Playing Tips for Lotto.
You still want to play Lotto? Then read on ...
Minimise your cash outlay
When playing a poor betting game, it is obviously
better to wager small amounts so that you lose less. In Oz Lotto for
instance you should ideally play one game for a smaller sum rather than
play a whole card of 12 games. Of course you have less chances to win, but
as previously discussed, if you are gambling to actually win rather than
just paying for the fantasy of what it would be like to be rich, then
Lotto is bad value and not the way to go.
The somewhat similar game of Keno has better odds than
those available in lotto games, though it is still a fixed returns style
game in which there is no player skill involved.
Avoid system entries.
(See previous point) Although you can get about a 6%
discount, you have to outlay large amounts to get it. In a practical sense
it is better to play for just a few dollars with an expected return of 60%
than play for hundreds of dollars with an expected return of 64%.
Statistically speaking you are losing either way, so the smaller outlay
minimizes the damage.
Whilst we recommend avoiding system entries because of
the larger dollar outlay, if you wish to ignore our advice there is a
point worth mentioning that was brought to our attention by Professor
Stephen Clarke from Swinburne University.
In his words, "Because system entries repeat the same
numbers on many entries, when a particular set of numbers from a system
entry win a certain division, they will also win several prizes from the
lower division or possibly of the same division. This means that when a
system entry wins something, it is likely to be a bigger total amount
because of the multiple wins. Now there is no such thing as a free lunch,
so the higher total prize is counteracted by a lower
chance of winning something. In short, by choosing a system entry rather
than an equivalent number of separate independent entries with different
numbers, a player will have a win less often. But when they do win, they
win more."
Minimise your time outlay
Don't take it too seriously! Don't waste brain
activity and emotional energy trying to figure out a way to beat the
system. There are other games which offer a far better chance of this
being possible. In Lotto either you will be supremely lucky and win a lot
of money, or you won't. Chances are overwhelmingly huge that you won't.
The fact that it is possible to win lower division prizes doesn't change
the bottom line, a bad return on each dollar wagered.
Don't go overboard just because there's a
jackpot
A lot of people play extra Lotto games when there's a
jackpot, but in the vast majority of cases the value you are getting is
still poor. It is only very rarely (and you would have to be monitoring
lotteries all around the world) that sufficient successive jackpots occur
to make a syndicated attack theoretically worthwhile. It has however been
pointed out to us by Professor Clarke that normal Tattslotto only returns
55% to the player, with the extra 5% usually quoted only returned
eventually to the player by way of Tattslotto Superdraws. So whilst you
should still not go overboard, if you must spend money on Tattslotto, the
Superdraws offer better value as they are mildly subsidised by the normal
draws.
Try to pick unpopular combinations
This is really the only positive advice we have to
offer on lottery playing strategy. It is so obvious as to hardly seem
worth stating, that if you win a prize in any division, you win more if
you have to share it with fewer people. Remember, all Lotto combinations
are equally likely to win. Many people for some reason find this hard to
grasp and if you must play Lotto you should at least try to exploit this.
There are various ways to try and identify
combinations that are likely to be unpopular. Here are a handful of
statistically unproven, but logical, suggestions.
Avoid combinations that make obvious geometric patterns on the card.
Avoid supposedly 'lucky' numbers like 3, 7, 8, 9, or
supposedly 'unlucky' numbers like 13. In fact avoid any numbers that draw
attention to themselves, such as 42, chosen by Douglas Adams as the answer
to the meaning of life because it is a 'normal' looking number that
doesn't draw attention to itself 
Avoid numbers in the range 1-31, as people often use
dates to help them choose their numbers.
A final word of advice. Do not buy a commercial Lotto
number selecting product. Like the vast majority of commercial gambling
aids, these are mostly dubious. The ones that are not outright scams are
almost certainly misguided. We are staggered at the number of web sites
offering products and advice about Lotto. Some of these are so fanciful
they are hilarious. In our Nice Try
section we feature some of these, strictly for amusement. The creator of
one of the products previously listed in this section actually contacted
us and conducted a spirited defence of his system. We now believe him to
be sincere, but stop short of agreeing with his methodology.
NEXT
... Lotto Systems
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