Discover Why The Truth about Powerball Odds convinced us to dramatically change the way we play Powerball.
The Real Truth about Lottery Odds convinced us to change the way we
play. Dramatically. It will certainly convince you to do the same. To
illustrate why, we use the USA Power Ball game as an example, but you
will soon see the arguments apply to any 5-ball or 6-ball Lottery game.
The odds of getting the first 5 numbers in the 53-number USA Powerball
game are 1-in-2,869,685 and the odds of getting the Power Ball WITH the
first 5 numbers are 1-in-120,526,770. That's the Truth but not the
WHOLE Truth!
The following examples show that if First Prize is $10 Million, the
odds are 1-in-120,526,770. If First Prize is $100 Million, the odds are
STILL 1-in-120,526,770 - but now the reward is 10 times greater. So,
are Odds the perfect measure? We think not. Does it matter ? We think
it does.
You may already understand that 1-in-120,526,770 relates to buying ONE
game. If you buy 10 games, your odds of winning First Prize are now
1-in-12,052,677. If you buy 100 games, your odds of winning First Prize
fall to 1-in-1,205,268. By using the information in the two paragraphs
above, you can make a giant leap in your Powerball Playing Strategy.
For example, suppose you budget $20 a week as your lotto money. To keep
it simple, we will assume your lottery starts at $10 Million and
increases every week by $5 Million. It goes for 10 weeks without being
won. If you are like 99% of lotto players, this represents your playing
strategy (or lack of it!).
Odds for $1 You Play Your Odds First Prize
120,526,770 $20 6,026,338 $10 Million
120,526,770 $20 6,026,338 $15 Million
120,526,770 $20 6,026,338 $20 Million
120,526,770 $20 6,026,338 $25 Million
120,526,770 $20 6,026,338 $30 Million
120,526,770 $20 6,026,338 $35 Million
120,526,770 $20 6,026,338 $40 Million
120,526,770 $20 6,026,338 $45 Million
120,526,770 $20 6,026,338 $50 Million
120,526,770 $20 6,026,338 $55 Million
TOTAL $200
What if you changed your playing strategy, by matching your investment
to the size of the First Prize? If you want to, you can do the six
decimal places stuff, but we'll keep it simple by going with gut
feeling. Your Odds with the new strategy might look like this ..
Odds for $1 You Play Your Odds First Prize
120,526,770 $5 24,105,354 $10 Million
120,526,770 $5 24,105,354 $15 Million
120,526,770 $5 24,105,354 $20 Million
120,526,770 $10 12,052,677 $25 Million
120,526,770 $10 12,052,677 $30 Million
120,526,770 $15 8,035,118 $35 Million
120,526,770 $15 8,035,118 $40 Million
120,526,770 $25 4,821,071 $45 Million
120,526,770 $50 2,410,535 $50 Million
120,526,770 $60 2,008,780 $55 Million
TOTAL $200
Your total Investment over ten weeks is still $200 - but as you can see
the odds have varied dramatically from week-to-week. Under the old
system, the odds were 1-in-6,026,338 every week. Under the new system,
the odds are much higher while the prize is low - but improve as First
Prize climbs. On the 10th week, your odds are THREE times better at
1-in-2,008,780 than they were when playing $20 every week.
MYTH NUMBER 2:
"If You Play a System Entry You Increase Your Chances of Winning" Another Truth ...But again, not the WHOLE Truth.
If you are playing a System 10, you pay for 252 games. Naturally you
are increasing your chances of winning by 252 times (over a single
game). But the advantage is from playing 252 games - regardless of how
you play those games.
1. By playing 252 random games, or Auto-Pick games, your odds of
winning are 1-in-478,281 (120,526,770 divided by 252). 2. By playing
the 252 games in a System 10, your odds of winning are still
1-in-478,281 (120,526,770 divided by 252). 3. By playing 252 games in
an organized systematical way, your odds of winning are still
1-in-478,281 (120,526,770 divided by 252).
However, there are tactical advantages & disadvantages to consider
before making those three choices. The first point is, Random or
Auto-Pick entries have no guarantee whatsoever, other than a
1-in-478,281 chance of winning.
With a System Entry, the biggest advantage is that it maximizes the
number of prizes you win. But, regardless of playing a System 8 or a
System 20 there is only ONE First Division up for grabs. All the
additional Prizes are in the lower divisions. And it is still a
CONDITIONAL guarantee - you win only IF you trap the winning numbers,
but you could end up without a single winning number.
With an Organized, Systematical entry that lottery books promote, your
biggest advantage is a guarantee of a Prize of some kind. If you simply
play 2 of the 110-game entries recommended at
http://www.win-power-ball-lottery.com/power-ball-lottery.html then your
220 games absolutely guarantee several small prizes. Toss in 32
additional games and you have exactly the same chance of First Prize as
a System 10 entry - 252 chances-in-120,526,770. The big advantage is
that 1 or more games in each 110-game set is 40% or better on the way
to First Prize; you are absolutely guaranteed 2, 3, 4, or all 5 winning
numbers from playing ALL the numbers in a mathematical matrix that
gives a guaranteed result - and a guaranteed payout.
Plus, those 252 organized games permit you using all 42 Power Balls 6
times - but with a System 10, you get only one Power Ball. So, if you
get organized and play 42 Power Balls 6 times, you collect $18 from
getting the Power Ball correct 6 times. You will also collect from
having Two or more winning numbers correct at least twice. Since the
system uses all 53 numbers, you have done everything possible to
maximize your chances.
Of course, playing 252 games every week is out, unless you are playing
as a Group. So, what Strategy should you adopt? We suggest one of these
approaches. First, for playing alone we recommend the "What Works Eight
Weeks out of Ten" approach. This can start as low as 9 games and build
in sets of 9 games, making it ideal for starting low and building up as
First Prize increases.
Second, a strategy for playing as a Group Entry. The 110-game entry
guarantees 2 or more numbers together, often more than once, plus it
guarantees you get the Power Ball at least twice. By playing all 53
numbers you make sure you have all the winners somewhere in your entry,
all organized in the best possible way. This approach is ideal for a
small group.
When the First Prize has jackpotted / Rolled-Over to astronomical
proportions, we suggest you move up to the 1325-game entry that
guarantees 3, 4 or all 5 of the first Five winning numbers, playing a
large group entry. But What are your chances of Four winning numbers ?
We guarantee at least Three winning numbers together. There are 2
winning numbers left in the remaining 50 balls - So your chances are
2-in-50 or 1-in-25. The chances of that all-important Fifth ball are
then 1-in-49. Agreed, you still have to get the power ball, but knowing
you have 60% or more of the first 5 winning numbers before a ball is
even drawn - that's not a bad starting position! To play this 1325-game
entry demands serious organization. You may need 40-50 members to get
the funds together. This needs to be in place well before you need it.
The final choice is using lotto software or lottery books to create
multiple reduced-guarantee lotto systems. With 53 numbers - for example
- you could have three sets of eighteen numbers (one number played
twice). The major advantage here is that if you get all the winning
numbers in one set of 18 numbers, the odds of First Prize are much
higher than playing 53 numbers together. If your lottery only has 36
balls, 2 sets of 18 numbers guarantees a prize if your lottery pays out
on 2 winning numbers (your worst split is 3 balls / 2 balls - and your
best 5 balls / 0 balls!). A second advantage is controlling the cost.
Most lottery software or lotto books would have several systems for 18
numbers, one of which should fit your budget. Of course, 3 sets of 18
numbers is just one example. Four sets of 13 numbers equals 52 numbers,
allowing you to play all but one of the 53 numbers in the USA Powerball
game.
Whether you are playing a game with 25 numbers, 59 numbers or anything
in between, you can adapt this strategy to fit your lottery and budget.
The book "Powerball Strategies" (available at
http://www.power-ball-pro.com) outlines the above strategy in more
detail and has more than 20 systems that can be used with any 5-ball
game.
