Louisiana Lottery and How to Play Mathematically
"The money you lose is the cost of entertainment," says Louisiana Lottery.
But nothing is entertaining about losing. Losing many times could even be depressing. So in this article, we will talk about how we can pick numbers, play intelligently, and lose less.
Which Louisiana Lottery Game Should You Play?
Easy 5 is the easiest way to win the jackpot, as the odds are only 1 to 435,896. This means that you may win in 435,896 attempts. That's much better odds compared to Powerball and Mega Millions. Lotto with 42 balls and a pick size of 6 makes it the second easiest.
Louisiana is one of the states that offer Powerball and Mega Millions.
The probability of winning the Powerball jackpot is 1 in 292,201,338. This is 670 times more difficult than the Easy 5.
The hardest game to win is Mega Millions. You pick five numbers from 70 balls and a Mega Ball from 25. With this game, you get a 1 in 302,575,350 probability of winning.
This makes the Mega Millions jackpot 694 times harder to win than Easy 5.
If you want an easy target, go for the Easy 5.
Understanding Louisiana Lottery Games
There are several methods that players have been using for playing lotteries. One of them is identifying hot, cold, and overdue numbers.
However, hot and cold numbers won't be effective because lottery games work within the premise of the law of large numbers. This law states that every number will have roughly the same frequency of occurrence when there is a significant number of draws.
Thus, there will be no hot and cold numbers a player can turn to.
Although statistics is a mathematical tool, this strategy does not work for lotto games.
If statistics don't work in the lottery, what does?
The above image illustrates the randomness of the lottery. As the number of draws increases, some of the dots will darken in color, signifying that there will be combinations that shall dominate the game. This implies that you could take advantage of the random and deterministic nature of the lottery. See How to Win the Lottery According to Math.
Through combinatorial mathematics and probability calculation, you could develop an effective strategy that accurately coincides with the law of large numbers.
Since a lottery game is finite, we have adequate information to understand how the game works and any questions you ask will be probabilistic rather than statistical.
Look at the Ratio
We express the probability formula in the following way:
This shows that the probability of you winning the lottery is 1 in all the total possible combinations of a particular game. Therefore, the probability is the same no matter what combination you use.
Good thing odds and probability are not mathematically equivalent. They are two different words with two different equations. So, fortunately, we can look at the lottery from a different perspective.
We express odds in the following way:
Odds, as you can see from the image above, compare the number of ways you get favorable events to the number of ways you don't. Thus, odds are also considered the ratio of success to failure.
Therefore, odds let you analyze the number of ways you get favorable shots against the number of ways you will fail.
The precise calculations of odds let you understand the game much better.
This ratio of success to failure exists among combinatorial groups. Some groups of combinations will give you better shots.
You will waste opportunities if you pick any combination randomly without analyzing its success ratio to failure. A Lotterycodex calculator can help you calculate this ratio of success to failure.
This free guide will help you understand the role of combinatorial mathematics and probability theory in lottery games.
More on Combinatorial Analysis
Knowledge of combinatorial groups is helpful for lotto players. But to understand combinatorial groups, you must know the difference between a number and a combination.
Let us use Easy 5 as an example. This game has a number field of 37, so each ball in the drum denotes the numbers 1 through 37. Therefore, you must choose five numbers from 1 to 37 to play a game.
All these balls have the same shape, size, texture, and weight. There are no factors that will permit bias over one or certain balls. Therefore, each ball has the same probability of getting drawn from the drum.
The Louisiana Lottery Easy 5 has 435,897 ways to combine five numbers from 1 to 37. The Louisiana Lottery Lotto game has 5,245,786 possible combinations.
These combinations differ from one another in terms of composition. Therefore, these combinations are divided into combinatorial groups.
Thanks to the variation in composition, a smart lotto player could create his game strategy based on the ratio of success to failure.
Remember
The probability is the same whether the composition is a 3-odd-2-even or a 5-even combination. Your decision should be based on the ratio of success to failure. A 3-odd-2-even combination offers fewer ways of losing than a 5-even combination, thus giving you more favorable shots.
What does it mean by "more favorable shots"?
The expected value of all lottery games is always negative. This is because you will have more losses than winnings.
You cannot manipulate the underlying probability of the draw. However, you can always avoid certain combinatorial groups that occur only occasionally.
For example, let's consider two combinatorial groups from a 6/42 game.
To do a combinatorial analysis, let's divide the number field into low and high groups:
Low numbers = {1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21}
High numbers = {22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42}
One group has a 0-low-6-high composition. Another group has a 3-low-3-high composition.
The table below will show the difference between the two groups regarding their success and failure ratio.
Would you still play the 0-low-6-high combination with only 54,264 favorable shots? Of course not. You would rather choose a composition that will give you more shots.
This is a sample scenario of how combinatorial groups help players make the best gaming decisions.
A reminder about combinatorial analysis
Numbers on lottery balls are simply symbols. They can be like fruits, animals, or other objects. Using odd, even, low, and high numbers are not exactly the strategy. Rather, it serves as a basis for combinatorial calculations whose results are useful for understanding how balls behave in a random game.
Combinatorial groups in lottery games are just one real-life application of combinatorial mathematics. This further supports the idea that you can play the lottery more productively by implementing a math-based strategy.
Lotterycodex in Louisiana Lottery
Combinatorial analysis lets you see how balls behave in a truly random game. You get to analyze the number of ways you win or lose through the ratio of success to failure.
Yet, with millions of combinations, it is easy to feel you need clarification.
For example, 1–2–3–4–5 is ideal because it follows the 3-odd-2-even composition. Nonetheless, all these numbers are low. Therefore, this out-of-balance composition may cancel any possibility of success. The reason is that the probability is distributed to the entire number field in a truly random game. Therefore, a winning combination will rarely consist of numbers that are all low.
Lotterycodex always insists on implementing balance when picking numbers. That's why in Lotterycodex, we combine odd-even and low-high numbers in one combinatorial analysis.
The image below shows an advanced Lotterycodex combinatorial design for a 5/37 game.
This combinatorial analysis leaves no room for confusion when selecting odd, even, low, or high numbers.
In this design, we can easily identify combinatorial groups using templates, and we call these Lotterycodex templates.
Below, you will see how Lotterycodex conveniently separates combinatorial groups according to their varying S/F ratios.
Template #1 is estimated to occur 151 times in 2,000 draws. You get a favorable shot to match the winning combination once every 14 attempts.
Template #47 may occur only five times in 2,000 draws. Therefore, you need to play 401 times to have one favorable shot of winning.
Therefore, template #1 puts you closer to winning the jackpot.
Below is a Lotterycodex analysis for the Louisiana Lotto 6/42 game.
For the Lotto 6/42 game, there are 84 Lotterycodex templates available.
There is one dominant template for the Louisiana Lottery Lotto game.
With Lotterycodex's advanced combinatorial analysis, you can maximize your time and resources since you know how to play lottery games best.
According to the law of large numbers, the dominant combinatorial group will continue to dominate as lotto draws occur. It is all about choosing wisely, so you will always get the best shot possible the majority of the time.
Probability and the Law of Large Numbers
Probability, the law of large numbers, and combinatorics are the crucial mathematical concepts you should use to understand how your lottery games work and behave.
There will be combinatorial templates that will dominate the game as the number of draws increases. All lottery games follow the dictate of the probability theory based on the law of large numbers.
This should convince you to focus on certain combinatorial groups. In Lotterycodex, we describe these groups using templates.
Allow me to explain.
The table above shows an incomplete list of Lotterycodex templates for Easy 5. Template #1 is the only dominant composition for a 5/37 game.
Template #1
0.0752586047 x 2000 draws = 150.5172094
According to the dictate of probability theory, template #1 occurs about 151 times in 2000 draws. Thus this template offers the most favorable S/F ratio of 1 to 13.
This means you get one favorable shot to win the jackpot every 14 attempts to buy an Easy 5 ticket.
Let's compare Template #1 with other combinatorial templates.
Template #53
0.0005781182 x 2000 = 1.1562364
Template #53 is estimated to occur about once in 2,000 draws. Based on the probability, template #53 has an S/F ratio of 1:1729. The waiting time is too long to get one favorable shot.
This Lotterycodex analysis reinforces that you should be using template #1 at all times.
Let's check an example of a template with an unfavorable S/F ratio.
Template #54
0.0002890591 x 2000 = 0.5781182
This template translates to a ratio of 1:3459. If you play Easy 5 using this template, you must play about 3,500 times to get one favorable shot of winning the jackpot.
Of the combinatorial templates in the Louisiana Easy 5 game, template #1 will dominate the draws according to the law of large numbers. It's a mathematical certainty.
As a lotto player, you want to get the best shot possible. Naturally, therefore, follow the trend of the law of large numbers.
The same holds for the Lotto 6/42 and the rest of the draw games of the Louisiana Lottery.
Math can be complex but you can use Lotterycodex calculators to guide you in the process of number selection.
Superstitions and Quick Picks in Louisiana Lottery
Superstitions are part of many people's lives, even in this modern age of technology. Thus, it is understandable that many people insist on superstitious beliefs and practices when playing the Louisiana Lottery.
Do you also believe that the number 13 is unlucky? Well, different cultures have different unlucky numbers. For instance, Chinese people regard the number four as unlucky, while the Japanese consider the number nine unlucky.
While respecting people's beliefs and cultures is important, realize that these beliefs don't affect the outcome of a random draw. Remember that all numbers in a truly random game have equal probability.
Lottery games follow the dictate of the probability theory instead of supernatural laws.
Make decisions based on accurate mathematical analysis. And let me remind you, there are better tools than statistics for the job. For example, with the lottery, use combinatorial and probability analysis. Or use a Lotterycodex calculator to do the heavy lifting for you.
Also, avoid using quick picks for Louisiana Lottery games.
The quick pick might relieve you from the challenging combinatorial computations and analysis process. However, when you mark this option on the play slip, the machine chooses the numbers randomly.
Therefore, choosing quick picks prevents you from choosing a combination with a better ratio.
You might ask, "Most lotto winners use the quick-pick option, don't they? True, but there are things lotto operators are not telling you. See my article: Top 10 Lottery Strategy Myths Debunked (Perhaps You're Doing #4 or #10).
Louisiana Lottery Games Have Their Share of Unusual Occurrences and Coincidences
Since there are millions of combinations in a lottery game, expect unusual combinations to win.
These unusual combinations often have the characteristics of being non-random. See the examples of non-random combinations for Louisiana Easy 5 from the table below.
Some combinations have compositions you can easily detect. An example is 1–2–3–4–5. This composition also comes in variations such as skip counting, like 2–4–6–8–10.
Our discussion on combinatorial groups suggests that 2–4–6–8–10 might not be a good choice of combination because of its poor S/F ratio. Yet, many people still use the combination in lottery games.
Interestingly, similar combinations occasionally win in lottery draws. For example, the December 23, 2017, draw result for Easy 5 was 2–4–6–8–15.
No matter how unusual it was, it still happened. The reason was indeed mathematical. Lottery games are subordinate to the law of truly large numbers or LTLN.
We have mentioned the law of large numbers several times, which helps conclude a dominant template with many draws. However, the law of truly large numbers is a different law that explains why unusual events, rare occurrences, and coincidences happen.
According to LTLN, even combinations with an unfavorable S/F ratio are expected to occur. That includes 1–2–3–4–5–6 and other non-random combinations.
For example, 2–4–7–11–16–22 for the Lotto 6/42 follows a combination you might not realize initially. You will discover that the intervals between the numbers are 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.
Players are free to use these combinations when they play lottery games. After all, all combinations have the same probability.
Yet, we insist that all lotto players consider the S/F ratio. Know that combinatorial groups are not created equally. Some combinatorial groups will give you a far better ratio of success to failure.
Keep the Fun in Gaming
Louisiana Lottery tells its players, "Keep It Fun! Play Responsibly!"
A lottery game, however, is a form of entertainment that requires players to spend money. Therefore, you need to buy a ticket to participate and win.
When you buy more tickets with different combinations, you increase your chances of winning.
Yet, an individual's lottery budget can only buy several tickets. To maximize your entertainment budget, invite friends and relatives to play as a syndicate and pool your money to buy more tickets. Whatever prize your tickets win, members will share it accordingly among themselves.
Playing solo or playing with a lotto syndicate does not change the most important thing when playing. Probability and the Law of Large Numbers govern the draw. So always use Lotterycodex templates as your guide.
The lottery is random. You cannot beat the odds. Nonetheless, combinatorics and probability help you see how the game behaves over many draws. Thus, you know what to expect and how to plan your succeeding steps as a player.
Keep in mind that lottery games will give you more failures than winnings. Louisiana Lottery even reminds players to "accept losing as part of the game."
The Louisiana Lottery has Other Games as Well.
Louisiana Lottery offers other draw games, such as Pick 3 and Pick 4. It also has scratch cards and ticket bundles to take advantage of.
No matter what games you play, play for fun.
