All Lotto Combinations

davekdk

Does anybody know I can calculate all the possible combinations of 6 numbers from 45 (Irish Lotto)...using Excel for example.
I would like to be able to see all the possible combinations of results in an Excel spreadsheet to get an idea of how impossible it actually is to win!!!
Cheers.

mp3guy

45 Choose 6.

Probability 101

<Edit>

That being 1 in 8,145,060

SV

davekdk wrote: »

Does anybody know I can calculate all the possible combinations of 6 numbers from 45 (Irish Lotto)...using Excel for example.
I would like to be able to see all the possible combinations of results in an Excel spreadsheet to get an idea of how impossible it actually is to win!!!
Cheers.

Well it's not impossible so..?

skywalker_208

Sounds like someone needs a hobby
tried knitting?

Thirdfox

When did the lotto move from 42 to 45 numbers?

and here is the info you are looking for:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lottery_mathematics

in Excel there is the COMBIN(n, k) function

Vain

davekdk wrote: »

to get an idea of how impossible it actually is to win!!!

Just remember it could be YOU!!!

Soby

http://www.easysurf.cc/lotodd.htm

SoWatchaWant

davekdk wrote: »

Does anybody know I can calculate all the possible combinations of 6 numbers from 45 (Irish Lotto)...using Excel for example.
I would like to be able to see all the possible combinations of results in an Excel spreadsheet to get an idea of how impossible it actually is to win!!!
Cheers.

Don't ever bother with the lotto.

SV

SoWatchaWant wrote: »

Don't ever bother with the lotto.

Why not?

markok84

SoWatchaWant wrote: »

Don't ever bother with the lotto.

Don't listen to him, I won €5 last night on it.

RandolphEsq

SV wrote: »

Why not?

Idiot tax

unreggd

Its fixed anyways so nothing will help

SV

BrightEyes wrote: »

Idiot tax

how do you make that one out?

unreggd wrote: »

Its fixed anyways so nothing will help

lol.

alexandros

I think you have a higher probability of getting away with a successful bank robbery than winning the lottery.

Do the math on that one.

Last Angry Man

alexandros wrote: »

I think you have a higher probability of getting away with a successful bank robbery than winning the lottery.

Do the math on that one.

Yeah but the consequences in losing are a lot lower. That is why the lottery is so attractive regardless of the odds. The cost is so low that you don't think twice about forfeiting the €4 and the potential payout is so huge.

Yes you can argue the odds but a lot of what we take for granted every day have staggering odds but that doesn't mean they don't happen.

alexandros

Last Angry Man wrote: »

Yeah but the consequences in losing are a lot lower. That is why the lottery is so attractive regardless of the odds. The cost is so low that you don't think twice about forfeiting the €4 and the potential payout is so huge.

Yes you can argue the odds but a lot of what we take for granted every day have staggering odds but that doesn't mean they don't happen.

Do you work for them??

Chances are you will have to play the lottery more than once before you "win".
So at €4 per play.. I think bank robbery could still be cheaper.
And if it's your first offence.. (so long as you don't kill anyone) and you don't use a gun.. the consequences of getting caught.. yeah.. much better odds.

Last Angry Man

alexandros wrote: »

Do you work for them??

Chances are you will have to play the lottery more than once before you "win".
So at €4 per play.. I think bank robbery could still be cheaper.
And if it's your first offence.. (so long as you don't kill anyone) and you don't use a gun.. the consequences of getting caught.. yeah.. much better odds.

Ha ha, no I don't

How are you going to rob a bank without a gun or arms of some sort? Could go white collar I suppose but that takes years of college and it's not as easy as it was

Suppose my point is that nobody sees the lottery as a shrew financial investment but that's not really the point. Calling it an idiot tax implies that most people doing it expect to win and I don't think they do. It's the dream of winning and you can't dream it without doing it.

Thirdfox

Also, a large portion of the profits go to funding charitable causes (I'm paying for university scholarships here with my 1 dollar purchase every week here in the US )

shenanigans1982

unreggd wrote: »

Its fixed anyways so nothing will help

I actually thought this too recently given all the rollover's there have been. I think the government is pocketing all the extra cash and when somebody actually wins it there will be no prize money.

To the Conspiracy Theory forum.

magicianz

Someone did buy lottery tickets with every combination and won but they had A LOT less numbers back then.

ShooterSF

Last Angry man is right. Everyone should know that the odds off winning are a lot worse than the winnings divided by your stake. However save up €4 a week for 40 years and its 8,320 ( I think). The fact that one win would be more than 100 times the savings skews the odds a little in that it's many people only chance to become a millionaire.
Personally I make the odds of sharing as small as possible by picking 1,2,3,4,5, and 6. Dont you dare!

galwayrush

ShooterSF wrote: »

1,2,3,4,5, and 6. Dont you dare!

Ok, i'm booking 7,8,9,10,11,12,:D

PCPhoto

mp3guy wrote: »

45 Choose 6.

Probability 101

<Edit>

That being 1 in 8,145,060

so ....next time the jackpot is over 8mill you can guarantee to break even....if only I had known this last week .... spend 8 to win 14 :P (anyone willing to give me a loan of 8.125Mill ??? )
:p:p:p:p

~Marky~

You would be screwed if other people as well as you won it though

deadhead13

How to calculate the lotto odds using the hypergeometric distribution probability method ........

http://saliu.com/bbs/messages/265.html

robinph

ShooterSF wrote: »

Personally I make the odds of sharing as small as possible by picking 1,2,3,4,5, and 6. Dont you dare!

That would be a very bad combination of numbers to pick. Was possibly the UK lottery they were on about, but I did hear it mentioned that the number of tickets sold each week with that combination was in the thousands.

994

SV wrote: »

how do you make that one out?

it's like selling 50c coins for €1 each.

Or a method of preventing the masses rising up against the rich by holding out the slim chance that they may join them one day?

SV

994 wrote: »

it's like selling 50c coins for €1 each.

Or a method of preventing the masses rising up against the rich by holding out the slim chance that they may join them one day?

don't see how it's like selling 50c coins for a euro?
it's a very small sacrifice for a potential massive gain.

I won nothing near the jackpot and it's enough to pay for 4 euro quickpicks every week for 90 years.

Thirdfox

PCPhoto wrote: »

so ....next time the jackpot is over 8mill you can guarantee to break even....if only I had known this last week .... spend 8 to win 14 :P (anyone willing to give me a loan of 8.125Mill ??? )
:p:p:p:p

You do realise that if you had 8.1 million - the bank would probably give you 10-20% interest guaranteed.

Investing in diversified stock might get you 40+%... rich people don't buy the lotto - the returns are atrocious.

Buying the lottery to win money doesn't make much logical sense...but it's a bit of fun and you're contributing to good causes. And of course, there's always that 1 in 8 million chance (or 72 million if you're in Georgia) that you may win...so relax and don't worry too much about it

Calibos

ShooterSF wrote: »

Last Angry man is right. Everyone should know that the odds off winning are a lot worse than the winnings divided by your stake. However save up €4 a week for 40 years and its 8,320 ( I think). The fact that one win would be more than 100 times the savings skews the odds a little in that it's many people only chance to become a millionaire.
Personally I make the odds of sharing as small as possible by picking 1,2,3,4,5, and 6. Dont you dare!

Ha ha, another one

2000+ people in Ireland do those numbers every draw. Have 5 or 6 customers in our shop alone that do them. Yis all picked them for the very same reason. The joke will be on you should they come up. Because of the way the Jackpot prizefund is ring fenced from the fund for the rest of the prizes, this means that you'd normally be lucky to get more than the Match 5 winners for your 6 numbers. ie on average until the jackpot gets to the 4 million mark, your 6 numbers would win you less than someone with 5 numbers. Even with the huge 14 million jackpot this weekend, your 2000th share would only have been 7,000.

xOxSinéadxOx

I think some people worked out all the possible combinations, bought them all and obviously won. that's why they changed the amount of numbers

Hazys

PCPhoto wrote: »

so ....next time the jackpot is over 8mill you can guarantee to break even....if only I had known this last week .... spend 8 to win 14 :P (anyone willing to give me a loan of 8.125Mill ??? )
:p:p:p:p

Not if someone has the same numbers as youand wins too, its halfed...your down 4mill

magicianz

Hazys wrote: »

Not if someone has the same numbers as youand wins too, its halfed...your down 4mill

Wait.....half of 14 is 7....so hes only down 1 million :-) my brain hurts now after maths :-(

Sam Vimes

BrightEyes wrote: »

Idiot tax

Dolores McNamara got a huge rebate so

Sam Vimes

PCPhoto wrote: »

so ....next time the jackpot is over 8mill you can guarantee to break even....if only I had known this last week .... spend 8 to win 14 :P (anyone willing to give me a loan of 8.125Mill ??? )
:p:p:p:p

It'd only cost you 8.125 mil if it was €1 a ticket

tony1kenobi

davekdk wrote: »

to get an idea of how impossible it actually is to win!!!

The odds of winning the lottery are 2/1. You either win it or you don't.

ShooterSF

robinph wrote: »

That would be a very bad combination of numbers to pick. Was possibly the UK lottery they were on about, but I did hear it mentioned that the number of tickets sold each week with that combination was in the thousands.

Calibos wrote: »

Ha ha, another one

2000+ people in Ireland do those numbers every draw. Have 5 or 6 customers in our shop alone that do them. Yis all picked them for the very same reason. The joke will be on you should they come up. Because of the way the Jackpot prizefund is ring fenced from the fund for the rest of the prizes, this means that you'd normally be lucky to get more than the Match 5 winners for your 6 numbers. ie on average until the jackpot gets to the 4 million mark, your 6 numbers would win you less than someone with 5 numbers. Even with the huge 14 million jackpot this weekend, your 2000th share would only have been 7,000.

Damn. Change of plan so.

RandolphEsq

For the massive EuroMillions draw a while back, it was possible to get every possible combination and not have to pay more for them than how much the prize was. In fact I think the prize fund was double what it would have cost (150,000,000 prizefund)

and2

Was over in Glenagery friday evening visiting a mate, popped into the spar there and did a €4 quickpick... happy days

deadhead13

xOxSinéadxOx wrote: »

I think some people worked out all the possible combinations, bought them all and obviously won. that's why they changed the amount of numbers

Vaguely remember this happening in the late 80's or early 90's. I think it was 6 out of 36 numbers at the time. A syndicate brought all the possible combinations and as far as I know won.

They had to wait for a big jackpot for it to be viable, but if there had been more than one winner they would have got stung.

Tippex

Don't forget about all the minor prizes you would also win however the minor prizes would be a lot less than currently as you would have every possible combination and therefore a lot more claims for the minor prizes. Plus it would be a pain in the arse signing all the winning tickets.

davekdk

and2 wrote: »

Was over in Glenagery friday evening visiting a mate, popped into the spar there and did a €4 quickpick... happy days

Can I have some money then please?!

biko

Thread is one year old.