.............................. well, not so fast.

I was getting some money out of the ATM and there was a conveniently placed display for the VA lottery's new game. It is a $5 Texas Hold 'em game. You get 5 plays on the card. So I thought, "What the heck," and bought one. I was standing in the line at Cold Stone, waiting for my ice cream, scratching my card and when I got to the 4th game I uncovered my cards- 2 J's. I then scratched of the community cards, 2 more J's! "Cool!" I thought, I'm gonna win this game. So I scratched off the other player's 2 cards and the hand was a straight, so I then scratched off the prize...... $100,000....... "Umm, I think I won." I said to my wife. I then read the instructions to be sure I was correct. Sure enough, if your best hand beats the other players best hand, you win the prize shown. My heart started racing....... then I looked at the other player's hand again. It was a straight, ALL DIAMONDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! $@#%! I lost. With a four of a kind. It figures. But at least I got to be excited, if only for a minute. Guess what they say is true about the lottery- it's a tax on people who can't do math! Some say it's a "stupid" tax. Whatever, it was fun.

 

I really hate when that happens...

I won $5 on a $2 scratch ticket yay.

 

I never buy them

 

Stu,

I can't afford to gamble (and there's no thrill in it for me)

But...if you PM me your full name, address, phone number, DOB, SSN, mothers maiden name, bank account and Credit Card numbers I'll be sure to get that money to you right away.
........after all, YOU DESERVE IT !!!!

Around here we call the lottery 'the welfare recovery system.'

 

Now, THAT is brilliant...

Hey, as long as you aren't buying lotto tickets with the rent money, knock yourself out!

 

OH, but they are.......

Well, at least the Sec.8 vouchers go directly to the landlord..

 

Hey!

Don't be knocking my 401K!

 

Oh, I agree with the futility of the whole lottery scheme. Just once in a while I'll get theurge to buy one- usually a $1 ticket. I also buy 5 quick picks when the mega lottery gets up around $100 milion or so. I figure the odds are so astronomical, but somebody is eventually gonna win... why not me?

 

"You gotta be in it to win it!"

 

playing the lottery is no worse than going to an occasional casino.. its no big deal as long as you arent betting over your head.. but i think in a casino you have better odds

 

Every time my wife buys a lottery ticket I say put the matching amount in the bank. Probably have more in the bank than she wins.

 

LOTTERY = voluntary tax for people who don't suck at math

 

Um....I think you misstyped that....

 

I guess playing the lotto is like being an Entrepreneur. If you invest $520/yr. with the off chance of winning several million, that is the best return on your dollar you'll ever get. I say this because my wifes grandfather won when he was 86. Even after winning he still played weekly.

Besides, you have to play it to win it.

 

There is a man here in my little town who goes on the state lottery website and looks at what games are left what number of tickets are still left and what the dollar amounts are still out there. He picked on game that had low tickets left and two high dollar amounts. He had the BP station here order 1 thousand tickets. He started scratching and on ticket 7 just like he thought (not the number but the prize amount) he own 10,000 a month for 20 years. He still plays like that and wins ALOT! usually 500 but thats still better than a kick in the butt. He says it just takes some thinking, planning, and luck. Can you imagine 10,000 a month for 20 years?