It's not a dumb question. You might see the same results if you go into buying scratchers multi's at a time. It sounds like
a good idea, compared with the odds..some people look at the odds as if 1 in 4 will certainly win, but they don't. The odds
posted are for the entire printing, which contains 6 million or more tickets per game. It's nice to take a shot at the instants
once in awhile hoping to snag a top prize but in that printing of 6 million or more per game, on the $20's there are roughly
4 - 5 top prizes, that's worse than needle in a haystack. Scratch tickets are fun, you can win instantly and you can lose the
same way. There are lots of face value prizes out there and the idea settles in that you're back to where you started. So,
if you get lucky and hit small, you might think, why not? I'll just put it back in and try for something bigger. Might work,
might not...you don't know unless you try. But I think the best way to play these things is to buy one and walk away. Don't
ever try to buy up to a win, I've seen many, many players doing that and getting mad about it...I watched a guy once buy
and buy and buy - and these were $20 tickets! - and buy, nothing after nothing after nothing....then he stomped out after
whipping the last few he was playing in the trash. If you're getting sick of not hitting the pick 3 games, try some quick picks
at either $1 str or $1 box or even .50 str or .50 boxed....you'll spend less and might win more. If you look at the instant
games realistically, you'll be able to buy one and go, that's the best way. I've won many times on the first ticket out of
the machine and didn't feel like that guy after I left either.
There are a lot of denominations of tickets and of course once you spend more per ticket, your chances of getting a nice
price are better but if you aren't looking for $100 once in awhile to satisfy you, you might wind up feeling the same about
scratchers as you do about pick numbers now. Just frustrated.
Maybe you can stick with a favorite number and play that - change it up a little either by going one down or up from a digit
...like 345 = 445 or 346, pick three is awful at times, so I see where you're coming from...just remember the odds are really
bad for winning one of those top prizes they shove in everyone's face all the time. GL!!