What are your Sabres Powerball/Megamillions numbers?

[BagBoy]

Lots of good posts here. 

I'm mostly with the math people on this one.  Who really needs $600 million or whatever when $5 million would more than solve all your financial worries forever?  If you can't justify buying a ticket when it's only a $5 million payout, you probably can't justify buying a ticket regardless of the payout.

On the other hand, if you aren't starving your kids to do it, buying 1 ticket for $2 is a great escape to dream.  I also love the idea of fellow employees getting together and buying a ticket or two.

If you are buying a ticket and choosing your numbers (not taking the random numbers), you are better off taking numbers greater than 30 or 31.  This is because people have a tendency to choose significant dates in their lives, like birthdays, wedding dates, the day you lost your virginity, divorce dates, etc.  Doing this will not increase your likelihood of winning, but it will definitely decrease your chances of having to split the pot with anyone else.

I did a ticket with all Sabres retired numbers once, but didn't hit a single number.

Not sure about the rest of Canada, but if you win in Ontario, there is no tax burden.  It's all yours.

It can definitely be regarded as a tax on the poor, but the proceeds generally go to funding education, so that can work both ways.

[pi2000]

At what point would it make financial sense to buy half the possible combinations + 1?

The pot is what 1.6B?   There are 11,238,513 combinations... if you bought half the combinations at $2 per combination, that's an investment of $11,238,513.00.   Then by one extra ticket to put the odds in your favor, and you could make a profit of $1.58B.     

Edited October 24, 2018 by pi2000

[Eleven]

  On 10/24/2018 at 1:58 AM, pi2000 said:

At what point would it make financial sense to buy half the possible combinations + 1?

The pot is what 1.6B?   There are 11,238,513 combinations... if you bought half the combinations at $2 per combination, that's an investment of $11,238,513.00.   Then by one extra ticket to put the odds in your favor, and you could make a profit of $1.58B.     

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Let's get on this.  Like NOW.  I have $2.  If you can come up with the other $11,238,511.00, I think I like our odds.

 

[SDS]

  On 10/24/2018 at 2:03 AM, Eleven said:

Let's get on this.  Like NOW.  I have $2.  If you can come up with the other $11,238,511.00, I think I like our odds.

 

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They did something like this in the 90s in Virginia. Someone tried to buy up the vast majority of tickets when it became favorable to them.

[Eleven]

  On 10/24/2018 at 2:08 AM, SDS said:

They did something like this in the 90s in Virginia. Someone tried to buy up the vast majority of tickets when it became favorable to them.

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Hey, if you're in for $2, @pi2000 only has to come up with $11,238,509.00.

[Scottysabres]

  On 10/24/2018 at 1:00 AM, BagBoy said:

Lots of good posts here. 

I'm mostly with the math people on this one.  Who really needs $600 million or whatever when $5 million would more than solve all your financial worries forever?  If you can't justify buying a ticket when it's only a $5 million payout, you probably can't justify buying a ticket regardless of the payout.

On the other hand, if you aren't starving your kids to do it, buying 1 ticket for $2 is a great escape to dream.  I also love the idea of fellow employees getting together and buying a ticket or two.

If you are buying a ticket and choosing your numbers (not taking the random numbers), you are better off taking numbers greater than 30 or 31.  This is because people have a tendency to choose significant dates in their lives, like birthdays, wedding dates, the day you lost your virginity, divorce dates, etc.  Doing this will not increase your likelihood of winning, but it will definitely decrease your chances of having to split the pot with anyone else.

I did a ticket with all Sabres retired numbers once, but didn't hit a single number.

Not sure about the rest of Canada, but if you win in Ontario, there is no tax burden.  It's all yours.

It can definitely be regarded as a tax on the poor, but the proceeds generally go to funding education, so that can work both ways.

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Actually, only 12 states put it towards education, there's an article on it.

As for a tax, you don't have a choice in paying taxes as the poor, you do however, have a choice to buy the lottery ticket or not.

[pi2000]

  On 10/24/2018 at 2:19 AM, Scottysabres said:

Actually, only 12 states put it towards education, there's an article on it.

As for a tax, you don't have a choice in paying taxes as the poor, you do however, have a choice to buy the lottery ticket or not.

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Imagine all the money well save in taxe's by not winning!   

Edited October 24, 2018 by pi2000
punc'tuation

[Eleven]

  On 10/24/2018 at 2:43 AM, pi2000 said:

Imagine all the money well save in taxes by not winning!   

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Imagine all the apostrophes we'll save! Won't someone think of the apostrophes?

Oh, sh&t, I've used two.

Now three!  Dammit!

Edited October 24, 2018 by Eleven

[Stoner]

All you needed was:

Jason Woolley; Zemgus; the year Dudacek was born; Mark Napier; the year the Sabres entered the league; and Jason again.

[Assquatch]

I wonder how much time the winner spent driving around to different gas stations to "diversify their numbers"? ?

[Andrew Amerk]

Someone in SC won it. 

[Scottysabres]

  On 10/24/2018 at 2:37 PM, Assquatch said:

I wonder how much time the winner spent driving around to different gas stations to "diversify their numbers"? ?

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Not for nothing, but I got all the tickets at the same place, on the same visit...….

 

Oh, and the wife and I won our money back plus 24 dollars...……...

Foot in mouth is no way to go through life,,,,,,,,,,,,,that advice is free...……..

[Assquatch]

  On 10/24/2018 at 8:18 PM, Scottysabres said:

Not for nothing, but I got all the tickets at the same place, on the same visit...….

 

Oh, and the wife and I won our money back plus 24 dollars...……...

Foot in mouth is no way to go through life,,,,,,,,,,,,,that advice is free...……..

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Your anecdotal evidence has shown me my place.

[Scottysabres]

  On 10/25/2018 at 12:20 AM, Assquatch said:

Your anecdotal evidence has shown me my place.

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Thank you, for recognizing my sarcasm and responding in kind, if that was your attempt.

We spent 1000 thousand, got 1024 back.

But...……..only 500 on mega millions, so the powerball tonight, is a freebee :)……+...….24 dollars. Not bad for trying something different, wouldn't you agree? Or no?

[Assquatch]

  On 10/25/2018 at 12:24 AM, Scottysabres said:

Thank you, for recognizing my sarcasm and responding in kind, if that was your attempt.

We spent 1000 thousand, got 1024 back.

But...……..only 500 on mega millions, so the powerball tonight, is a freebee :)……+...….24 dollars. Not bad for trying something different, wouldn't you agree? Or no?

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I really hope you win

[SwampD]

  On 10/25/2018 at 12:24 AM, Scottysabres said:

Thank you, for recognizing my sarcasm and responding in kind, if that was your attempt.

We spent 1000 thousand, got 1024 back.

But...……..only 500 on mega millions, so the powerball tonight, is a freebee :)……+...….24 dollars. Not bad for trying something different, wouldn't you agree? Or no?

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That's kinda cool.

Could just as easily lost it all, but any time you're playing with the house's money, it's a good day.

[Scottysabres]

  On 10/25/2018 at 2:27 AM, Assquatch said:

I really hope you win

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So do we lol, but win or lose the wife and I don't these often. Over the course of my life, I'm probably about even when it comes to gambling over all, that 8 grand at the casino in one night evened the odds, but lottery, I've only tried a handful of times, definitely the house wins that one hands down.