couldnt possibly tell you why because I dont know why, own a group MM subscription. I think it was his idea, buy maybe not. See what I mean about not remembering to buy a lotto ticket when 2nd place gets big?

Play Smart!
Coin Toss

Zeta Reticuli Star System
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Apr 12, 2013, 10:46 am

GiveFive,

You make good points also. I'm sure the lure of winning a top prize sevral times over with the same set of numbers playes mulitple times is very alluring and probably what the lottery is counting on.

I've always said that the lotteries are always one step ahead of the players (actually way more than that!).

Illinois has a Pick 5 game- Lucky Day Lotto- with an option called EzMatch- for an extra dollar you get a set of numbers printed on the ticket and if anyone of them natches one of the numbers you played you win from $1 to $500. Here's the catch- the odds againt the jp (5/39) are 575, 757 to 1. The odds again winning the $500 on EzMarch are over 210,000 to 1.

A player would be far better off throwing the extra buck at the pick 5 itself, no?

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.
Stack47

Kentucky
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February 14, 2006
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Apr 12, 2013, 5:59 pm

Quote: Originally posted by Coin Toss on Apr 11, 2013
Stack47,

I agree with "to each their own" except when the odds against winning $40,000 on a $3 ticket are 34 times larger than winning $500 on a $1 ticket.

Let's just agree to call it a sticky wicket as $40,000 is $35,500 better than $500!

Since GiveFive was comparing the odds of one $3 bet winning $2 million to the odds of one $3 winning $3 million in another game, I compared two of the secondary prizes with similar odds. The odds against winning $200 on a $3 PowerPlay bet is 19,088 to 1 matching 4 + 0 and 12,245 to 1 matching 3 + 1. The odds against winning $500 on a $1 Sweet Million ticket are 18,816 to 1.

I understand what you're saying, but comparing those two games, with two more chances for same price, you're more likely to match 5 of 6 in Sweet Millions than matching 4 + 1 in PB using PowerPlay. The odds of winning $500 in SM with a $1 ticket is about the same as winning $200 with a $3 Powerplay ticket. Comparing a regular PB ticket to a MM Megaplier, the Megaplier is probably the better bet.

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