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Powerball - anyone really play it ?

Discussion in 'Other Off Topic Forum' started by Whisky, Mar 24, 2006.

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  1. rob lay

    rob lay Administrator
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    #26 rob lay, Mar 28, 2006
    Doing great, I think mainly because he hasn't let it impact his life at all. Once he got the money, tucked away every cent and doesn't even touch the interest. In those 15 years has built up his career and family on his own and can be proud of that. That's a good feeling to know you made it on your own, but also have this huge bounty in the background that maybe he'll tap someday.
     
  2. BMW.SauberF1Team

    BMW.SauberF1Team F1 World Champ

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    #27 BMW.SauberF1Team, Mar 28, 2006
    I've played the Florida lotto before, but I don't anymore because I can get Powerball and Megamillions tickets (I only play those when over $200mm). I haven't lost any money by playing FL lotto. :D ...because that money goes to the Bright Futures Scholarship fund, which I currently have, and it's paid me over $9,000 in education!
     
  3. Whisky

    Whisky Three Time F1 World Champ
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    #28 Whisky, Mar 28, 2006
    I don't care if it's 10 mill or 360 mill, I'll take 10 mill any day, I'll take $200,000 any day.

    I just think it's fun to see if you can come up with a theory that would get you in the ballpark, because as far as a theory goes on picking ALL of the winning balls - that's not going to happen, if it could, it would happen on EVERY draw.
    It's not like counting cards was in Vegas years and years ago.....

    So far I am just about breaking even, I keep winning $3 one day, $7 the next, I've won $100 4 times now.....

    I'd put enough in one account to live off the interest, and I'd spend the rest on stuff, endow some special interests and charities, help where I think help is needed, but I'm not going to squirrel it away for a rainy day, you can never tell when a tree branch will fall on you or if the proverbial bus will run over you; you can't take it with you.
    To each their own.
     
  4. PerryJ

    PerryJ Formula 3

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    #29 PerryJ, Mar 28, 2006
    are quick pick statistically better than picking your numbers ?
     
  5. BubblesQuah

    BubblesQuah F1 World Champ
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    #30 BubblesQuah, Mar 28, 2006
    Exactly how does any of that stuff above change the odds of winning? The odds of winning are exactly the same for each drawing no matter what you do - no matter what numbers you pick.
     
  6. BMW.SauberF1Team

    BMW.SauberF1Team F1 World Champ

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    #31 BMW.SauberF1Team, Mar 28, 2006
    Off Powerball's website:

     
  7. speedy4500

    speedy4500 Formula Junior

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    #32 speedy4500, Mar 28, 2006
    Yes, that is theoretically true. As we say in math or physics, a truly random machine has zero hysteresis; it's current state is unaffected by any of its previous states. Remember, there is a very very small chance that the same combo could show up two times in a row: 1 in ~22 quadrillion. However, are the number ball choosing machines truly random? I don't know. I'd assume they're fairly close. I've programmed and studied many many different RNG algorithms for computers and I've yet to see one that can be proven to be perfectly random.

    Whisky, the reason that a combo such as 1-2-3-4-5pb6 may not seem random is that it's simply an easily recognizable pattern to humans, whereas 4-11-22-23-49pb17 is not. Both, however, have the same chances of being generated by a truly random machine.

    Regarding your "rules" for picking a combo, if they "work" for you, more power to you. Everyone has a different theory on how to pick their numbers and that's what many people enjoy about the lottery. Remember, probabilities guarantee nothing.

    I do have one combo of numbers that have personal significance--birthdays, anniverseries, sports numbers, etc.--that I always play when I buy a ticket, but other than that I usually just do a quick pick.
     
  8. MurcieMurcie

    MurcieMurcie F1 Rookie

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    #33 MurcieMurcie, Mar 28, 2006

    I personally pick my own numbers about %90 of the time and maybe get a few QP tickets once every few months....88 tickets shared the jackpot for the Cash 5 game one night and most were qp tickets. The computer will qp the same numbers over and over so there is a better chance of not having a winner, unless the qp numbers come up then you have alot of suspicious unhappy players. How would you feel if your winning Cash 5 ticket that should be worth $40k+ was only $450> because 87 other people had the exact same numbers on their QP ticket?
     
  9. Prugna 328

    Prugna 328 Formula 3

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    #34 Prugna 328, Mar 28, 2006
    I have come close twicw. First time in Lotto I had 5/6 numbes and collected $2600. (1 more # was 33 mil. Oh well) The second time in mega millions I had every # in a perfect diagonal including the mega ball #. That night it was 170mill. #s were like this on a 5$ quick oick. Xs winning#s, last x top right mega ball #

    O O O O X X

    O O O X O O

    O O X O O O

    O X O O O O

    X O O O O O
     
  10. Whisky

    Whisky Three Time F1 World Champ
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    #35 Whisky, Mar 28, 2006
    I feel your pain, believe me:

    3/22 the winners were 18-22-23-38-45 P31
    I picked 16-23-24-38-45 P35

    3/4 the winners were 13-22-27-52-55 P26
    I picked 14-21-22-53-55 P29

    Close but no banana, but I have to keep reiterating: I don't really expect to win it (the big taco), but I enjoy playing the game. I'm not one of these guys that goes and bankrolls $500 in tickets each time, my maximum outlay is $5. I could very easily be sucked into temptation to go blow $1,000 a game, so far I've kept a level head, I know my limits.
     
  11. Whisky

    Whisky Three Time F1 World Champ
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    #36 Whisky, Mar 28, 2006
    TRUE, but you have to study what the computer picks, it CAN pick numbers that have 'better odds' than others. ie if the computer picks 3-4-5-11-12, those have nowhere near as good a chance as if the computer also picked something like 9-14-25-42-50, which it can also do. In theory, you can walk up and pick 1-2-3-4-5, but would you ? No. But the computer can also pick 1-2-3-4-5 for you, would you like that ?
     
  12. LightGuy

    LightGuy Four Time F1 World Champ

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    #37 LightGuy, Mar 28, 2006
    We have a winner !!!
     
  13. Whisky

    Whisky Three Time F1 World Champ
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    #38 Whisky, Mar 28, 2006
    I know what you mean, all those people in Hummers getting 8 mpg, and spending $5 for a Starbucks coffee, it's ridiculous how stupid some people are ! (sic)
     
  14. MurcieMurcie

    MurcieMurcie F1 Rookie

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    #39 MurcieMurcie, Mar 28, 2006
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Worst"almost"I had was my Powerball $5 Qp ticket had each number one high on the 3rd line....That is when I knew God had his eye on me and was playing with my emotions. I literally cried because the jackpot was $210mil and no one won.

    Here are a few pics of my winning tickets, I like the better odds type of games like TX two step but occasionally play them all when I feel lucky.
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
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  15. Whisky

    Whisky Three Time F1 World Champ
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    #40 Whisky, Mar 29, 2006
    Yep, there are a lot of different games to play, but I just stick to PB and Keno, I do well at Keno, REAL well...... I never sit in Keno parlors, I collect numbers from their website(s), figure out what I want, then go pick 6 numbers over 100 games and walk out, and if it hasn't won once out of those 100 games, I play the same numbers 100 more times. It's only failed me once, where I had to go another 100 games, but $300 out got me $2,000 back.

    I know the straight Pick 5 is much better odds than PB, but I've made more in Keno than if I win a Pick 5 because Keno games go off about every 8 minutes 'or so', I can play 150 Keno games in a day 'or so', whereas PB is 2 games a week.

    I have to say it again: I just enjoy numbers..... it's a true game with me.
     
  16. MurcieMurcie

    MurcieMurcie F1 Rookie

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    #41 MurcieMurcie, Mar 30, 2006
    I am kinda a number/odds freak myself;)

    Never been around Keno except for Vegas so never tried it per lack of availability.
     
  17. CMY

    CMY F1 World Champ

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    #42 CMY, Mar 30, 2006
    I'll throw my $5 hat in the ring whenever the jackpot comes close to/over 100M.
     
  18. Whisky

    Whisky Three Time F1 World Champ
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    #43 Whisky, Mar 30, 2006
    I bagged the PB and one other last night, that was it.

    Murcie - Odds are absolutely horrible for Keno (compared to other Vegas-type games) - unless you track numbers and play LOTS of games, it takes a lot of patience and tremendous resolve (not to go for anything over a 6-spot).
     
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