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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!ucbvax!ucsfcgl!kscott
From: kscott@ucsfcgl.UUCP (Kevin Scott%Kuntz)
Newsgroups: net.puzzle
Subject: Re: Winning 1/3 of the Lottery (*correct but partial spoiler*)
Message-ID: <718@ucsfcgl.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 27-Nov-85 21:43:03 EST
Article-I.D.: ucsfcgl.718
Posted: Wed Nov 27 21:43:03 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 29-Nov-85 00:20:46 EST
References: <25@bbncc5.UUCP> <523@harvard.UUCP>
Reply-To: kscott@ucsfcgl.UUCP (PUT YOUR NAME HERE)
Organization: UCSF Computer Graphics Lab
Lines: 31

In article <25@bbncc5.UUCP> larry@bbn.UUCP (Larry Denenberg) writes:
>The Massachusetts State Megabucks Lottery works like this:  A ticket costs
>$1 and consists of six distinct numbers of your choosing between 1 and 36
>inclusive.  You may buy as many tickets as you like.  On Lottery Day
>the Authorities choose six numbers.  If those six are the same as your
>six, you win!
>...
>What is the minimum number of tickets that you must buy to ensure that
>at least one of your tickets matches two or more of the winning numbers?


I suspect that this question may have arisen due to the once yearly mailing
of coupons for free megabucks tickets (don't ask how to get them, they find you)
I once got some and was lucky enough to win with them.  Now some advice:
Buy 4 tickets at a quarter each ( or whatever is the minimum bet), even if you 
pick the same numbers on each card.  The tax people look for large winnings,
if you win 500 dollars with a dollar bet they instantly become your friends
and hit you up, but if you win 125 dollars four times with your quarter bet
they don't take notice of you.  

Being in California now, I am witnessing a mass hysteria caused by the
creation of the California state lottery.  I would encourage everyone not
to play the lottery, being familiar with computers I imagine we all have
enough math to see that it is a bad bet.  Still, the math is fun to talk
about.  Anyone out there know how to 'count' at blackjack?  I met a
mathematician who gets thrown out of casinos if they recognize him.
I've never been there to see him removed from a blackjack table, but I
have heard that it is possible to beat blackjack tables where they only
use two decks.
-- 
two to the power of five thousand against and falling ...