The Connecticut Pick 4, New York Win 4 and PA Big 4 lotteries have the same number of drawings. Each state’s lottery Pick 4 games offer two drawings per day, seven days a week. I decided to compare the Daily Pick 4 noon and evening draws and results from these three neighboring states from February 1, 2009 to April 30, 2009.
The Pick 4 Lottery has 10,000 possible winning numbers from 0000 to 9999 to play with an investment of $.50 or $1. Playing a straight ticket means that the player expects their chosen four (4) digits to appear in the exact order of the Pick 4, Win 4 or Big 4 numbers drawn in their respective states.
The Pick 4 lottery is a popular choice for professional lottery players due to the $5,000 payout for a $1 straight-up winning ticket. The 10,000 to 1 odds of winning a direct ticket are very easy to win compared to state lotteries, Powerball and Mega Millions with odds of over 175 million to 1 of winning the multi-million dollar jackpot.
The Win 4 number with all four digits the same is known as a “Quad”. These numbers (0000, 1111, 2222, 3333, 4444, 5555, 6666, 7777, 8888, and 9999) can only be played as a direct ticket investment because it is the only way available. Each of the odds of these ten numbers is 10,000 to 1, and the payout per dollar is $5,000.
Most average Americans believe that the only way to get “rich” is to win the lottery. Despite the astronomical odds against them to win, they invest their money in these multi-million dollar prize draws in the hope that this time they will be “The Jackpot Winner”. But week after week they throw away their losing tickets. Your hopes of winning are reignited as jackpot amounts soar to new heights of $100 million to $300 million.
These people are just “playing” your money. Most professional investors will tell you that to be successful you need to know the odds against you, have a strategy or system for the game of your choice, and use good money management. When you do these things, you can become a winner. Some professional lottery players, including Pick 4, Win 4 and Big 4 players, earn a second income with smart, informed investment strategies and good money management. Others make it their full-time job. With a $20 investment, a Winning Straight Pick 4 ticket pays $100,000. This is a good annual salary that is double that of the average American worker.
There is another investment option for Win 4 players, and that is to invest your money wisely in a “Box Ticket”. The Box Ticket allows your winning four digits to come in any order. The odds are lower and so are the payouts.
If you play a “Triple” Pick 4 number such as 1222, then you will be a Winner if any of the following orders are drawn: 1222, 2122, 2212 or 2221. By playing a Triple number (three of the four digits are the same) you have reduced your odds of winning to 2,500 to 1. Your Box Ticket payout per $1 is $1,200. However, for a $.50 Box Ticket you will receive $600. This is a great return on your investment. These numbers are known as the 4-way box. An investment of $5 will give you an ROI of $6,000.
The following playable numbers are known as 6-way box numbers or “double-doubles”. The four digits are made up of two sets of numbers similar to 2, such as 2233. When playing double-doubles in the PA Big 4 Game to be drawn in any order: 2233, 3322, 2332, 3223, 2323, and 3232, your return in your $1 box ticket will be $800. Your odds of winning are 1,667 to 1. A $7 Box investment in the correct number will generate over $5,000.
With odds of 833 to 1, the “double” or 12-way Pick 4 Box winning number will increase your wealth by $400 for every dollar invested. In a double number, two of the four numbers are the same and can appear in any order: 1233, 2133, 3312, 3321, 3132, 3231, 1332, 2331, 3132, 3231, 3123, and 3213. An investment of $5 Box Ticket will gives an ROI of $2000 with any of these 12 possible winning numbers.
The last and largest segment of Pick 4 numbers is known as “singles”. All four digits are different….1234. There are twenty four different ways out of 1234 that will make you a winner. Your investment of $1 will pay you $200. His odds of winning are down to 417-1.
Comparing the past few months (February-March-April 2009) of these three Pick 4, Win 4 and Big 4 state lotteries, the chart below shows the results for each of these five sets of Daily Pick 4 winning numbers. .
Selection TC 4
# of Draws – 178 = 100%
Quads – 0 = 0%
Triples – 7 = 4%
Double-Double – 5 = 3%
Doubles – 77 = 43%
Singles – 89 = 50%
New York wins 4
# of Draws – 178 = 100%
Quadruples – 1 = 1/2%
Triples – 9 = 5%
Double-Double – 2 = 1%
Doubles – 70 = 39%
Singles – 96 = 54%
Pennsylvania Big 4
# of Draws – 178 = 100%
Quads – 0 = 0%
Triples – 7 = 4%
Double-Double – 3 = 1%
Doubles – 71 = 40%
Singles – 97 = 54%
Note: Due to fractional percentages, totals are rounded and may not always equal 100 percent.
If you want to WIN, according to the chart above, your best investment potential is to stick with singles and doubles. These two categories account for 93 to 97 percent of all winning Pick 4 numbers.
The results for the Connecticut Pick 4, New York Win 4, and Pennsylvania Big 4 are very similar with very little difference in their percentages. Play smart, start by choosing to keep your investments in single and double numbers CT Pick 4, NY Win 4 and PA Big 4. Find a proven and verifiable Pick 4 strategy and use good money management to be a successful Pick 4 player to put some extra money in your pocket.
