Pinback, here is what I do.
1)I'm not looking for the box hit so I play them straight.
2) I look for hot concurrent numbers i.e if 1-4 and 4-1 is hot after 100 or so draws, then they are my keys.
3) I look for hot concuurent numbers with your key pair...for example if 4 is hot with 6, then 6 becomes your 3rd number.
4) Then I check both midday and evening draws to see the last played straight of those 3 digits. (Never played straight in over 6 years is best)
5) I bet one betting unit (.50) on any qualifiers. My budget is $2 straight / day on pick-3. If there is only one qualifier, then I bet $1 straight on that number.
6) If there are no qualifiers for that draw then I carry-over my savings on that non-bet to the next draw where there is a viable bet (hot combo, no straights in a long time)
7) Sundays are exciting days for me, because, without a midday draw in IL, sometimes your betting $2 straight on Monday midday and if you only have one pick, you're betting $4 straight on that pick. ($2000 win.)
8) Key is to target as few numbers as possible and to be patient...sometimes it takes a few weeks for your number to come in, or it may never come in, but if you've done your homework on record keeping, you just might just get a sizeable hit.
9) the beauty of this approach is to multiply your bets when there is no other viable number in the next draw.
10) Ive never made a profit on box betting, so this is an approach for straight bets....got burned before, but I'm not looking for a $40 win.
Good luck my friend....let me know if it works for you.