With new MM will some people buy 15 tickets hoping to get Powerball number?Prev Topic Next Topic

New Topic New Poll

Jon D

Los Angeles, California
United States
Member #103,807
January 5, 2011
1,530 Posts
Offline

Oct 21, 2013, 6:22 pm

Quote: Originally posted by shyguitar on Oct 21, 2013
Hi everyone,

I'm wondering with the new MM matrix will some people buy 15 tickets (picking their own numbers) and make sure to play all 15 powerball numbers in the hope that at least they will win the 2 dollars and maybe think they have a better chance of winning something?

Yep, I think that's all part of the grand plan.

They could have gotten the same odds by going from 56/46 to 62/40 or something, but they chose 75/15 and diverted a lot of funds for the $1 9th prize to attract casual players. Side benefit is enticing power players to buy more combos with the 15 mega balls.
Stack47

Kentucky
United States
Member #32,651
February 14, 2006
10,528 Posts
Offline

Oct 23, 2013, 3:41 pm

Quote: Originally posted by RJOh on Oct 21, 2013
That's still better than before when you had to buy 46 tickets to guarantee yourself at least a $2 win.

15 lines covers every number with one of the 15 bonus numbers. When there was 46 bonus numbers, it took 31 more lines to get the same coverage. The payoffs are smaller, but any mathematics professor emeritus will tell us more coverage means more chances of hitting the jackpot.
Jon D

Los Angeles, California
United States
Member #103,807
January 5, 2011
1,530 Posts
Offline

Oct 23, 2013, 7:24 pm

And on the first MM draw of the new matrix, despite typical minimal sales of about $16M, two people managed to snag the 18M odds 5/5 2nd prize. I wonder if anyone's thinking, hmmm, if only I had played the same numbers with all 15 Mega balls, I'd have hit the Jackpot!

That if only is key to getting people to open their wallets and plop down more money on extra lines and megaplier, etc. All part of the plan.
THRIFTY

NEW YORK
United States
Member #90,529
April 29, 2010
13,411 Posts
Offline

Oct 25, 2013, 2:17 pm

Quote: Originally posted by shyguitar on Oct 21, 2013
Hi everyone,

I'm wondering with the new MM matrix will some people buy 15 tickets (picking their own numbers) and make sure to play all 15 powerball numbers in the hope that at least they will win the 2 dollars and maybe think they have a better chance of winning something?

I would play all 15 mega balls in one drawing, if the lottery choose as the only jackpot winner.
Mr E

Kentucky
United States
Member #80,610
October 1, 2009
16 Posts
Offline

Oct 27, 2013, 9:34 am

I may try this when the jackpot reaches $500 million or more. Otherwise, I'll stick to my $4/week for MM.

I will quit playing the lottery, as soon as I break even.
OldSchoolPa

Gurnee, Illinois
United States
Member #49,729
February 12, 2007
951 Posts
Offline

Oct 27, 2013, 11:37 am

Quote: Originally posted by LottoMetro on Oct 21, 2013
No more a fool than those who buy one ticket for 15 draws. You don't have to play every drawing. In fact, your chances of winning with Megaball are 100% if you buy 15 in 1 drawing, and only 64% if you buy 1 for 15 drawings.

What's the difference between having the winning numbers on a playslip you didn't play because the jackpot was "too low" and being the "star of the moment" in name your state Mega Millions lottery press conference? Playing every drawing regardless of jackpot amount. My thought is that the jackpot amount only matters to the person or persons who have the winning tickets. Otherwise, it truly does not matter. Now if you are on a fixed budget that does not allow you to play every drawing, then it might be better to just play once a week or identify certain habits like smoking, beer or coffee drinking or taking toll road when local route only adds less than 15 minutes to commute and throw that extra dollar saved to playing the lottery. I would much rather cut out any habit that only costs me money than to cut habits that HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO CHANGE MY LIFE. I am not banking on winning the lottery, but if it does happen, I will be ever grateful to having played every drawing.

Get MONEY!!! Winning a JACKPOT lottery is one MIRACLE I desire for 2019!!! NOW come to my subconscious mind you 6 winning numbers!
rdgrnr

100

The Hall Of The Mountain Kings Tennessee
United States
Member #73,901
April 28, 2009
15,378 Posts
Offline

Oct 27, 2013, 11:38 am

Quote: Originally posted by shyguitar on Oct 21, 2013
Hi everyone,

I'm wondering with the new MM matrix will some people buy 15 tickets (picking their own numbers) and make sure to play all 15 powerball numbers in the hope that at least they will win the 2 dollars and maybe think they have a better chance of winning something?

I've actually tried that strategy 3 or 4 times with the Tennessee Cash game which has only 5 "Cash Balls."

Played all 5 "Cash Balls" and QP'd the rest.

Nothing.

And I mean NOTHING!

You know that music the terminal plays when you win something?

Well, when a clerk runs a Tennessee Cash playslip through the terminal, it plays a recording of The Dragon Lady cackling.
LottoMetro

Happyland
United States
Member #146,336
September 1, 2013
1,182 Posts
Offline

Oct 27, 2013, 12:16 pm
Quote: Originally posted by OldSchoolPa on Oct 27, 2013
What's the difference between having the winning numbers on a playslip you didn't play because the jackpot was "too low" and being the "star of the moment" in name your state Mega Millions lottery press conference? Playing every drawing regardless of jackpot amount. My thought is that the jackpot amount only matters to the person or persons who have the winning tickets. Otherwise, it truly does not matter. Now if you are on a fixed budget that does not allow you to play every drawing, then it might be better to just play once a week or identify certain habits like smoking, beer or coffee drinking or taking toll road when local route only adds less than 15 minutes to commute and throw that extra dollar saved to playing the lottery. I would much rather cut out any habit that only costs me money than to cut habits that HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO CHANGE MY LIFE. I am not banking on winning the lottery, but if it does happen, I will be ever grateful to having played every drawing.

The winner is random so there are probably just as many "first timers" or those who rarely play as there are "faithful players." I play only when jackpot is high because in the absurdly astronomical unlikely to ever happen event that I DO win, I want it to be worth the time and money spent playing. Why waste money on such terrible odds unless the payoff is going to be really great??? People think that playing every draw somehow magically improves their chances of winning, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Your chances of winning the jackpot are higher playing all in 1 draw than it is playing over a series of draws. It is a very small insignificant difference for big games like Mega Millions and Powerball, but a difference that indeed exists.

In the grand scheme of it all, none of this matters because everyone has their own playing style. This is what we call utility in economics. For some people they would be happy throwing away money just to win a few million. For others, usually the mathematically inclined like myself, they want to get the most for their money. But, given the odds, someone who plays more in fewer drawings versus fewer in more drawings has better chances of winning. That's math.
- If the chances of winning the jackpot are so slim, why play when the jackpot is so small? Your chances never change, but the potential payoff does.
- If a crystal ball showed you the future of the rest of your life, and in that future you will never win a jackpot, would you still play?
- I believe Joan Ginther ("world's luckiest woman") merely played lottery as a tax strategy. Evidence: zero prize claims through 10 years after her last Lotto Texas annuity payment!
GiveFive

Florida's West Coast
United States
Member #92,603
June 10, 2010
7,151 Posts
Online

Oct 29, 2013, 2:41 am

Quote: Originally posted by Saylorgirl on Oct 21, 2013
You do realize that if you match one of the 15 mega balls it only pays 1 dollar. If you want a 2 dollar win you have to purchase the multiplier for an additional 1 dollar. So you would be paying out 30 dollars for the chance to win 2 dollars.

You're correct, it only pays 1 dollar, but then if you happen to match three numbers in the other set drawn, then you'd win a nice prize.

In my office pool, when we play PB, I cover as many of the 35 PB's as I can. (Sometimes we dont have enough people in the pool cover all 35 PB's.) Last time we played, we won 4 bucks because we had the PB, but if we happened to have 3 white balls along with the red PB, then we'd have won $100.

As for the four bucks we won, it's going to buy two additional lines the next time the pool plays PB. We'd have to do the same thing if we won $100, but a win is nice and it gives the people in the pool hope. Keep's 'em playin'......

Play Smart! That's IF there is such a thing as playing smartly!!

New Topic New Poll

Subscribe to this topic

With new MM will some people buy 15 tickets hoping to get Powerball number?Prev TopicNext Topic

With new MM will some people buy 15 tickets hoping to get Powerball number?Prev Topic Next Topic