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powerball odds - help me win my argument - posted pg 8
Posted on 1/11/16 at 4:22 pm
Posted on 1/11/16 at 4:22 pm
I have taken alot of classes that had statistics in them while studying engineering.
I say that no matter what your numbers are, your odds are 1 in roughly 300Million.
Some people claim that playing the same numbers every week over the course of your life will help you to win the powerball because the variable of what numbers you will have does not change every week. It is true that statistics can get quite complicating with that many numerical odds involved. I still believe that your odds can not be changed because future statistics do not have anything to do with what numbers show up in the past. Sure, it is nearly impossible for you to win powerball 2 drawings in a row playing the same numbers again. The odds are 1/(300 mill * 300 mil).
So lets say i buy 2 powerball tickets, one for each of the next 2 drawings. The odds that i will win both powerballs are 1/(300 M*300M). But say i win the powerball on the first drawing. What are the odds that i win it on the 2nd drawing.
There is now a 1/300 MIL chance that i will win both powerballs since it already happened one time, so i am "halfway" to beating the odds.
But i also got to thinking. Can some numbers actually be better to play than other numbers. Sure, there is such a thing as a hot streak, where a number that comes up alot will come up again, and a number that has not came up in a while will eventually show up. But as i stated earlier, the past does not dictate statistics moving forward after that event already happend.
I even thought about this.
What are the odds that all 5 of the powerball numbers will be even or odd?
The odds are not very good that all 5 numbers will be all even or all odd. There is a better chance that 2 will be even and 3 odd or vice bersa according to the law of averages. (Slightly offset by the fact that there are more odd numbers than even numbers to choose from with the powerball numbers stopping at 69.)
The same can be said about all high numbers or all low numbers.
What is your opinion on this. Is there a strategy involved in playing the powerball to ever so slightly increase your odds?
I say that no matter what your numbers are, your odds are 1 in roughly 300Million.
Some people claim that playing the same numbers every week over the course of your life will help you to win the powerball because the variable of what numbers you will have does not change every week. It is true that statistics can get quite complicating with that many numerical odds involved. I still believe that your odds can not be changed because future statistics do not have anything to do with what numbers show up in the past. Sure, it is nearly impossible for you to win powerball 2 drawings in a row playing the same numbers again. The odds are 1/(300 mill * 300 mil).
So lets say i buy 2 powerball tickets, one for each of the next 2 drawings. The odds that i will win both powerballs are 1/(300 M*300M). But say i win the powerball on the first drawing. What are the odds that i win it on the 2nd drawing.
There is now a 1/300 MIL chance that i will win both powerballs since it already happened one time, so i am "halfway" to beating the odds.
But i also got to thinking. Can some numbers actually be better to play than other numbers. Sure, there is such a thing as a hot streak, where a number that comes up alot will come up again, and a number that has not came up in a while will eventually show up. But as i stated earlier, the past does not dictate statistics moving forward after that event already happend.
I even thought about this.
What are the odds that all 5 of the powerball numbers will be even or odd?
The odds are not very good that all 5 numbers will be all even or all odd. There is a better chance that 2 will be even and 3 odd or vice bersa according to the law of averages. (Slightly offset by the fact that there are more odd numbers than even numbers to choose from with the powerball numbers stopping at 69.)
The same can be said about all high numbers or all low numbers.
What is your opinion on this. Is there a strategy involved in playing the powerball to ever so slightly increase your odds?
This post was edited on 1/13/16 at 3:50 pm
39
Posted on 1/11/16 at 4:24 pm to tigersint
the odds of winning the last 2 powerballs was 0:0
Posted on 1/11/16 at 4:24 pm to CAD703X
quote:
the odds of winning the last 2 powerballs was 0:0
Wrong.
Posted on 1/11/16 at 4:24 pm to tigersint
Quickpick
Posted on 1/11/16 at 4:25 pm to tigersint
Pick numbers, then right before you buy, change them and your odds will go up.
Posted on 1/11/16 at 4:25 pm to tigersint
My opinion is that there is no reliable strategy just because the probability of any given ticket winning is so low.
Posted on 1/11/16 at 4:25 pm to tigersint
Just like with craps, each roll is an independent event with it's own set of probabilities.
Posted on 1/11/16 at 4:25 pm to tigersint
So you're saying that if I play the same numbers 300 million times, I'm bound to win once?
Posted on 1/11/16 at 4:26 pm to tigersint
There have never been 6 consecutive numbers drawn in any national or international lottery, at least according to my quick Googling.
Posted on 1/11/16 at 4:26 pm to tigersint
does anyone need endymion tickets I might be selling some
Posted on 1/11/16 at 4:26 pm to tigersint
I just get the quick pick. But I have only bought tickets for the last 2 drawings since it is so high.
Posted on 1/11/16 at 4:26 pm to tigersint
first of all, i read every word. secondly, this is a fresh take on what i thought was a stale topic. i know because i've read at least 10 powerball threads today, and this is definitely the freshest.
Posted on 1/11/16 at 4:27 pm to tigersint
quote:Well those people don't understand probability and random variables. Just like you could play the same number on the roulette wheel or choose one at random, your odds are the same.
Some people claim that playing the same numbers every week over the course of your life will help you to win the powerball because the variable of what numbers you will have does not change every week.
In other words, as an outside actor, you can't somehow control a completely random system. Any control is an illusion.
Posted on 1/11/16 at 4:27 pm to Croacka
quote:
Quickpick
Quickpick is good because the number combination selected is unique at the point the selections were made, so there is less of a chance of a split jackpot. Of course, someone could pick those same numbers after you get your quickpick, but at the time of purchase you are the only one with those exact numbers.
Posted on 1/11/16 at 4:27 pm to tigersint
odds are you wont win.
Ever.
Ever.
Posted on 1/11/16 at 4:28 pm to tigersint
My wife was trying to convince me that the odds of winning go down each week someone doesn't win. I asked her if they add more balls to the pot each week? 
Posted on 1/11/16 at 4:28 pm to tigersint
Posted on 1/11/16 at 4:29 pm to tigersint
quote:
Some people claim that playing the same numbers every week over the course of your life will help you to win the powerball because the variable of what numbers you will have does not change every week.
These people are idiots.
Posted on 1/11/16 at 4:29 pm to tigersint
I've read that numbers people pick themselves win at a slightly higher rate than the quick picks. There are vastly more quick picks, so there are more quick pick winners, but self-selected numbers win at a slightly higher rate than pure chance would suggest.
Posted on 1/11/16 at 4:30 pm to Powerman
quote:
My opinion is that there is no reliable strategy just because the probability of any given ticket winning is so low.
If there was a reliable strategy the lottery would cease to exist because it would be common knowledge and everyone would do it and you would have many more winners.
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