OK ... of course the game with the "best odds" ... here's an interesting setup in PA for tonight (Wed) and tomorrow (Thu).
I have always thought the PA Match 6 (6/49) game was a good play for the $2.00 price, compared to the MM and PB.
However, for sometime now the Match 6 game has been getting hit consistently at around $1 million, give or take ... but I have been buying tickets with every drawing ... usually extra tickets, as I did in May, June and July and even before, going back years.
So the Match 6 game was hit last week again at a million dollars and tomorrow (July 16th) the jackpot is $600,000.
As you know the Match 6 (6/49) game has odds of 1 in 13,983,816 ... but because you get three lines for a $2 ticket, the PA Lottery says the odds are really 1 in 4,661,272 ... however, I still think of the odds as being 1 in 13,983,816 ... trying to get that one line with all six numbers.
No matter ... both odds are still almost impossible.
So I have been thinking ... tonight the Cash 5 jackpot in PA is $600,000 as will be the Match 6 jackpot tomorrow, also $600,000.
Of course the odds to win the Cash 5 jackpot are 1 in 962,598 ... so a simple question, why bother spending any money in the future on a 6/49 game with odds in the millions ... why not just wait through the month for the Cash 5 jackpot to reach a $600,000 ... $800,000 or $1 million dollar jackpot and put all the money on those plays?
The Cash 5 jackpots have been hitting these higher amounts steady over the last 4 or 5 months (over the last year) ... maybe less people are playing the lottery these days ... the Cash 5 jackpots were usually a little higher ... for example ... it was rare to see a $600,000 jackpot, they were usually $650,000 ... an $800,000 jackpot would be $850,000 and there were hardly any jackpots in the $400,000 range, they would jump from the $325,000 or $350,000 range to $500,000 ... $525,000 or $550,000 but for months now, the jackpots are never in the $500,000 range anymore ... always the $400,000 range and then it usually jumps to $600,000 ... before it would jump into the $700,000 range.
I have already bought all my Match 6 tickets for the month till August and for sometime now (many months) I have not won much money on the Match 6 ... I used to win fairly good, no profit ... just getting some of my money back.
Over the last few years ... I would wait for the Cash 5 jackpots to get a little higher before I would buy any tickets but last evening as I saw the jackpot total of $600,000 for both games (tonight and tomorrow) ... I'm thinking of cutting my money back on the Match 6 game and throw more money at the Cash 5 game for the future.
Since the Match 6 jackpots over the last year have been low, usually in line with the Cash 5 jackpots ... a Cash 5 jackpot of $600,000 or more can usually happen several times a month these days.
I would still buy one Match 6 ticket but no more spending most of my money on that game ... plow that money into the Cash 5 higher jackpot.
I just throw this all out for PA players and other players also, for their thoughts ... other states that have a 6/49 game usually have higher jackpots so they are still worth playing ... I still think many people (in PA) have left MM and PB and other games and are playing Match 6 ... it's getting hit every month these days and always starting over at $500,000 ... usually moving very close with the Cash 5 jackpot ... but look at the difference in odds for the jackpot amount on both games.
As I have said before ... the Match 6 jackpots just a few years ago were around $4 million average, then $2 million average and now for almost a year, around $1 million.
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