Prize Tiers

Here's an example of prize tiers from a Texas Lottery scratch-off game.
Game Name: Texas Lottery Black-Series IV-Limited Edition
The overall odds of winning any prize from this game are 1 in 3.29

It's a $10 game with 10 prize tiers:

Prize Amount    Tier
$1 MILLION           1
$10,000                2
$5,000                  3
$1,000                  4
$500                     5
$200                     6
$100                     7
 $50                      8
 $20                      9
 $10                    10

If you split these prize tiers in half the top half would be $1 MILLION down to $500 (prize tiers 1 to 5) and the bottom half would be $200 down to $10 (prize tiers 6 to 10). When playing scratch-off games you can expect that most of your prize wins will come from the bottom half of prize tiers because the odds of winning prizes from the top half of prize tiers are much worse than the bottom half. Don't be discouraged by this because this is the norm, however, if you have never won a prize from the top half of prize tiers the strategies outlined in WINNING SCRATCH-OFF STRATEGIES can help you find those prizes.

New Feature for Prizes Claimed on Texas Lottery Website

The Texas Lottery website (txlottery.org) has a cool new feature for scratch-off games. If you click on a scratch-off game you will see under No. Prizes Claimed there is a blue underlined number that is a link to another page. Click on the number and the new page will display Date Claimed, Selling Retailer, Selling Retailer Address, Selling Retailer City, Selling Retailer Zip Code, Pack Number, and Ticket Number. This feature is nice to have because it’s nice to know when and where the top prizes were sold. I hope other states follow suit.

Best Coin or Tool for Scratching Off the Playing Board

I have tried to scratch with quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies, and I found that pennies work the best. However, that is until I stumbled upon a better scratching tool. My family and I went on vacation to San Antonio to see the Alamo, the River Walk, and SeaWorld. While at the River Walk my daughter found a penny flattening machine that engraves an Aztec mask with the words AZTEC ON THE RIVER onto pennies. We put the penny in the machine and turned the crank and out popped a flattened penny souvenir into the dispenser. I picked it up and I thought the penny looked like a good scratching tool. So after we got home from vacation I gave it a scratch-off test drive. To my surprise it turned out to be the best scratching tool I have ever used and now I won’t use anything else to scratch with. It scratches smooth and fast and doesn’t leave any scuffs on the ticket. Just keep in mind the better scratch-off tool you have the faster and easier you can scratch off the playing board. You’ll get frustrated and tired if your scratch tool is cumbersome and takes too much time.

Here's a pic of my flattened scratch-off penny:

Does anyone use any unique tools to scratch with other than coins or pocket knives?

WINNING SCRATCH-OFF STRATEGIES Now in Paperback

WINNING SCRATCH-OFF STRATEGIES is now available in paperback at Amazon. I wanted to extend the book to readers who don't have a Kindle or Nook and to readers who prefer to have a print book over the ebook edition.

WINNING SCRATCH-OFF STRATEGIES [Paperback]
http://amzn.com/1477565140

Scratch-Offs at BWI Airport

Just got back from a trip to D.C. and I flew back into Texas from the Baltimore airport. When I was strolling through Baltimore's BWI Airport I noticed a scratch-off vending machine. I don't travel a whole lot but this was the first time I have ever seen a scratch-off vending machine in an airport. I thought that was pretty cool, however, the airport is an awkward place to play scratch-offs. I didn't play any scratch-offs from the vending machine because I was carrying too much luggage for my family and didn't have time to overlook the games that were offered.

Is the Lottery just a Tax on the Poor and Uneducated?

Many people say playing the lottery is a waste of money and it's just another way to tax the poor and uneducated. This couldn't be further from the truth. People from all walks of life play the lottery. I have a BS in IT and I know many other educated people who are my friends and coworkers that play the lottery. There are many educated people who have won the lottery and here are some to name a few. There is Robert Uomini, a Berkeley math professor, who picked his own numbers (10 19 22 26 39 43) for the California SuperLotto and won $22 million. There is Shirley Press, a Pediatric Doctor, who played some quick picks and won the Florida Lotto $56 million jackpot. Then there's the amazing Joan Ginther, the woman whom newspapers dubbed “The Luckiest Woman in the World." She is a former math professor with a Ph. D. in Statistics from Stanford University, who picked her own numbers (1 4 7 10 47 50) for Lotto Texas and won a $5.4 million portion of an $11 million jackpot split with another Texan who ironically picked the same numbers. Then over a decade later Ginther went on a scratch-off tear and won three top prizes from the Texas Lottery scratch-off games worth $2 million, $3 million, and $10 million within a 5 year period.

Also, your money isn't just being wasted, by playing the lottery you help support your state by generating revenue for public education and state programs. I view the lottery as a form of entertainment and most people spend way more on other forms of entertainment than they do on the lottery. Going to the movie theatre to buy tickets, snacks, and drinks will put a bigger dent in your wallet than playing the lottery responsibly ever will. By going to the movies you just make the movie theatre owners, movie companies, directors, and actors rich, and they won't invest anything back into your state. I'm not against the movie industry but I am just making a point that playing the lottery isn't just a waste of money as compared to spending your money on other things. While most other entertainment expenses won’t give you any money in return at least playing the lottery gives you a chance to break even, a chance to win small to significant monetary prizes, and even a chance to win a top prize or jackpot that can make you rich.

Make a Scratch Off Game Plan

Many people think there is nothing you can do to increase your odds of winning scratch-off prizes. This is not true, there are many strategies you can use to attack scratch-offs and increase your odds of winning prizes. Spending some time formulating a game plan before you ever step foot in a lottery retailer store can help you win more prizes and minimize your losses. Learn the best ways to attack scratch-off games with WINNING SCRATCH-OFF STRATEGIES.

Are You a One Game or Multiple Scratch Off Game Player?

Some players like to play only one scratch-off game until all the top prizes have been claimed. They stick to playing one game because repeatedly playing the same game increases their odds of winning top prizes and significant prizes from lower prize tiers for that particular game.

Other players like to spread their playing field by playing multiple scratch-off games. They do this to increase the size of their prize pool. Let's say a player plays 3 different games that offer 5 top prizes each, this makes a total of 15 top prizes for their prize pool. If you compare this to a player who only plays one of those games, their prize pool will only have 5 top prizes. So the multiple game player will have 15 targets to hit while the single game player will have 5 targets to hit.

Both strategies are good to use but Winning Scratch-Off Strategies reveals which one is better and why.

Who Makes Scratch Offs?

Do you ever wonder who makes those eye catching scratch-off games with all those catchy names, such as $100,000 a Year For Life, $150,000,000 Blockbuster, Set For Life, Monthly Bonus, Weekly Grand, Break the Bank, Big Money, Cash Frenzy, Lucky Millionaire, Holiday Millions, Winter Bucks, and Jingle Jackpot? The major gaming companies who make scratch-off games for lottery commissions around the world are U.S. based Scientific Games and GTECH, and Greece based INTRALOT.

Some States Have Much Bigger Top Prizes for Scratch Off Games than Others

When I wrote WINNING SCRATCH-OFF STRATEGIES I visited every state lottery website in the U.S. During my research I was surprised to find out that some states only offer top prizes of up to $100,000 or $250,000 while other states offer top prizes from $1 MILLION to $10 MILLION. I'm not sure why this is? I consider myself lucky to live in Texas where they offer big top prizes for their scratch-off games.

How Do You Play Scratch Offs?

When you go to the store to play scratch-offs do you have any sort of game plan in mind or do you just play them randomly? Do you know which scratch-off games to play? Should you play only one game scratch-off game or several different scratch-off games? Do you know how many tickets you should buy? Should you play at different store locations or just stick to playing at your favorite and most convenient stores?

WINNING SCRATCH-OFF STRATEGIES will help you with these questions and set you on the right path for playing scratch-offs. This book contains real strategies that you can use to help you win more prizes and minimize your losses. With some strategic game planning you can turn yourself into a skilled scratch-off prize hunter rather than someone who just randomly plays scratch-off games.