About Pick3

To win Pick3, players have to have all 3 numbers drawn.

There are 1000 total combinations in Pick3. They are 000 thru 999.

Out of the 1000 total combinations, there are 100 "pairs of numbers" [2 digits]. They are 00 thru 99.

The numbers drawn fall into 3 categories. They are either a "combination type number," "double digit" or "triple digit."

What and if you win depends on how you bet and if your numbers are drawn.

There are basically 3 ways to bet.

ANY - You pick 3 numbers, between 0 thru 9 and if they are drawn in "any" order, you win.

Example: Let's say you bet "Any" and marked your ticket "258" but "528" was drawn. You still won because you bet that those numbers would be drawn in "any" order.

Notice the numbers shown are three different numbers. This is called a "combination number."

If you bet .50, you won $40.

If you be $1, you won $80.

EXACT - You pick 3 numbers, between 0 through 9, BUT unlike the "any" play, they must be drawn in the exact order you played them.

Example: Let's say you bet "exact" and marked your ticket 258. If 258 is drawn, you win.

However, if 528 is drawn, you lose because you bet that the numbers would come in in the "exact" order that you played them.

If you bet .50, you win $250.

If you bet $1, you win $500.

EXACT/ANY - Technically, this is two bets in one. The cheapest "exact/any" ticket is $1. What you are doing is betting "any" with .50 and you are betting "exact" with .50. You can win one of the two bets or both bets. You can also lose!

Out of the 1000 combinations, you have ten numbers that are called "triple digits." They are 000, 111, 222, 333, up to 999.

You can only bet "triple digits" "exact" because there is no other way for them to be drawn.

Out of the 1000 Pick3 combinations, there are 270 "double digit combinations."

An example of a "double digit combination" is 001, 002, 003, 112, 223, 445, 667, 889 etc.

If you played a "double digit," let's say 100 on an "any" bet, and 010 was drawn, you'd still win.

But if you played it "exact," you would have lost.

An "exact double digit" bet pays more than a "combo (combination) number."

Notice that "100" can be three different combinations. They are 010, 001, 100.

Out of the 1000 Pick3 combinations, there are 720 "combo type numbers."

On an "any" bet though, the 720 combinations are reduced to 120 combinations because there are 6 ways to mix and match three different numbers.

Example: 456, 465, 546, 564, 645, 654.

Don's Terminalogy

Using Don's Nov 14, 2002 prediction as an example, he predicted that we would see a 13, 22, or 04 contained in a drawing.

This is 5 out of the 100 pairs ...
[2 digits between 00 - 99] and left only one number for us to pick ourselves.

The three predicted "two digits" (13, 04, 22) equates to 30 different combinations on an "any" play if you had wanted to cover every possibility.

They are:
130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 220, 221, 222, 223, 224, 225, 226, 227, 228, 229, 040, 041, 042, 043, 044, 045, 046, 047, 048, 049.

In the case of the Nov 14th play, since it came in the first day, we could have afforded to play all 30 numbers on an "ANY" bet and we would have definitely profitted. Of course, who knows for sure that it will come in on the 1st day!

When Don said "5 possible combinations," he was reversing the two digits - 13, 31, 40, 04, 22 and counted that as 5 combinations. He was correct in that those three sets of digits did represent five pairs of numbers between 00 - 99. They were 04, 13, 22, 31, 40.

I, however, view it as "3 possible combinations" because it was an "any" play so it didn't matter what order the numbers were in.

But, technically speaking, Don was right.

I hope this helps you better understand the Pick3 game and the terminology used.

Dawn's Pick3 Tidbits

We recommend that you NOT purchase
picks using the "Multi-Play" feature.
Recommendations can change daily.

Daily 4 - The Unscrupulous/Unfair Wager - BEWARE
I can't believe the TLC is selling such a wager - but they are.
A must read story for all players. FYI - A complaint was filed
with the Attorney General. (Posted 10/15/07) Click here.

Expanded Scratch Ticket, Daily 4, Pick3 Coverage
in The Lotto Report - Printed 10/22/07 - All game stats
are current as of 10/21/07. Here's the latest edition for FREE!
Enjoy & Good Luck ... Click here (pdf)

Saturday, Nov 24, 2007 - Only one pair remains from the list I posted on Sept 7th. We are now down to the split "4 X 6". I don't have a number picked for the middle digit, but next week I'll try to come up with one. It should be a good play. More later.

Friday, Oct. 12, 2007 - Ooops, I have a mistake on the Sept 7th entry regarding the numbers that have never been drawn at night. I have removed 788 and 226 from that list as they were drawn at night. I failed to remove them from my list. Sorry.

Saturday, Oct 6, 2007 - 2:30 PM - My play was for the DAY draw and I was looking for all 3 numbers to equal the sum of twenty-two. It has not come yet. It's time to lump our loses and CEASE play. It'll come but who knows when.

On the other hand, I listed some pairs that we needed to see. I'm going to show you what I posted and what's remaining again ...

On Sept 7th, I said, "For either draw - we need to and WILL see these pairs - First two digits need to be: *06x, 17x, 34x, 64x, 80x. Last two digits: *x43, & x93. First and last digits: 0x8, 3x3, 4x6, 5x5, 6x8, 7x2, 9x6. (*Pairs drawn since I posted this message have a strike thru them - when drawn shown listed below)"

x43 - Drawn 9/8/07
06x - Drawn 9/11/07
34x - Drawn 9/17/07
5x5 - Drawn 10/03/07
7x2 - Drawn 10/05/07
0x8 - Drawn 10/06/07
80x - Drawn 10/09/07
9x6 - Drawn 10/10/07
17x - Drawn 10/27/07
3x3 - Drawn 10/30/07
x93 - Drawn 11/06/07
6x8 - Drawn 11/21/07
64x - Drawn 11/24/07

The remaining pairs in the order shown are very good choices. Good luck

My Comments About Daily 4
In answer to many of your questions about the Pick4, NO, I am not playing it nor will I play it. Nor will there be any predictions on my site for that game. There are 10,000 combinations ...

There are a number of reasons I won't play it ... The odds are too high & the payouts suck (ie .. pair, sum & box bets). To play the way I like to play forces us to go to a Claim Center to collect. For me, going to a claim center to collect $600 or $800 - it's just too far away for that amount should I win.

Then players have to show their winnings on their tax returns even IF they don't collect their winnings due to owing back child support, student loans or any state taxes. BEFORE they pay you, they run a check on you first - if you owe money, say good-bye to your winnings.

Judging from the first week, it appears the game is not doing well for the state either. They ARE making money from it but not enough - I can assure you, they have not covered their costs to launch the game. Also it is important to note that players are NOT seeing 50% of sales - the game should not offer guaranteed prizes - they should be pari-mutuel to be fair to players.

Have you noticed that the TLC website does NOT tell you how many people won for each drawing? That's because there's so FEW winners. Here's todays (10/06/07) DAY results ... the number drawn was 9912 ...

Straight (Same as "Exact" in Pick3) - 3 winners
Box (Same as "Any" in Pick3) - 81 winners
Straight/Box (Same as "Exact/Any" in Pick3) - 5 winners
Combo (A very expensive way to play)- 5 winners
Front pair - 47 winners
Mid Pair - 13 winners
Back pair - 21 winners
Sum it Up - 2990 winners (paid $4 for a .50 cent bet)

From what I'm hearing from ya'll is complete disgust when you learn that you won $3 to $12 ... not to mention the comments I've received about the $25 "pair" prize.

The "four-way" .50 cent BOX play (example of 4-way box is 1112) pays $600 - the cost and time needed to drive to a claim center plus the taxes owed reduces our winnings too much. The same thing applies to the $1 six-way Box play (example of 6-way box is 1122) that pays $800.

I don't have time to respond to all your questions and confusion regarding the different payouts. I'm sorry that store clerks don't understand the payouts and costs to play either. I know many of you are so confused. The game is really not that complicated - I'll try in the coming days to post charts that should spell it out for you regarding the payouts. It all has to do with double and triple digits that are drawn.

I am tracking the game and will include extensive stats in The Lotto Report, my publication - not my website - for those of you who want to play the game. That information will be published two weeks from now.

About the only info and I can give on the Pick4 right now is that the number 8 has not been drawn at all. But what one would play with it is a million dollar question!

Sunday, Sept 16, 2007 - 4:15 PM - On Friday, Sept 7, I posted a play for the DAY draw. It was to begin on Saturday, Sept 8.

In summary, I told you I was looking for the sum of twenty-two, gave you the combinations that equal the sum of twenty-two and listed two as favorites. I said, "589, 967, 994, 877, 688. My favorites are 589 and 967 or 769."

Within 4 draw days, my two favorites were drawn in the NIGHT draw. That really hurt!

Anyway, I then advised you of some pairs that we needed to see for either DAY or NIGHT draws. Two have been drawn since then.

Finally I told you that there is only ONE combination that has NEVER been drawn in either draw - that was 149. This still remains true.

So now I've had time to calm down, re-calculate and figure my plays for the DAY draw. No matter how I look at it, we still need to see all three numbers that equal the sum of twenty-two. The combinations that equal twenty-two are: 589, 967, 994, 877, 688. While I'm playing all five combinations, my favorites - are 787, 994, 859, 967 in this order.

Remember too, the pairs listed on Sept 7 are still out there and very good plays. Good luck everybody.

Wednesday, Sept 12, 2007 - 10:45 PM - As you know, 589 was drawn tonight which was my other favorite for the DAY draw. I do NOT put my money on numbers to be drawn in consecutive draws - I realize this does happen but very rarely.

Therefore, I'm going to have to change my favorites and right now, I don't have a clue what I'll play - if at all - for tomorrow's day draw. What I do know, is that we need to see all three numbers that equal the sum of 22. Since I posted this play, this sum has now been drawn twice - but in the night draw - both times being my favorite picks. So, you pick your favorite number and YOU share it with me! I'm frustrated right now. More later.

Sunday, Sept 9, 2007 - 9 PM - Around 6 pm Friday, I posted a play for the DAY draw to start on Saturday. As fate would have it, one of my favorites was drawn in the night draw that same night (Friday) - 697. Many of you wrote to thank me for the play and I'm glad you won ... even though it was for the DAY draw!

The answer to your questions is YES, it is still one of my favorites for the DAY draw. However, the number '6' needs to be in the middle position. My play is definitely for the DAY draw and my specific condition is that I'm looking for all three numbers to equal twenty-two.

Secondly, I listed some pairs that we need to see in either draw. As many of you know, one of the pairs that I listed was "x43" and it was drawn Saturday night with "543." When those pairs come in, I'm going to strike through them in my message below so you know to quit playing them. OK?

I didn't plan to update this soon, but in light of all your messages and questions, I'm responding with this posting.

Here's hoping we see the sum of 22 tomorrow! (or at least real soon!)

Friday, Sept 7, 2007 - 6:15 PM - From Dawn - In the past year to year and a half, Don has encountered some problems - first his computer died. Then he had an injury to his leg that required surgery. After recovering from his surgery, he proceeded with his excercise program - his first true love besides his kids!

He wrote, "I continue to be diligent concerning my exercise certifications and have obtained the National Academy of Sports Medicine certification along witht he American College of Sports Medicine in additon to the American Council of Exercise."

His daughter received her masters degree in education this past December and his son started college this month. As you can see, he's been quite busy! I don't think the "lottery" has been on his mind.

Don's plays were always based on "sums" as seen on the strategy page - I keep this page current after each draw. I know many of you follow the strategy page and win a lot too! Ironically, the TLC will be offering a sum bet on the new Pick4 game that begins Oct 1, 2007 and they will be adding the sum bet to the Pick3 game.

I don't think I like the payouts for the "sum" bet on the Pick3. As for the new Pick4 game, I have no interest in playing it personally. The odds are entirely too high for me. Anyway, I'm not certain how I will cover the Pick4 game, this issue remains to be seen - I'll decide within the next couple of weeks.

Now let's talk about the Pick3 game. Today, 411 was drawn. It was the first time it has ever been drawn. The "sum stats" were in line for 411 and many of you hit it today. For that I congratulate you! Anyway, there is now only one combination of numbers that has NEVER been drawn - day or night. And it is 149.

Now I'm not saying to play 149 - I'm just letting you know that it's the only combination that has never been drawn. For the night draw, these numbers have never been drawn but they have been drawn during the day - they are 074, 285, 382, 407, 411, 472, & 999. (Corrected these numbers on Oct. 12, 2007 - I had two numbers that had in fact, been called at night.)

For the DAY draw - we need to see the sum of all three digits to equal twenty-two. 589, 967, 994, 877, 688. My favorites are 589 and 967 or 769.

For either draw - we need to and WILL see these pairs - First two digits need to be: *06x, 17x, 34x, 64x, 80x. Last two digits: *x43, & x93. First and last digits: 0x8, 3x3, 4x6, 5x5, 6x8, 7x2, 9x6. (*Pairs drawn since I posted this message have a strike thru them - record of when drawn shown)

x43 - Drawn 9/8/07
06x - Drawn 9/11/07
34x - Drawn 9/17/07
5x5 - Drawn 10/03/07
7x2 - Drawn 10/05/07
0x8 - Drawn 10/06/07

I will post plays ONLY when I have a play. I will tell you the condition that I'm looking for and maybe my favorites. But remember, I'm like Don - I only play when there is a play and the day draw for the sum of 22 is all that I'm playing. When it comes, the play is over.

Good luck to all.