Powerball boasts a $100 million jackpot for the fourth time in history this week. If you plan to buy tickets, there are a few simple strategies to maximize your chances of taking home a very large windfall.
With such big prizes on offer, it’s no wonder many Australians try their luck to win a life-changing prize.
But while we can’t do anything about the very small odds that players face, there are ways to gain an edge in terms of potential winnings.
Australian economist and author of Incentivology, Jason Murphy, dug into the data to find out how to essentially hack the popular lottery.
The numbers drawn at night are random, but the numbers people choose are not. It is recommended to choose unloved numbers to improve the expected value (prize) in the unlikely event of a win.
“When you play Powerball, you have to channel your inner toddler. You don’t want to share it,” Murphy told Yahoo News Australia.
“The big reason you don’t win at Powerball is that there’s a very good chance someone else has the same numbers as you, and in that case you split the Division 1 prize money.”
When it comes to Powerball, it’s all about Division 1 games. Seven balls are drawn from a set numbered 1 to 35, then the all-important Powerball is drawn from another set numbered 1 to 20.
The bigger the jackpot, the more competition (ticket sales).
“Powerball is happy to sell more tickets than possible combinations of numbers. It may not taste good,” Murphy explained.
So when it comes to human nature, there are some reliable traits you can take advantage of.
Best number to pick in powerball.
According to Murphy’s research, the least popular number to choose (and therefore the best number to choose as a Powerball) is 1 and the most popular number is 9.
He said the four most commonly chosen numbers are near the middle of the range.
“People seem to use understandable but ridiculous heuristics – trying to minimize the size of the mistake. If you hit a 9 and the Powerball was an 11, you feel like you’re close increase.
Also, odd numbers are more popular than even numbers.
“Small numbers are also less favorable than large numbers. The 10 most popular numbers add up to 125, while the 10 least popular add up to 75,” he wrote.
“Does the larger number seem ‘random’ because it is less familiar? And do you think that numbers that look random are more likely to be selected by a random process? The human brain is interesting. is.”
Of course, none of this alleviates the extremely low chances of actually winning in the first place.
“You’ll still lose, but there are ways to make it less,” Murphy told Yahoo.
“An easy trick is to pick numbers that are unlikely to be picked by others. For example, instead of making your Powerball selection your lucky number 7, you could try 16. In my analysis, 16 won’t get picked very often, so when it comes up, you’re more likely to walk away without having to share the prize.”
The Economist’s analysis cites Macquarie University statistician Professor John Croucher telling Yahoo News Australia when the Powerball jackpot reached a staggering $150 million in 2019. I back it up.
“If you choose a pattern, you’re more likely to share it,” he said.
“For example, depending on whether you choose your birthday, your chances of sharing it will change. People who choose a number greater than 31 are probably less likely to share it.”
The $100 million Powerball draw 1379 will take place on Thursday, October 20th at 7:30pm. The jackpot reached this level after no Division 1 winners in the last four draws.
Nearly half of Australian adults are expected to buy a ticket, according to The Lott spokesman James Eddy.
“If even one person wins the $100 million prize on Thursday night, it would make them the second-largest Australian lottery winner in history,” he said.
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