Month: January 2021

Radiance of Rising Jackpots

The year is young, and the lotteries aren’t taking any prisoners! January 13, 2021 saw one lottery pick itself back up and another continuing to taunt us. Plucky Lotto Texas went for an Australia Play encore, and the jackpot bounced to $5.25 million. Powerball strutted around like a peacock, pleased as punch that its jackpot grew to $640 million.

Winter blues? What winter blues?

Lotto Texas

General Lottery Analysis

The Australia Play encore was made possible by winning numbers 1, 6, 23, 36, 40 and 48. This configuration has played 250 times.

Blimey! We got another one! Source: lotterytrend.com.

There have now been 1829 Lotto Texas drawings, which means both the {2-2-2} Pattern and the 2 2 2 Specific Order have appeared in 13.7% of them. Recall that we last saw an Australia Play in the January 9, 2021 drawing.

Four-Number Combinations

Another encore was the lack of repeating Four-Number Combinations.

Powerball

General Lottery Analysis

With winning numbers 4, 19, 23, 25, 49 and PB 14, the {3-1-1-1} Pattern made its 106th appearance.

Feeding into Powerball’s ego! Source: lotterytrend-powerball.com.

There have now been 551 Powerball drawings and this Pattern ahs played 19.2% of the time. We last saw the {3-1-1-1} Pattern January 2, 2021.

The [1-3-1-1] General Order, now with 38 appearances, has played in 35.8% of the 106 drawings where {3-1-1-1} was the winning Pattern. Once all 551 drawings have been taken into consideration, this General Order has played 6.9% of the time. Prior to Wednesday night, the [1-3-1-1] General Order played December 2, 2020.

Now with three appearances, the 1 3 0 1 0 1 Specific Order has played in 7.89% of the 38 drawings where the General Order was [1-3-1-1]. This Specific Order has also played in 2.83% of the 106 drawings where {3-1-1-1} was the winning Pattern and in 0.54% of all 551 drawings. The 1 3 0 1 0 1 Specific Order was last seen April 26, 2017.

Three-Number Combinations  

There was enough room for two repeating Three-Number Combinations:

Make room for the repeating Three-Number Combinations! Source: lotterytrend-powerball.com.

Will Powerball continue its jackpot strut, and will Lotto Texas’s Australia Play make a three-peat appearance Saturday night?

The 2-2-1-1 Punch Out

It happened again! If you threw your hat in the ring January 12, 2021, there’s a good chance you walked away empty-handed. The Mega Millions jackpot has been living off the agony of defeated players and just received another helping. With none of the six winning numbers picked, the grand prize grew to $750 million. That’s three-quarter billion dollars!

General Lottery Analysis

The {2-2-1-1} Pattern made its 174th appearance with winning numbers 12, 14, 26, 28, 33 and MB 9.

Taunting us all with a Pattern encore! Source: lotterytrend-megamillions.com.

There have now been 636 Mega Millions drawings, and this Pattern has played 27.4% of the time.

The [2-2-1-1] General Order, now with 59 appearances, has played in 33.9% of the 174 drawings where {2-2-1-1} was the winning Pattern. Once all 636 drawings have been taken into consideration, this General Order has played 9.28% of the time.

Would you believe that both the {2-2-1-1} Pattern and the [2-2-1-1] General Order made an encore? They were last seen in the January 8, 2021 drawing. Talk about tag teaming!

Now with seven appearances, the 2 2 1 0 0 1 Specific Order played in 11.9% of the 59 drawings where the General Order was [2-2-1-1]. This Specific Order has also played in 4.02% of the 174 drawings where {2-2-1-1} was the winning Pattern and 1.10% of all 636 drawings. Prior to Tuesday night, the 2 2 1 0 0 1 Specific Order played March 24, 2020.

Three-Number Combinations

Mega Millions rubbed it in even more with a double dose of repeating Three-Number Combinations:

Rubbing salt in the wound! Source: lotterytrend-megamillions.com.

It’s going to take a lot of force to knock down the Mega Millions jackpot! Will Friday night be feast or famine?

How the Prize was Won

The first full week of 2021 has been one for the history books, to put it mildly. Lottery-wise, hundreds of millions of dollars are now up for grabs in both Mega Millions and Powerball. Meanwhile, Lotto Texas continues to retain its dignity. And, on January 9, 2021, we saw the first lottery win of the year!

The lottery win, of course, was in Lotto Texas. Come on, now. If you won $7.75 million, would you turn it down? Anyway, with its prize won, the jackpot was reset to $5 million. Powerball crossed over into the ultra-rich territory. As the jackpot evaded players yet again, it grew to $550 million.

Lotto Texas

General Lottery Analysis

The Lotto Texas win was due to an Australia Play. With winning numbers 3, 11, 23, 35, 41 and 54, both the {2-2-2} Pattern and the 2 2 2 Specific Order played 249 times.

Bouncing back to $5 million. Source: lotterytrend.com.

There have now been 1828 Lotto Texas drawings, and an Australia Play has played 13.6% of the time. Prior to Saturday night, the {2-2-2} Pattern and the 2 2 2 Specific Order were seen November 11, 2020.

Four-Number Combinations

This Australia Play didn’t produce any repeating Four-Number Combinations.

Powerball

General Lottery Analysis

With winning numbers 14, 26, 38, 45, 46 and PB 13, the {2-1-1-1-1} Pattern made its 209th appearance.

Pushing the Powerball jackpot ever upward! Source: lotterytrend-powerball.com.

There have now been 550 Powerball drawings, and this Pattern has played 38% of the time. We last saw the {2-1-1-1-1} Pattern December 26, 2020.

The [1-1-1-2-1] General Order, now with 58 appearances, has played in 27.8% of the 209 drawings where {2-1-1-1-1} was the winning Pattern. Once all 550 drawings have been taken into consideration, this General Order has played 10.5% of the time. Prior to Saturday night, the [1-1-1-2-1] General Order played December 16, 2020.

Now with 12 appearances, the 1 1 1 2 0 1 Specific Order has played in 20.7% of the 58 drawings where the General Order was [1-1-1-2-1]. This Specific Order has also played in 5.74% of the 209 drawings where {2-1-1-1-1} was the winning Pattern and in 2.18% of all 550 drawings. The 1 1 1 2 0 1 Specific Order was last seen October 7, 2020.

Three-Number Combinations  

A trio of repeating Three-Number Combinations made their rounds:

Providing Powerball an extra push! Source: lotterytrend-powerball.com.

It’s said the bigger they come, the harder they fall. How much higher will the Powerball jackpot get?

In the Realm of the Ridiculous

The word “ridiculous” doesn’t usually have good connotations. It’s used to describe something silly, crazy, deranged, even. After all that’s happened this week, we need something ridiculous. The good kind.

Now, the good kind of ridiculous is entertaining and fun, for example “Spongebob Squarepants” or “The Three Stooges”, though your mileage may vary. This blog focuses on something entertaining, fun, and is something that we can have a say in. This ridiculous is Mega Millions and its ridiculously large jackpot!

There were no signs of the jackpot’s growth getting crushed. In fact, the prize grew by leaps and bounds! Having thwarted the players once again, Mega Millions decided $600 million would be a good stop point. For now.

General Lottery Analysis

The January 8, 2021 drawing saw the 173rd appearance of the {2-2-1-1} Pattern, with winning numbers 3, 6, 16, 18, 58 and MB 11.

Feeding the beast! Source: lotterytrend-megamillions.com.

There have now been 635 Mega Millions drawings, and this Pattern has played 27.2% of the time. Prior to Friday night, the {2-2-1-1} Pattern played Christmas Day 2020.

The [2-2-1-1] General Order, now with 58 appearances, has played in 33.5% of the 173 drawings where {2-2-1-1} was the winning Pattern. Once all 635 drawings have been taken into consideration, this General Order has played 9.13% of the time. December 15, 2020 was the last time we saw the [2-2-1-1] General Order.

Now with eight appearances, the 2 2 0 0 1 1 Specific Order has played in 13.8% of the 58 drawings where the General Order was [2-2-1-1]. This Specific Order has played in 4.62% of the 173 drawings where {2-2-1-1} was the winning Pattern and in 1.26% of all 635 drawings. We last saw the 2 2 0 0 1 1 Specific Order October 9, 2020.

Three-Number Combinations

Repeating Three-Number Combination 3, 58 and MB 11 debuted October 28, 2014.

Talk about a blast from the past! Source: lotterytrend-megamillions.com.

It’s almost guaranteed that the jackpot will rise again, just before the official drawing Tuesday night. Question is, will the Mega Millions jackpot meet its maker, or will it continue to grow?

Unshakeable Lottery Jackpots

January 6, 2021 favored those who live for rising jackpots. Lotto Texas, for one, was ever the trooper. Although its jackpot is nowhere near the astronomical heights of its brethren, the prize grew to a respectable $7.75 million.

Powerball was the one to look out for. Conditions over the past few months have been favorable towards jackpot growth. Said conditions continued Wednesday night as the players’ efforts to become crazy rich were thwarted yet again. This monster of a prize grew to $470 million.

Lotto Texas

General Lottery Analysis

Lotto Texas kept its head on straight with an encore. The {3-2-1} Pattern returned with numbers 6, 14, 17, 32, 44 and 45. This Pattern has now played 966 times.

Sticking close to the {3-2-1] Pattern! Source: lotterytrend.com

There have now been 1827 Lotto Texas drawings, and this Pattern has played 52.9% of the time.

Now with 185 appearances, the 3 1 2 Specific Order has played in 19.2% of the 966 drawings where {3-2-1} was the winning Pattern. Once all 1827 drawings have been taken into consideration, this Specific Order played 10.1% of the time.

This encore wasn’t just any encore: It was a playback! Yes, both the {3-2-1} Pattern and the 3 1 2 Specific Order were last seen together in the January 2, 2021 drawing.

Four-Number Combinations

No repeating Four-Number Combinations for Lotto Texas this time around.

Powerball

General Lottery Analysis

The {2-2-1-1} Pattern made its 156th appearance with 1, 20, 22, 60, 66 and PB 3.

On the verge of $500 million? Source: lotterytrend-powerball.com.

This Pattern has now played in 28.4% of the 549 Powerball drawings.

The [1-2-2-1] General Order, now with 50 appearances, has played in 32.1% of the 156 drawings where {2-2-1-1} was the winning Pattern. Once all 549 drawings have been taken into consideration, this General Order has played 9.11% of the time.

Both the {2-2-1-1} Pattern and the [1-2-2-1] General Order were last seen December 30, 2020.

A playback wasn’t in the cards for Powerball. With its second-ever appearance, the 1 2 0 0 2 1 Specific Order has now played in 4% of the 50 drawings where the General Order was [1-2-2-1]. This Specific Order has also played in 1.28% of the 156 drawings where {2-2-1-1} was the winning Pattern and in 0.36% of all 549 drawings. The 1 2 0 0 2 1 Specific Order made its first appearance in the June 29, 2019 drawing.

Three-Number Combinations  

A couple of repeating Three-Number Combinations were thrown in to make things more interesting!

They move in groups! Source:lotterytrend-powerball.com.

Ahead of Friday’s Mega Millions drawing, the jackpot over there crossed over half a billion dollars! That prize now stands at $510 million. Powerball’s jackpot isn’t that far behind. Will it, too, cross over into the exclusive ultra-rich club?

Coming Upon a Jackpot Threshold

Humans are bonding creatures. We bond with family, friends, even complete strangers. It’s through these bonds that we socialize and build new relationships. The strength of a bond is tested when a threshold is reached. After all, the strongest bonds are forged in fire.

As we’ve seen these past few months, the bond Mega Millions  has with its jackpot isn’t so easily broken. The good times continued to roll, as the jackpot slipped from the players’ grip once more. It was the aftermath of the January 5, 2021 drawing that brought Mega Millions to a threshold. One side, the current side, had jackpots less than half a billion dollars. With a jackpot that grew to $490 million, the path to the other side, the side of mega riches (and potential madness) came into view.

General Lottery Analysis

The {3-1-1-1} Pattern made its 119th appearance with 20, 43, 51, 55, 57 and MB 4.

About to stare down $500 million! Source: lotterytrend-megamillions.com.

This Pattern has now played in 18.8% of the 634 Mega Millions drawings and was last seen November 13, 2020.

The [1-3-1-1] General Order, now with 39 appearances, has played in 32.8% of the 119 drawings where {3-1-1-1} was the winning Pattern. Once all 634 drawings have been taken into consideration, this General Order has played 6.15% of the time. Prior to Tuesday night, the [1-3-1-1] General Order played October 13, 2020.

Now with five appearances, the 0 1 0 3 1 1 Specific Order has played in 12.8% of the 39 drawings where the General Order was [1-3-1-1]. This Specific Order has also played in 4.20% of the 119 drawings where {3-1-1-1} was the winning Pattern and in 0.79% of all 634 drawings. The 0 1 0 3 1 1 Specific Order was last seen November 19, 2019.

Three-Number Combinations

Repeating Three-Number Combination 20, 43 and 57 debuted June 11, 2019.

Adding an extra kick. Source: lotterytrend-megamillions.com.

Will the Mega Millions jackpot cross the half-billion-dollar threshold Friday night?

Shameless Plug: Instagram

For years, I resisted the urge to create another social media account. I rarely post on Facebook, so why invest in yet another platform…which is now owned by Facebook?

Resistance was futile, as it was late last year that I broke down and created an Instagram profile. I wanted to show my artistic side, build an audience so that when other artistic endeavors drop, there’s a fan base ready to like and spread the word. Oh, there would be pictures of food here and there, too. And then, I was hit by a double whammy.

One, I wasn’t consistent with posting and when I did post, my feed wasn’t really consistent. Number Two was something crazy in hindsight, and it’s something I do not recommend to anyone engaging in creative endeavors: I compared myself to other artists. That, and not knowing what to draw caused me to avoid Instagram altogether. I let the account set for almost a year before I posted anything.

Back in September, I participated in an art challenge. Once every three days, I’d post something, and it got me some likes. Okay, I thought, this is something I could work with. Then October came, and I started posting more drawings. I was starting to get back in the groove and finding my aesthetic.

And then, November’s Huevember challenge really helped me find something I could stick with, and as a result, I ended up archiving September and most of October’s posts. The challenge helped remind me of the other reason I joined Instagram: to maintain a consistent drawing habit.

Survived all 30 days. From @artofzematter

Here are a few things I worked on in December:

Unicorns, hippos, and mistletoe, oh my! From @artofzematter

A recent sketch:

Processed with VSCO with c3 preset. Sketching out a family. From @artofzematter

Want to see more of my artsy side?  Check out my Instagram account @artofzematter. Feel free to like, comment, share and follow!  

Beware the Other Beast

A new year has arrived and with it came lottery drawings. How amazing it would be to start the year off by winning millions of dollars! Why, from time-to-time, the jackpot can become worth hundreds of millions of dollars, if not at least a billion!

Although the Powerball jackpot isn’t a billion dollars (yet?), nothing stopped its growth January 2, 2021. The prize grew to $410 million. Meanwhile, ever-graceful Lotto Texas ascended to $7.5 million.

Lotto Texas

General Lottery Analysis

With winning numbers 13, 14, 18, 20, 44 and 52, the {3-2-1} Pattern made its 965th appearance.

Starting 2021 with the most common Lotto Texas Pattern! Source: lotterytrend.com.

There have now been 1826 Lotto Texas drawings, and this Pattern has played 52.9% of the time. Prior to Saturday night, the {3-2-1} Pattern played December 23, 2020.

Now with 184 appearances, the 3 1 2 Specific Order has played in 19.1% of the 965 drawings where {3-2-1} was the winning Pattern. Once all 1826 drawings have been taken into consideration, this Specific Order has played 10.1% of the time. We last saw the 3 1 2 Specific Order December 2, 2020.

Four-Number Combinations

There were no repeating Four-Number Combinations Saturday night.

Powerball

General Lottery Analysis

The {3-1-1-1} Pattern made its 105th appearance with 3, 4, 11, 41, 67 and PB 5.

One step closer to one billion dollars! Source: lotterytrend-powerball.com.

This Pattern has now played in 19.1% of the 548 Powerball drawings, and was last seen December 2, 2020.

The [3-1-1-1] General Order, now with 32 appearances, has played in 30.5% of the 105 drawings where {3-1-1-1} was the winning Pattern. Once all 548 drawings have been taken into consideration, this General Order has played 5.84% of the time. The [3-1-1-1] General Order was last seen October 24, 2020.

Now with three appearances, the 3 0 1 0 1 1 Specific Order has played in 9.375% of the 32 drawings where the General Order was [3-1-1-1]. This Specific Order has also played in 2.86% of the 105 drawings where {3-1-1-1} was the winning Pattern and in 0.55% of all 548 drawings. We last saw the 3 0 1 0 1 1 Specific Order in the December 14, 2019 drawing.

Three-Number Combinations  

Repeating Three-Number Combination 41, 67 and PB 5 debuted June 20, 2020.

An extra boost from a repeating Three-Number Combination! Source: lotterytrend-powerball.com.

Will the Powerball jackpot reach the billion-dollar mark this month, or will it soon be brought down to size?

Mega Millions in “Beastly Beginnings”

Happy New Year, everyone! Last year was a year like no other, and it’d be hard to find anyone who misses 2020. May 2021 be a year that’s kinder to us all.

Whether we wanted to or not, many of us rang in 2021 at home. Even without the gigantic parties, firework shows, whether on the block or on TV, more than made up for that (and they were free!). Speaking of fireworks, Mega Millions had a big display of its own. Since September, the jackpot has managed to escape the grasp of the players and on New Year’s Day 2021, the beastly jackpot became even beastlier.

As fate would have it, all the players came up short when it came to picking the six winning numbers. Thus, the beast grew once again, reaching $432 million.

General Lottery Analysis

Part of that beastliness was fueled by a {2-1-1-1-1} Pattern encore. With winning numbers 8, 24, 53, 68, 69 and MB 7, this Pattern made its 280th appearance.

Soaring to monstrous heights with a Pattern encore! Source: lotterytrend-megamillions.com.

There have now been 633 Mega Millions drawings, and this Pattern has played 44.2% of the time. Recall that the {2-1-1-1-1} Pattern played December 29, 2020.

The [1-1-1-2-1] General Order, now with 64 appearances, has played in 22.9% of the 280 drawings where {2-1-1-1-1} was the winning Pattern. Once all 633 drawings have been taken into consideration, this General Order has played 10.1% of the time. Prior to Friday night, the [1-1-1-2-1] General Order played December 1, 2020.

Now with six appearances, the 1 1 0 1 2 1 Specific Order has played in 9.375% of the 64 drawings where the General Order was [1-1-1-2-1]. This Specific Order has also played in 2.14% of the 280 drawings where {2-1-1-1-1} was the winning Pattern and in 0.95% of all 633 drawings. The 1 1 0 1 2 1 Specific Order was last seen March 31, 2020.

Three-Number Combinations

Repeating Three-Number Combination 8, 24 and MB 7 debuted July 22, 2016.

Adding more fuel to the fire! Source: lotterytrend-megamillions.com.

As the jackpot continues to climb, one question remains: Just how high will it get before its inevitable take down?