Box Betting at its Best

So what are your odds with a 6 way boxed bet? Let’s run the numbers.

We know that the numbers recycle into the pool, so the odds are the same of picking any number in each draw. That means 10%. So .1 * .1 * .1 equals 1/1000. However, since order doesn’t matter, we need to figure out how many unique combinations of numbers there are and divide our result by that.

We know that in a system with 3 numbers there are only 3 * 2 * 1 combinations of numbers, or 6. So we divide out 1000 by 6 and get a 1 in 166 chance of winning, or about 0.6 percent.

Games of Chance

If you’re thinking, “Huh?” right now, don’t despair. These are actually fantastic odds when it comes to games of chance, and you won’t find them this good anywhere else. That much I can promise. Even in Vegas, even at the blackjack table where you can actually get a small edge over the house if you’re really, really good.

But I suppose part of the fun of the lottery isn’t running the numbers and figuring out that you’ll never win, it’s running the numbers and figuring out what you’ll do with the millions of dollars you could win if lightning strikes. Which it does. Quite frequently. And you can’t be the one that winds if you don’t have a ticket!