Comments on: Pick 3 Coincidences

By: laurence

laurence — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 13:43:18 +0000

i keep track of pick 3 numbers in kentucky and thru feb 27, 2009 the ’2′ has not come up in the 2nd position – i.e. x – 2 – x – in 108 draws this year. strange indeed.

By: David Petersen

David Petersen — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 20:14:22 +0000

Here’s another interesting thought about the lottery. Basically, we are assuming equal probability for all possibilities. And for a computer picking the numbers, maybe that is true, but not quite so for the old ping-pong balls. The ink used to print on the numbers will weigh more for 2 digit numbers (and more for 8 than 1, for example), so there is a very tiny physical disposition for those to fall to the bottom of the pile.

Similarly, we are *assuming* equal probability, but maybe there are other small factors that could affect the outcome, so I would guess that numbers that have already won may be slightly more worth playing as we know it’s a combination that *can* work. If a combination has never come up before, maybe there’s a reason!

By: Barry Leiba

Barry Leiba — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 13:08:19 +0000

The bottom line, of course, is that you have a 1-in-1000 chance of winning on any given day that you play, no matter what number you pick: whether it’s the number that won yesterday, the number that won on your birthday, a number that’s never won before, or your cousin’s IQ. If you play “666″ every single day, or “000″ or “123″, you have the same chance: 1 in 1000. Every time.

And yet one just can’t get that through most people’s skulls.