


















                                  M A N U A L
 
                                      for

                                  Lotto Magic






                                      by
 
                                Talismatics Inc.

                              (c)  copyright 1994



































                               Table of Contents



     1.0  A Few Thoughts on 6/49 and Similar Lotteries


     2.0  The Program

          2.1  Instructions

          2.2  Make a New Set of Tickets

          2.3  Load a Set of Tickets

          2.4  Test the Set of Tickets

          2.5  Print the Tickets

          2.6  Check for Winning Tickets

          2.7  Set Defaults

          2.8  Exit


     Appendix A: Chart of Winning Tickets for Lotto 6/49


     Appendix B: Charts of Winning Tickets for Other Lotteries


     Appendix C: Chances of Winning by Selecting More Than 6 Numbers












     
     
     
     



     
     1.0  A Few Thoughts on 6/49 and Similar Lotteries


     You know that, in the long run, you can't win in Lotto 6/49 or any
     of its relatives such as Lotto 6/45 or 6/54.  The odds are against
     you, and the government takes too much of the money.

     So you say you don't care.  You are going to enter anyway.  You
     have an office pool of $50 a week to bet and you want to make your
     chances of winning as good as possible.  Nobody in your group is
     going to go broke betting and nobody expects to win a lot.  It
     would be nice though, to win something every so often.

     What you normally find is that, in a set of 100 randomly filled-in
     tickets, there will often be 2 winning tickets, sometimes none or
     1, and maybe 3, but very seldom more than 4.  There are just too
     many losing numbers. 

     This program describes a method of betting that will increase the
     number of 3, 4 and 5 number matching tickets in a group of tickets. 
     When we say increase, we are comparing its results to results
     obtained using the usual way of betting; that is, to fill in the
     tickets with numbers selected freely and not in any particular
     pattern.

     To fill in a single ticket you have to select 6 numbers.  What we
     propose is that you select more than 6 numbers, from 8 up to 18,
     then use these numbers on a group of tickets containing carefully
     selected combinations of the numbers.  If enough tickets are filled
     in, you will have every combination of 3 numbers on your tickets. 
     If you select a larger number of tickets, you will have every
     combination of 4 numbers or even 5 numbers.  This means that if 3
     or more of your chosen numbers are drawn in the lottery, you will
     have one or more winning tickets.

     If you have more than 6 numbers to choose from, it is easier to
     match 3 or more of them.  The trick is to have a ticket with those
     3 or 4 numbers on it.  This is where this program comes in.  It
     wasn't easy to find the right tickets.  It took a 486DX2 66MHz
     machine took nearly 3 days to calculate the 18 number combinations
     of tickets that we give you.

     Other programs claim to do this as well.  We have yet to find one
     that does it properly.  If another program claims to do what we
     have described above in fewer tickets than we suggest, then beware. 
     Check their lists of tickets carefully for every combination of
     numbers.

     We cannot guarantee that we have the minimum number of tickets for
     each combination of numbers, but we are confident that we are very
     close.  As we further refine our algorithms, perhaps we will be
     able to do the trick in a few less tickets.  This could make the
     program even more useful in the future.

     
     
     
     
     
     
     2.0  The Program

     The top line of the screen shows the version number of the program
     and the type of lottery, such as Lotto 6/49.  Once a set of tickets
     is selected the number of numbers and the number of tickets is also
     displayed.

     The Main Menu shows various choices.  Only those displayed in white
     can be chosen.  The ones displayed in gray cannot be selected until
     a set of tickets is loaded into the computer.


     2.1  Instructions

     This option displays several screens of instructions outlining much
     of what is described in this manual.
     

     2.2  Make a New Set of Tickets

     This is the most important option in the program.  You are shown a
     chart showing numbers of numbers and numbers of tickets.  

     The first decision to be made is the number of numbers to be used. 
     The minimum is 8 numbers and the maximum is 18 numbers.  

     Make your choice.

     Next you choose how many tickets you are going to use.  The chart
     shows how many tickets are required to have every combination of 3
     numbers (once, twice, three, four or five times each), or every
     combination of four numbers (1 to 4 times each), or every five
     numbers (once or twice) and, for most numbers, how many tickets are
     reqired to get every combination of 6 numbers.
     
     Make your choice.

     The next screen allows you to select the actual numbers that will
     appear on the tickets.  Random numbers can be used.  A set of them
     is displayed.  Pressing the SPACE BAR will display another set. 
     Pressing ENTER will select that set of numbers for your tickets.
     
     Pressing M will allow you to manually select numbers.  Fill in the
     blanks.  Use the right arrow key or the ENTER key to move to the
     next number to the right.  Use the left arrow key to move back to
     the previous number.  Press ENTER when all the numbers are entered.

     If numbers outside the allowed range, or duplicate numbers have
     been entered, the incorrect numbers will be erased and the cursor
     moved to the number needing correction.

     The correct tickets are now extracted and shown on the screen.  You
     are given the opportunity to save the set of tickets before
     returning to the main menu.

     At this point, consider Menu Item 4 to Test the Set of Tickets
     before betting on them. 
     
     For more advanced users with more money, there is a second set of
     ticket groups.  You get to the menu by pressing ENTER instead of
     selecting a Number of Numbers.  There are 3 choices.

     The first special set of tickets consists of 58 tickets using 13
     numbers.  Every combination of five numbers is present for the
     first 9 numbers selected.  In addition, every combination of three
     numbers for the last 4 numbers is present.  It would be best if   
     any winning numbers were in the first 9 numbers, but you can still 
     win if one or more of your tickets are in the last four numbers.

     The second special set of numbers consists of 107 tickets using
     18 numbers.  Every combination of 4 numbers is present for the first 
     12 numbers chosen.  Every combination of 3 numbers is present for the
     last 3 numbers.  

     The third special set of numbers consists of 200 tickets using 18 
     numbers.  Every combination of 5 numbers is present for the first 9  
     of your numbers.  Every combination of 4 numbers is present for
     your next 3 numbers.  Every combination of three for the next 3 
     numbers occurs at least twice, and every combination of 3 numbers 
     for the last 3 numbers occurs at least once.

     Load these ticket sets into the program and check them out.  This
     may be what you want.
     

     2.3  Load a Set of Tickets

     If you save the sets of tickets that you generate, you can retrieve
     them later using this option to check for winning tickets, print
     the tickets again, or analyse the tickets for possible wins.

     You will be shown a chart of the last 18 saved sets of tickets. 
     Choose one, and it will be loaded into the computer.  

     Actually, after choosing a set of numbers, you will be given the
     option of LOADING or DELETING the set.  This gives you control over
     your saved numbers.


     2.4  Test the Set of Tickets

     This option allows you to get some idea of how many times you will
     get winning tickets when you use the program.  First load the set
     of tickets into the program, then select this option.  The program
     will simulate entering these tickets into 200 lottery draws.  There
     is a file containing 200 winning sets of numbers supplied with the
     program.  These numbers were selected randomly by a computer.  The
     results you get depend to some extent on what numbers you pick for
     your tickets, but do show roughly what kind of winning ticket
     distributions of tickets to expect.

     Generally speaking, the following will occur.  As more numbers are
     chosen, working from 8 up to 18, the number of tickets with 3, 4 or
     more winning numbers will increase.  For a particular number of
     numbers, as more tickets are selected, more winning tickets in each
     of the categories will be produced.

     This increases your chances of winning larger amounts of money.

     In 6/49 lotteries, if randomly selected ("Quick Pick") numbers are
     used instead of using this program, the number of winning tickets
     will be just less than 2 percent of the total number of tickets
     purchased. (A win in Ontario is a ticket with 3 or more winning
     numbers.)

     Beware!  The program only increases your chances of having more
     winning tickets when you match 3 or more of the winning numbers. 
     This doesn't mean that you will end up with more money than you
     started with.  Don't plan on betting on Lotto 6/49 as a career.  


     2.5  Print the Tickets

     This option allows you to print the set of numbers.  You are asked
     if you wish to print the numbers sorted or unsorted.  If you choose
     to sort the numbers, they will be printed in order, starting with
     the lowest numbers and proceeding to those with the highest
     numbers.  

     It saves time to print them unsorted, but makes it very difficult
     to check them.


     2.6  Check for Winning Tickets

     To use this feature, first load in your original set of tickets
     using Menu Item 3.  

     Choosing this Menu Item allows you to determine whether or not you
     have won, how many tickets have won, and which tickets have won.

     You are first asked to enter the 6 numbers drawn.  Use the right
     arrow key or the ENTER key to move to the next number to the right. 
     Use the left arrow key to move to the previous number. Use the
     BACKSPACE key to erase the previous digit entered.  Press the ENTER
     key when all the numbers have been entered.  The winning tickets
     will now be identified.

     2.7  Set Defaults

     This selection first allows you to change the kind of lottery you
     are entering.  The default is 49 for 6/49 lotteries.  You can
     change this to any number from 20 to 90 to allow you to generate
     tickets for any such lottery that we have heard about.  Only
     lotteries where 6 numbers are drawn are supported.

     The next item that can be changed is the printer port.  Most
     computers are set up to print to LPT1:.  If yours is LPT2: you can
     change the program here.

     The program can print to virtually any dot matrix printer or non-
     postscript laser printer since the output is purely ASCII
     characters.

     2.8  Exit

     Selecting E to EXIT ends the program and returns you to DOS.
     Appendix A: Chart of Winning Numbers for Lotto 6/49


     There are 13,983,816 different Lotto 6/49 tickets.  Suppose you
     bought every one of them for one of the draws.  No matter which 6
     numbers are drawn, you would win a lot of prizes. The chart below
     summarizes the wins.
 

     Winners (in Canada)

          Match 6 numbers                             1  ticket
          Match 5 numbers                           258 tickets
          Match 4 numbers                        13,545 tickets
          Match 3 numbers                       246,820 tickets

     Losers (in Canada)

          Match 2 numbers                     1,851,150 tickets
          Match 1 number                      5,775,588 tickets
          No matching numbers                 6,096,454 tickets

          Less than 3 matching numbers       13,723,192 tickets

     Total tickets                           13,983,816 tickets


     Fair Games

     In mathematical game theory, a "fair" game is one in which all the
     money that is bet is distributed to the winners.  A friendly poker
     game is "fair" since one person wins all the money in the pot.  A
     slot machine is not "fair" since only a carefully controlled
     percentage of the money is returned to winners.  In the long run,
     in a "fair" game, players of equal ability normally end up with
     about the same amount of money they started with.  In an "unfair"
     game, the player with the advantage normally ends up with all the
     money.

     Government lotteries are not "fair" in the mathematical sense. 
     Since the government keeps part of the money for expenses and
     extracts a healthy profit as well, perhaps as little as half of the
     money is returned as prizes. This makes it virtually impossible to
     make a profit in the long run.

     In our Lotto 6/49, tickets cost $1.00.  If the odds are 13,983,816
     to 1 against winning, why would I settle for a first prize of
     $2,500,000?  Do you see why I won't enter unless first prize is
     going to be at least $13,983,816?  Even then, there is a good
     chance that I will have to share my first prize with one or more
     other people.

     Note: If my Lotto 6/49 prize is $10, I actually win only $9 since
     they don't give me my $1 bet back.  Think about it.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     Appendix B: Charts of Winning Tickets for Other Lotteries

     Here are charts for a other Lotto variations showing what would
     happen if you bought every ticket.  

     LOTTO 6/45
 
          NUMBERS PICKED     TICKETS
           0                 3262623
           1                 3454542
           2                 1233765
                             -------
          LOSERS             7950930

           3                  182780
           4                   11115
           5                     234
           6                       1 
                             -------
          WINNERS             194130
                             -------
          TOTAL              8145060

     LOTTO 6/35

          NUMBERS PICKED     TICKETS
 
           0                  475020
           1                  712530
           2                  356265
                             -------
          LOSERS             1543815

           3                   73080
           4                    6090
           5                     174
           6                       1
                             -------
          WINNERS              79345
                             -------
          TOTAL              1623160

     LOTTO 6/55

          NUMBERS PICKED     TICKETS
 
           0                13983817
           1                11441303
           2                 3178140
                            --------
          LOSERS            28603260

           3                  368480
           4                   17640
           5                     294
           6                       1
                            --------
          WINNERS             386415
                            --------
          TOTAL             28989676
     Appendix C: Chances of Winning by Selecting More Than 6 Numbers

     The following chart shows how betting on more numbers increases
     your chances of matching numbers.  It won't mean anything if your
     set of tickets doesn't include all the required combinations of
     numbers.  Note that selecting more numbers also means selecting
     more tickets to cover all the required combinations.  Note also
     that the calculated percentages are theoretical values that would
     only be achieved exactly after a huge number of draws.

                     Percentage of Draws with Winning Tickets
 
                            Number of Matching Numbers 
       Number of       3          4          5          6       Total
        Numbers                                                  Wins
           6         1.77       0.10       0.00       0.00       1.86
           7         2.87       0.22       0.01       0.00       3.10
           8         4.27       0.41       0.02       0.00       4.70
           9         5.93       0.70       0.04       0.00       6.67
          10         7.84       1.11       0.07       0.00       9.03
          11         9.95       1.66       0.13       0.00      11.74
          12        12.22       2.36       0.21       0.01      14.80
          13        14.60       3.22       0.33       0.01      18.17
          14        17.04       4.26       0.50       0.02      21.82
          15        19.47       5.48       0.73       0.04      25.71
          16        21.85       6.87       1.03       0.06      29.81
          17        24.12       8.44       1.42       0.09      34.07
          18        26.23      10.18       1.90       0.13      38.44

     Example 1:

     You choose 18 numbers.  You select a set of tickets that has every
     combination of 3 of the 18 numbers on at least one ticket.  You
     will have 1 or more winning tickets 26.23% of the time.  The other
     percentages do not apply since you do not have every combination of
     4, 5 or 6 tickets.

     Example 2:

     You choose 12 numbers.  You select a set of tickets with every
     combination of 4 of the 12 numbers in it.  This automatically means
     that you have every combination of 3 numbers as well, usually
     several times each.  You will have 3 matching numbers 12.22% of the
     time and 4 matching numbers 2.36% of the time.  The other numbers
     do not apply unless you increase the number of tickets to include
     every combination of 5 or 6 tickets.

     Example 3:

     You choose 8 numbers.  You select the 28 ticket set that has every
     combination of 6 of the 8 numbers on it.  You have a 4.70% chance
     of having one or more winning tickets (3 or more matching numbers). 
     If any 6 of your 8 numbers are chosen, you will definitely have a
     ticket with those 6 numbers on it and win a share of first prize.

