The Reverse-Lottery: My New System For Results

Yeah, so I've decided to start playing the reverse-lottery. I'll break down my system for you. So far, it works. But I need to give you a bit of background, here.

For a long time now, for years I've played the same group of numbers every draw in the lottery. That's twenty dollars gets you ten weeks (two draws a week) - not such a big expense is it? I'm not one of those dip-heads who thinks if I had that $20 back that I spent two months ago, that'd be another twenty in my pocket right now. Bullshit, it would've been spent on dinner on ten separate occasions between then and now. So on balance, I think it's a decent expense for what you get. You get to check your numbers every month or so, and there's that breathless moment of anticipation where you're like, "Hey! What happens if one of these draws hit?" Balanced by the tedium of looking down all those rows of numbers. On the whole, it's more boring than anything else. I figure I'm covered either way, win or lose, and if I win I'll deal with it at that point.

But here's what happened to change my perspective, to shake up my style of play. Every now and then, I would realize I didn't buy my ticket in time, for that night's draw. Holy shit! I missed a draw! I didn't re-up, and now I'm on my 21st draw of a 20-draw ticket, and I hung myself out to dry with no coverage. Or sometimes, maybe I was so off my routine that I missed two draws.

Well I'll tell you, what I discovered was this. The anticipation on those missed draws is way higher than on the ones where I'm just "ho hum, checking a month's worth at once, to see if I won or not." Because I buy that late ticket, knowing full well I'm too late for the draw(s) I missed, and then I pretty much run to check those results where I wasn't covered! I never check before, I have to buy the ticket first so I'm covered, even if the worst should happen. My heart is in my throat checking those draw results - because if my numbers hit, calamity!

I guess I probably always figure Murphy's Law is in effect, and that the very draw I missed is just going to turn out to be the one that hits. When my week-in-week-out set of numbers finally comes due. Wouldn't it just figure? And how the hell would I deal with that rueful turn of events? You can see how such a situation is just naturally ratcheted-up.

And that's when I got to thinking: what am I in this for? For gambling addicts, what they're addicted to is the thrill, right? Not the win. Certainly not the loss. It's the thrill. And if I end up getting way better "thrill results" when I miss playing - then what the hell am I doing? Where's my value? Playing the way I play, where's my value?

So I decided to switch it up. Now I play reverse-lottery. I don't buy any tickets at all, but every damn draw I am checking those numbers. Edge of my seat, with my heart in my throat, saying "Holy damn, wouldn't it just figure if my numbers come up now!"

But then every time they don't, I'm like, "I won! I won one dollar."

We'll see how long I can keep this up. It's pretty damn intense so far - major-league suspense on every play! But one way or the other, I'm guessing the thrill will abate after a while.