Powerball Jackpot At $800 Million: Secrets And Tips For Improving Your Winning Chances
The Powerball jackpot is currently at $800 million and is now the largest jackpot ever in United States history. This has caused a huge flurry of hopeful people going out to buy tickets as they want a piece of that money. The chances of winning are more the slim side than anything, but some of the following secrets and tips could help you in your number picking process and increase your odds.
CNN has dropped the odds of winning Saturday night’s drawing for the Powerball jackpot of $800 million, and it’s a mere one in 292 million. From there, the news giant goes into the types of taxes and everything else that comes from winning a lottery jackpot of this magnitude.
If there is a single winner on Saturday, then their lump sum will be $496 million after initial taxes. Yes, there will be many more taxes after that coming each year, but this is the initial cut that comes out of the jackpot.
With that out of the way, people still want to know how they can win that money and bring it home to completely change their lives. That’s where some of these number-selecting tips and secrets will come in handy.
Steer clear of birthdays
Many people select numbers that are important to them in some form or another, and usually, that’s their own or loved one’s birthdays. That being said, it means the numbers 1-31 are picked by the most people and can result in you likely having to share a pot when/if you win.
WKYC has put together a list of the numbers that came up the most in the Powerball main draw in the past 15 years.
- #16 – Drawn 254 times
- #22 – Drawn 254 times
- #26 – Drawn 266 times
- #35 – Drawn 251 times
- #39 – Drawn 250 times
- #41 – Drawn 255 times
- #42 – Drawn 253 times
Buy more than just one ticket – Buy as many as you can afford to shell out
It will cost you $2 for one chance at playing the Powerball, and that may not seem like a lot, but it could be if you buy a lot of tickets and don’t win. Still, the more tickets you buy, the better your chances are that your numbers could come up.
Buying more tickets with many different numbers can improve your chances of at least winning something. Sure, you may not have matched everything to win the Powerball jackpot, but you could win one of the smaller prizes such as $1 million or even $2 million. Choosing many of the same numbers throughout multiple picks will have more of your selections wrong with just one draw.
Remember, the odds of winning are one in 292 million, but if you buy 20 tickets then your chances of winning multiply by 20. Every little bit helps.
To pick on your own or let the computer quick-pick – That is the question
Many times, this is where a lot of experts differ in opinion. ABC News reports that about 70 percent of past winners used Quick Picks or computer-generated picks. That’s an absolutely huge percentage, but it isn’t one that everyone agrees with.
Forbes disagrees with this strategy and states that always having a different set of numbers from the computer hurts your odds. This will, therefore, put your odds at the worst possible for those selections.
Have fun with your Powerball picks – Don’t get in over your head
No matter what you do, the Powerball jackpot is going to come your way primarily by the luck of the draw and if it’s simply your time. Don’t stress yourself out over picking numbers, winning or not winning, or relying on it to happen for you.
If it is going to happen for you, it will happen. Chances of winning are slim, so don’t spend a lot of money trying to win and use cash that you desperately need for other things. Yes, you want to increase your chances, but only if you can afford to do it.
Don’t forget to buy your tickets
Many people will always watch the Powerball drawing and realize they had forgotten to go out and buy a ticket. You’re going to fall short in every single Powerball drawing that you don’t enter. Tickets can be purchased until 9:59 p.m. ET, but sometimes, stores will shut off machines a bit earlier.
The Powerball jackpot being at $800 million has many people dreaming and hoping and wishing as the selection show on Saturday night draws near. Secrets and tips and suggestions can help your number-picking process, but keep those fingers crossed and see if you’re the lucky one.
[Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images]
