Practical tips for winning the Powerball lottery

The great and terrible Powerball lottery

Now that the Powerball lottery jackpot inches closer to $300 million, the interest of players nationwide increases at the same accelerated pace. More tickets are purchased for each draw and the trend is expected to continue until someone finally scoops the jackpot and adds his name to the collection of lottery millionaires. If there are any ways of maximizing your chances to win the Powerball lottery, then this is the best time to learn all about them.

Focus on high paying draws

Savvy players know that they need to pay attention to the ratio between expenses and potential gains, even when playing the lottery. The odds of actually matching the winning numbers are stacked against the player, but with the standard Powerball lottery ticket costing two dollars, the risks are worth taking. Those who want to increase the size of the potential prize, can pay the additional dollar and it is generally accepted that this extra amount is worth paying. Playing the game is as easy as it gets and the size of the jackpot doesn’t affect the odds, which explains why it is wise to focus on high paying draws.

The winner is the one who matches the regular five numbers plus the Powerball, but prizes are awarded even to those who have less white balls with the without the special ball. The smallest amount that one can receive is four dollars and it is awarded to those who have only the Powerball on their betting slip. This means that it is possible to guarantee a win by purchasing distinct tickets and for each of them select a different red ball, but by doing so you will end up losing money. Unless you also hit a couple of white numbers, you will be investing much more than you would receive.

Forget about the odds and enjoy the game

From a strictly mathematical perspective, there is no reason for why someone would keep purchasing Powerball lottery tickets and expect to win. The chance to scoop the main prize is one in 175 millions, and even the second tier prizes are only won by one ticket in more than 5 millions. Some people are tempted to let the fact that the lottery advertises odds of 1 in 32 to win any prize, but the overwhelming majority of prizes consists of four dollars. Obviously there is no secret for winning the Powerball lottery, because if it were the game would’ve been shut down long ago or the same people would win.

There are plenty of scammers who advertise their allegedly winning the lottery systems, but they don’t explain why they don’t use the strategies themselves. More skeptical analysts regard these lotteries as taxes on a naivety, but the cost of a ticket is low enough to make no impact on the player’s budget. The only way to mathematically increase the chances to win is by acquiring more tickets.

Check out the Mastery of the Powerball Lottery Game as well.