If no one wins the jackpot this weekend, the pool will be back in for the drawing on Wednesday, April 4th as the jackpot prize will by that time surpass our target of $50 million.
Many people paid or banked funds for the Spring Break period, but an Oregonian won the jackpot the Saturday before our planned participation date Wednesday following that weekend so we didn't get the chance to play at all during the break. So if you paid before Spring Break? You're covered for this Wednesday's drawing. Clink the link to the right "Pool Financials" to check your current status. If you think there is a discrepancy between what's listed there and what you paid? Please contact me at your earliest convenience.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Jackpot Won By Oregonian
Someone in Oregon got the jackpot numbers right Saturday night so it gets reset to $15 million. All your participation funds will be held in safekeeping until the jackpot level reaches on or near the $50 million dollar mark again - which usually occurs in about 3 weeks. So about a week after we return from spring break, we should be ready to rock and roll again - unless of course some lucky chap wins the jackpot and it gets reset once more. John
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Our Fourth Straight Win!
The pool won $24 this evening getting the powerball right on 4 different picks - our fourth straight positive draw - a record for the pool. (The odds of winning $24 are about 1 in 280.) Too bad the multiplier was only 2x this evening otherwise our earnings would have been a little more attractive. We didn't do too shabby on the whiteballs either - getting a pair of two right on two different picks - but it takes 3 to win any money at all on just white balls. Maybe next time we'll match em' up with the powerballs we get right.
Don't forget you need to tender either $4 or $10 if you plan to participate with us over the break. Since we're anticipating nobody will win this weekend and we will hit the jackpot that following Wednesday - we'll just add your extra payment to your big check.... Sound like a plan? John
Don't forget you need to tender either $4 or $10 if you plan to participate with us over the break. Since we're anticipating nobody will win this weekend and we will hit the jackpot that following Wednesday - we'll just add your extra payment to your big check.... Sound like a plan? John
Miss A Payment For A Draw?
I realize that we all lead busy lives and sometimes paying your lottery dues just doesn't make it to the top your agenda. Sometimes, as what occurred this week - I had to leave Wednesday and even if you wanted to pay your dues on that day - you couldn't. Or, you might be absent as well. So I've decided to offer an option - other than banking your dues - to participate with us in the event Wednesday arrives and you realize you haven't contributed your $2 or $5. Here's my plan:
If you haven't paid your dues and you do wish to participate with us it's YOUR responsibility to call me or Anna the night of the drawing (or before) to make arrangements for your participation. (For security reasons I'm not giving our cell numbers here but on request you can have them.) For that drawing only - I'll cover your $2 or $5. Your allowed participation in future drawings will hinge on the promptness of your repayment of this IOU and I reserve the route to disallow your participation for future drawings if this becomes a chronic problem. Please note: IF I DON'T HEAR FROM YOU AND WE DON'T MAKE ARRANGEMENTS BEFORE THE DRAWING THEN YOU WILL NOT BE INCLUDED IN ANY POTENTIAL WINDFALLS IF WE DO WIN! NO EXCEPTIONS!
I will not accept payments AFTER a drawing win IF you did not make a concerted effort to let me know you wished to participate in that drawing.
This option will be added as an addendum to our existing agreements - if you don't accept this change or have concerns - please talk to me before you participate further in our pool.
Please also remember, you always have the option of paying in advance or banking funds and ultimately this makes it easier on everyone when it comes to managing our pool money. This new after-the-draw payment option will create a little more money juggling on my part but I don't mind doing it because it does benefit the pool to have the maximum amount of participants possible for every drawing which subsequently increases our odds of winning. So in that regard, everyone wins.
If you haven't paid your dues and you do wish to participate with us it's YOUR responsibility to call me or Anna the night of the drawing (or before) to make arrangements for your participation. (For security reasons I'm not giving our cell numbers here but on request you can have them.) For that drawing only - I'll cover your $2 or $5. Your allowed participation in future drawings will hinge on the promptness of your repayment of this IOU and I reserve the route to disallow your participation for future drawings if this becomes a chronic problem. Please note: IF I DON'T HEAR FROM YOU AND WE DON'T MAKE ARRANGEMENTS BEFORE THE DRAWING THEN YOU WILL NOT BE INCLUDED IN ANY POTENTIAL WINDFALLS IF WE DO WIN! NO EXCEPTIONS!
I will not accept payments AFTER a drawing win IF you did not make a concerted effort to let me know you wished to participate in that drawing.
This option will be added as an addendum to our existing agreements - if you don't accept this change or have concerns - please talk to me before you participate further in our pool.
Please also remember, you always have the option of paying in advance or banking funds and ultimately this makes it easier on everyone when it comes to managing our pool money. This new after-the-draw payment option will create a little more money juggling on my part but I don't mind doing it because it does benefit the pool to have the maximum amount of participants possible for every drawing which subsequently increases our odds of winning. So in that regard, everyone wins.
Monday, March 12, 2007
What Are the Odds? How Is The Pool Doing?
One of the ways I gauge if the spreadsheet is picking numbers better than if we just did all at-the-store computer picks is looking at the odds. If you click on the Pool Financials link - to the right and check out the fourth tab at the top of the sheet - with a little comparison from the earnings tab - you'll be able to see how we're doing too. The last tab, called "Odds" contains a table. Lottery odds are highlighted in green. You'll also see some potentially more important odds data. For example, what are the odds you will kick the bucket from (fill in the blank.) Wow....look at that - almost a 1 in 3 chance of heart disease cutting your life short - time to start thinking more about diet and exercise, yes?
The odds say we only have a 1 in 69 chance of winning a measly $3 on any draw. So that means for every 69 picks you buy you'll average a $3 win. The odds of winning only $7 jumps to 1 in 290 picks - which fits the odds on our draw last week. So we're doing pretty well - statistically speaking.
Then there was our $100 win (tripled to $300 by the powerball) last October. You can see the odds of winning that much were 1 in 70,000!!!
The odds are enormous that we'll win anything above $100 but then I think that the spreadsheet is demonstrating that it might be giving us a little edge over those odds. So who knows....
The odds say we only have a 1 in 69 chance of winning a measly $3 on any draw. So that means for every 69 picks you buy you'll average a $3 win. The odds of winning only $7 jumps to 1 in 290 picks - which fits the odds on our draw last week. So we're doing pretty well - statistically speaking.
Then there was our $100 win (tripled to $300 by the powerball) last October. You can see the odds of winning that much were 1 in 70,000!!!
The odds are enormous that we'll win anything above $100 but then I think that the spreadsheet is demonstrating that it might be giving us a little edge over those odds. So who knows....
No Jackpot Winners Over the Weekend
The jackpot inches ever closer to the $200 million mark as there were no big winners over the weekend. The pool will participate in this Wednesday's draw. I don't believe we've ever won four straight weeks in a row, so it will be interesting to see how we do this Wednesday. We'll have $35 extra to buy additional tickets to hopefully head is in the right direction.
We also plan to participate over the time we are out of school if the jackpot keeps rising, so if you wish to join us, be sure and tender funds for that time.
There are two Wednesday's during the break, the 21st and the 28th - so you will need to tender or bank either $4 or $10 before we leave Friday of this week if you wish to participate with the pool for those drawings. Pool bank should be up to date according to my records. If you differ, please let me know.
We also plan to participate over the time we are out of school if the jackpot keeps rising, so if you wish to join us, be sure and tender funds for that time.
There are two Wednesday's during the break, the 21st and the 28th - so you will need to tender or bank either $4 or $10 before we leave Friday of this week if you wish to participate with the pool for those drawings. Pool bank should be up to date according to my records. If you differ, please let me know.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Earnings History Tab Added
As part of the Pool Financials link on the right, check the third tab on the spreadsheet. It will tell you what our earnings have been for the past year +. The tab can be found at the top of the sheet.
The records are as best as I was able to resurrect. I didn't think about keeping such records until much later into our existence so I had to did through files and recreate what we'd earned. Some earnings may have been left out in the process - but overall, this figure is probably pretty accurate. Hopefully, we'll be able to add a lot more zeros the that total this year!
The records are as best as I was able to resurrect. I didn't think about keeping such records until much later into our existence so I had to did through files and recreate what we'd earned. Some earnings may have been left out in the process - but overall, this figure is probably pretty accurate. Hopefully, we'll be able to add a lot more zeros the that total this year!
Three Straight Wins!
We won $35 last night with a decent run of getting 3 of the 5 white balls right on one pick. The mathematicians tell us that you only have a 1 in 290 chance of getting that right - so out of 64 picks - that was a good jab at the big bucks. If we'd happen to get the powerball right on those numbers as well - it would have meant a $500 win. But with three straight wins I'm confident the spreadsheet is on the right track at picking numbers. We just need Lady Luck to help us out a little.
Nobody else won the jackpot either so it climbs to a $142 million and by next Wednesday (if no one wins Saturday) we're looking at a pot approaching $175 million. Keep your fingers crossed!
Nobody else won the jackpot either so it climbs to a $142 million and by next Wednesday (if no one wins Saturday) we're looking at a pot approaching $175 million. Keep your fingers crossed!
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Payout Calculator Added (Updated)
"Hey John, if we do win the jackpot, how much would each member get?" I get asked that question a lot and now you have an answer at your fingertips. UPDATE: The Payout Calculator is now a tab at the top of the member fund balance spreadsheet. Click on that link (Member Balances) to the right and look at the top of the spreadsheet and you'll see a tab that says, "Hypothetical Payout Calculator" - click on that tab and you'll get facts and figures for each member group if we did win the jackpot - including what an estimated "take home pay" would be for you based on a 28% tax calculation. Please note this is ESTIMATED only and may not reflect exact dollars you would receive if we won big.
The calculator is now directly linked to the payment spreadsheet so should update itself as those numbers change.
Remember, the calculator bases percentages on how much that member's contribution relates to the WHOLE of money collected then divides it by the number of members in their subgroup ($2 or $5.) That's not the same as saying a five dollar member should get two and a half more times more money as a two dollar member. Any questions? Feel free to ask.
The calculator is now directly linked to the payment spreadsheet so should update itself as those numbers change.
Remember, the calculator bases percentages on how much that member's contribution relates to the WHOLE of money collected then divides it by the number of members in their subgroup ($2 or $5.) That's not the same as saying a five dollar member should get two and a half more times more money as a two dollar member. Any questions? Feel free to ask.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
No Winners Saturday, Draw is on for Wednesday
There were no jackpot winners over the weekend so the pool will participate in this upcoming Wednesday's drawing. $2 or $5 funds are due (unless you've banked) before we leave the building Wednesday afternoon. Good luck to us all!
Friday, March 02, 2007
The Secret?
I ran into an documentary on Google Video last weekend that I wanted to share with the pool. I was fortunate to catch the full length version - but apparently that has since been yanked. Here is a link to the first 20 minutes of it called: The Secret
What impressed me was that the documentary contained a virtual Who's Who of motivational speakers and authors. All of them pretty much agreed what The Secret was. The concept is really not new and I don't think I'll be spoiling the clip by revealing the premise of The Secret: Your thoughts, your actions, your attitude can have profound effects on what occurs in the Real World. Just about all of us can think of seemingly insignificant or profound instances in our lives where an event has occurred and the first thought that pops into one's mind is, "I was just thinking about that or thought about that a few days ago..." The friend who you haven't seen in years that suddenly calls. The determination to accomplish a task that perhaps friends or family said couldn't be done - yet you do it. The need for anything that apparently pops out of nowhere. What the speakers emphasized is that most of the time these seemingly random events occur through our unconscious thoughts and actions - but what's more powerful is what can occur by deliberately focusing on what we would like to come to pass. Of course this brings up all sorts of possible discussions on the role of Divine Intervention, the will of others, happenstance, and other Forces at Work here - but the reason I mention The Secret is that I think that it can (and does) have an influence on our chances of winning something....
I'm not asking for a collective meeting where we all sit around waving faux million dollar checks and sing John Lennon songs - but what I am suggesting is the idea that the overall general positive attitude I get from members of the pool here and the discussions I've had about what we would do with our proceeds if we do win are a GOOD thing! So KEEP IT UP....you just never know! And watch The Secret. Let me know what you think.... John
What impressed me was that the documentary contained a virtual Who's Who of motivational speakers and authors. All of them pretty much agreed what The Secret was. The concept is really not new and I don't think I'll be spoiling the clip by revealing the premise of The Secret: Your thoughts, your actions, your attitude can have profound effects on what occurs in the Real World. Just about all of us can think of seemingly insignificant or profound instances in our lives where an event has occurred and the first thought that pops into one's mind is, "I was just thinking about that or thought about that a few days ago..." The friend who you haven't seen in years that suddenly calls. The determination to accomplish a task that perhaps friends or family said couldn't be done - yet you do it. The need for anything that apparently pops out of nowhere. What the speakers emphasized is that most of the time these seemingly random events occur through our unconscious thoughts and actions - but what's more powerful is what can occur by deliberately focusing on what we would like to come to pass. Of course this brings up all sorts of possible discussions on the role of Divine Intervention, the will of others, happenstance, and other Forces at Work here - but the reason I mention The Secret is that I think that it can (and does) have an influence on our chances of winning something....
I'm not asking for a collective meeting where we all sit around waving faux million dollar checks and sing John Lennon songs - but what I am suggesting is the idea that the overall general positive attitude I get from members of the pool here and the discussions I've had about what we would do with our proceeds if we do win are a GOOD thing! So KEEP IT UP....you just never know! And watch The Secret. Let me know what you think.... John
Thursday, March 01, 2007
John's Birthday Luck
As much as I would have liked to wake up knowing I'm a millionaire (or even a thousandaire!) on my birthday it was nice to know that at least we didn't blank out on the drawing. We won $21 as a group last night. No one else won the jackpot either which now climbs to over $100 million. We also just eclipsed $800 for how much money we've won collectively as a pool in just over the past year. I think that's a pretty decent record- but hopefully this year will blow that figure out of the water!
If no one wins Saturday we'll try again next Wednesday! (I think I could handle being a Spring Break Millionaire too.)
I appreciate the verbal positive comments I've been receiving about the website here. It's nice to know that it IS actually a useful and enjoyable information resource for the pool - because I enjoy putting it together. However, time is the commodity of this age and I gotta tell ya - if I didn't receive that feedback? There wasn't really any point in providing information to the pool in this way. So again...THANKS!
(Skip the next paragraph if you are not a numbers nerd....)
I tried something a little different with the numbers this time. Statistically speaking the first five numbers about 78 percent of the time show up as either 2 odd and 3 even or the other way around. You don't get many 1 even 4 odd, 5 even 1 odd - or the opposite. But normally I throw a few of those in the mix anyway. Usually amounts to about 10 more picks. I decided since the odds are so long those mixes will show up anyway and IF they did come up even longer odds to get the numbers right within that mix that I'd just throw those out and go with all 2 even, 3 odd and the reverse. This would give us a greater number mix of those two groups. It was a good decision I think because that's exactly what happened. The draw was indeed 2 even and 3 odd last night. The spreadsheet also correctly predicted the sum range of the first five based on past draws. Finally, I also think that I'm more happy with the way it's picking powerballs too. If you don't get the powerball right you've really got long odds to get 3 whiteballs right alone to win anything at all. Again, remember all this works ONLY when the draw shows a predictable pattern within those past parameters - when it doesn't? We're likely to win nothing. But when it does and if Lady Luck is also in our corner? We have the potential to win some big money as we demonstrated this past October.
If no one wins Saturday we'll try again next Wednesday! (I think I could handle being a Spring Break Millionaire too.)
I appreciate the verbal positive comments I've been receiving about the website here. It's nice to know that it IS actually a useful and enjoyable information resource for the pool - because I enjoy putting it together. However, time is the commodity of this age and I gotta tell ya - if I didn't receive that feedback? There wasn't really any point in providing information to the pool in this way. So again...THANKS!
(Skip the next paragraph if you are not a numbers nerd....)
I tried something a little different with the numbers this time. Statistically speaking the first five numbers about 78 percent of the time show up as either 2 odd and 3 even or the other way around. You don't get many 1 even 4 odd, 5 even 1 odd - or the opposite. But normally I throw a few of those in the mix anyway. Usually amounts to about 10 more picks. I decided since the odds are so long those mixes will show up anyway and IF they did come up even longer odds to get the numbers right within that mix that I'd just throw those out and go with all 2 even, 3 odd and the reverse. This would give us a greater number mix of those two groups. It was a good decision I think because that's exactly what happened. The draw was indeed 2 even and 3 odd last night. The spreadsheet also correctly predicted the sum range of the first five based on past draws. Finally, I also think that I'm more happy with the way it's picking powerballs too. If you don't get the powerball right you've really got long odds to get 3 whiteballs right alone to win anything at all. Again, remember all this works ONLY when the draw shows a predictable pattern within those past parameters - when it doesn't? We're likely to win nothing. But when it does and if Lady Luck is also in our corner? We have the potential to win some big money as we demonstrated this past October.
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