Most times it pays to be nice

[john elder]

Then other times...not so much...

From the new half billionaire in FL:

"While in line at Publix, another lottery player was kind enough to let me go ahead of them in line to purchase the winning Quick Pick ticket," Mackenzie said in the statement. "We are grateful for this blessing of winning the Florida Lottery Powerball jackpot and appreciate the interest of the public, the State of Florida and the lottery."

[RAM]

Odds of winning were something on the order of 135 million to 1. Odds of not winning because you let the
winner in front of you...?
Bad Bob

[Ron Mc]

still, being a quick pick, the odds of it picking the correct numbers for him if he had not given up the position in line are the same as the odds of winning

[wrong99]

still, being a quick pick, the odds of it picking the correct numbers for him if he had not given up the position in line are the same as the odds of winning

True, even a fraction of a second deviation would have produced a whole different set of numbers.

[RAM]

Correct me if I am wrong: Unless there is some nefarious undercurrent here and each number is not picked at random, the odds in "Pick Four" are exactly the same for any of 10 numbers 0-9 coming up for each of the four numbers. Hence, to make things simple, why not pick 0000 every time you play? Aren't your chances just as good as with any other combination? Also, are the odds of winning 1 in 10,000?

Bad (statistically-challenged) Bob

[Ron Mc]

you raised the question of why buy a lotto ticket

if you buy a scratch-off, you're forty-million times more likely to win something.
And the odds are still against you.

[RAM]

Still would like to know if my 0000 pick 4 idea is nutty.
BB

[john elder]

But bob, the best you could do is have one number and it takes three to win anything... Numbers used once each... Or so i' ve heard... I'm much too smart to but a lotto ticket ( yeah right)

[Ron Mc]

pick 4 is nutty
lotto is nutty

[RAM]

Googled the odds thing. You can pick 0000 and odds are as good as any other combination in Pick Four. And the odds are 10,000 to 1 against you no matter which four you pick.

Here is a bet: Will an NHL team win the championship first- or will it be an NBA team? The absurdity of the thing is that both leagues started playing last fall! Will they eventually stretch out the seasons until they overlap? Wow! That should confuse things!
BB

[Chuck Gano]

the lakers are out so who cares

[Ron Mc]

certainly not Jack Nicholson or the other left coast gangsters, but our Spurs are going to beat the Heat for another championship.
Have you noticed the Spurs are the only NBA team that can speak English? And half our players are foreigners.

[RAM]

The Spurs sure squeaked by last night! Whew! Close one!
Bad Bob