Portrait of Mega Millions at the End of July

Yes, I know it’s August. Yes, many of you readers out there are back in the “school routine”. (Pre-)kindergarten through twelfth grade, or college, it matters not. To commemorate the start of a (hopefully) “normal” school year, Mega Millions shook itself out of the doldrums in the August 21, 2018 drawing. The grand prize is now $118 million, and it may soar to crazy heights soon enough. Focusing on the present, there were two components of Tuesday night’s drawing that had shades of July. Or at least the end of it.

General Lottery Analysis

With winning numbers 14, 16, 19, 38, 57, and MB 11, the {2-1-1-1-1} Pattern made its 168^th appearance.

Bringing July into August. Source: lotterytrend-megamillions.com.

Of the 386 Mega Millions drawings to date, this Pattern has played 43.5% of the time, and was last seen on July 31, 2018.

The [1-2-1-1-1] General Order made its 38^th appearance. This General Order has now played in 22.6% of the 168 drawings where {2-1-1-1-1} was the winning Pattern and in 9.84% of all 386 drawings. Prior to Tuesday night, the [1-2-1-1-1] General Order played on July 27, 2018.

Now with four appearances, the 1 2 1 0 1 1 Specific Order has played in 10.5% of the 38 drawings where [1-2-1-1-1] was the General Order. This Specific Order has also played in 2.38% of the 168 drawings where {2-1-1-1-1} was the winning Pattern. When taking all 368 drawings into consideration, this Specific Order has played 1.04% of the time. The 1 2 1 0 1 1 Specific Order was reconfigured from the 1 2 1 1 0 1 Specific Order, which was last seen on April 22, 2016.

Three Number Combination(s)

Tuesday night also saw these repeating Three-Number Combinations:

14, 16, MB 11 (Debuted May 16, 2014)
14, 57, MB 11 (Debuted June 24, 2016)

Bundled together. Source: lotterytrend-megamillions.com.

Will the jackpot rise once again Friday night? Could Friday night also see a Pattern encore?

A Fork in the (Lottery) Road

The only thing Lotto Texas and Powerball really had in common was a rise in their jackpots. Their respective grand prizes are now $5.5 million and $60 million. August 18, 2018 also saw the lotteries go their separate ways. One lottery saw its most common Pattern while the other saw a Pattern that doesn’t play often.

Lotto Texas

General Lottery Analysis

The {4-2} Pattern made its 171^st appearance with winning numbers 23, 25, 26, 29, 48, and 52.

A not-so-common Pattern. Source: lotterytrend.com.

Now, 171 times sounds like a large amount of appearances. This would be a reasonable assumption to make except with Lotto Texas, there have been 1578 drawings. Given this, the {4-2} Pattern has only played 10.8% of the time. This not-so-common Pattern was last seen on June 9, 2018.

Now with 33 appearances, the 0 4 2 Specific Order has played in 19.3% of the 171 appearances where {4-2} was the winning Pattern. This Specific Order has also played in 2.09% of all 1578 drawings. Prior to Saturday night, the 0 4 2 Specific Order played on May 10, 2017.

Four-Number Combination(s)

The repeating Four-Number Combination of the evening was 26, 29, 48, and 52.

Unlike the Four-Number Combination seen earlier this week, this Combination made its debut sometime within the past four years. More specifically, in the October 25, 2014 drawing.

Powerball

General Lottery Analysis

With winning numbers 24, 34, 52, 61, 67, and PB 16, the commonly-seen {2-1-1-1-1} Pattern made it 106^th appearance.

On the opposite side of uncommon. Source: lotterytrend-powerball.com.

Of the 300 Powerball drawings so far, this Pattern has played in 35.3% of them and was last seen on August 4, 2018.

The [1-1-1-2-1] General Order has now played 31 times. This General Order has played in 29.2% of the 106 drawings where the wining Pattern was {2-1-1-1-1} and in 10.3% of all 300 drawings. This General Order previously played on July 21, 2018.

Now with seven appearances, the 0 1 1 1 2 1 Specific Order has played in 22.6% of the 31 drawings where the General Order was [1-1-1-2-1]. This Specific Order has also played in 6.60% of the 106 drawings where {2-1-1-1-1} was the winning Pattern. When taking all 300 drawings into consideration, this Specific Order has played 2.33% of the time. Prior to Saturday night, the 0 1 1 1 2 1 Specific Order played on May 11, 2016.

Three-Number Combination(s)

The lone repeating Three-Number Combination of the evening, 24, 52, 61, made its debut in the March 31^st drawing earlier this year.

Tucked away in a corner. Source: lotterytrend-powerball.com.

With the school year starting up this week, can Lotto Texas and Powerball shake off the August doldrums?

Mega Millions’ “Normal” Friday

August. The month with no (official) US holidays, or at least holidays that warrant a day off from work. It’s the month that summer vacation winds down for many students as the schools, love ‘em or hate ‘em, open once more. In our neck of the woods, it’s the last weekend of summer vacation. Rather than end the “mega holiday” with a blowout, Mega Millions took a subdued approach in the August 17^th drawing. There was no playback, no Pattern three-peat to look forward to. The biggest takeaways were a couple of repeating Three-Number Combinations and a grand prize now at $102 million.

General Lottery Analysis

The {2-2-1-1} Pattern made its 110^th appearance with winning numbers 1, 31, 32, 47, 56, and MB 3.

A different approach to ending summer. Source: lotterytrend-megamillions.com.

Of the 385 Mega Millions drawings so far, this Pattern has played 28.6% of the time and was last seen on August 7, 2018.

The [1-2-2-1] General Order has now played 37 times. With that said, this General Order has played in 33.6% of the 110 drawings where {2-2-1-1} was the winning Pattern. This General Order has also played in 9.61% of all 385 drawings. Prior to Friday night, the [1-2-2-1] General Order played on June 8, 2018.

Now with four appearances, the 1 0 2 2 0 1 Specific Order has played in 10.8% of the 37 drawings where the General Order was [1-2-2-1]. This Specific Order has also played in 3.64% of the 110 drawings where {2-2-1-1} was the winning Pattern. Finally, when taking all 385 drawings into consideration, this Specific Order has played 1.04% of the time. The 1 0 2 2 0 1 Specific Order played alongside the [1-2-2-1] General Order in the earlier-mentioned June 8^th drawing.

Three Number Combination(s)

The two repeating Three-Number Combinations were

31, 56, MB 3 (Debuted January 17, 2017)
1, 56, MB 3 (Debuted June 20, 2014)

Start the weekend with two repeating Three-Number Combinations. Source: lotterytrend-megamillions.com.

Will Mega Millions go for a Pattern encore in Tuesday’s drawing?

Lotto Texas & Powerball Climb (Slowly) Upwards

To keep in the spirit of school starting back up, there were no upsets August 15, 2018. After the wins for both Lotto Texas and Powerball, it’ll be a while yet before either lottery sees their jackpots soar to great heights. As of this post, their respective grand prizes now stand at $5.25 million and $50 million.

Lotto Texas

General Lottery Analysis

With winning numbers 12, 22, 38, 39, 43, and 44, the {4-1-1} Pattern made its 170^th appearance.

Getting the {4-1-1} on these six numbers. Source: lotterytrend.com.

Of the 1577 Lotto Texas drawings, this Pattern has played in 10.8% of them. Prior to Wednesday night, the {4-1-1} Pattern played on July 11, 2018.

Now with 56 appearances, the 1 1 4 Specific Order has played in 32.9% of the 170 drawings where {4-1-1} was the winning Pattern. This Specific Order has also played in 3.55% of all 1577 drawings. We last saw this Specific Order on July 8, 2017.

Four-Number Combination(s)

There was a lone repeating Four-Number Combination in the form of 12, 39, 43, and 44.

This Combination debuted in the August 14, 2002 drawing. That was sixteen years ago!

Powerball

General Lottery Analysis

Right off the heels of the August 11, 2018 drawing, the {2-2-1-1} Pattern made an encore! With winning numbers 12, 15, 28, 47, 48, and PB 16, this Pattern has now played 88 times.

The {2-2-1-1} Pattern back for more. Source: lotterytrend-powerball.com.

Given that there have been 299 Powerball drawings, the {2-2-1-1} Pattern has played 29.4% of the time.

The [1-2-2-1] General Order hitched a ride on the “Encore Train” with the {2-2-1-1} Pattern. With 29 appearances, this General Order has played in 30.7% of the 88 drawings where {2-2-1-1} was the winning Pattern. When taking all 299 drawings into consideration, this General Order has played 9.03% of the time.

Now with two appearances, the 1 2 0 2 0 1 Specific Order ha played in 7.41% of the 27 drawings where the General Order was [1-2-2-1]. This Specific Order has also played in 2.27% of the 88 drawings where {2-2-1-1} was the winning Pattern. Finally, when all 299 drawings are taken into consideration, this Specific Order has played 0.67% of the time. The 1 2 0 2 0 1 Specific Order made its debut in the November 17, 2015 drawing.

Three-Number Combination(s)

There were no repeating Three-Number Combinations this time.

As the Lotto Texas and Powerball jackpots continue their slow climb upward, will there be any upsets in Saturday’s drawing, or will the August doldrums continue?

Mega Millions Encore and a Combination Avalanche

To think that the month is (almost) halfway over! Believe it or not, some kids have already traded the beachballs for the books and for the others, it’s just a matter of time. Mega Millions need not concern itself with school or holidays. If it could, then August 14, 2018 would be “Avalanche Day”. The fallout of Avalanche Day was a rising jackpot, now at $88 million.

General Lottery Analysis

With winning numbers 11, 26, 44, 45, 46, and MB 11, the {3-1-1-1} Pattern made an encore appearance.

Six numbers created an avalanche. Source: lotterytrend-megamillions.com.

This Pattern has now played 73 times and given the 384 Mega Millions drawings, it has played in 19% of them. Recall that the {3-1-1-1} Pattern was last seen in the August 10, 2018 drawing.

The [1-1-3-1] General Order has now played 18 times. With that said, this General Order has played in 24.7% of the 73 drawings where {3-1-1-1} was the winning Pattern. This General Order has also played in roughly 4.69% of all 384 drawings. Prior to Tuesday night, the [1-1-3-1] General Order played on March 13, 2018.

Another highlight of the evening was the world debut of the 1 1 0 3 0 1 Specific Order. This Specific Order has now played in 5.56% of the 18 drawings where [1-1-3-1] was the General Order. This Specific Order has also played in 1.37% of the 73 drawings where {3-1-1-1} was the winning Pattern. Finally, when taking all 384 drawings into consideration, this Specific Order has played 0.26% of the time.

Four Number Combination

Rare as they are in Mega Millions, there was indeed a repeating Four-Number Combination!

The Combination catalyst. Source: lotterytrend-megamillions.com.

The Combination 26, 44, 45, and MB 11 made its debut in the January 16, 2015 drawing.

Three Number Combination(s)

Naturally, the fallout from a repeating Four-Number Combination are four repeating Three-Number Combinations.

26, 44, 45
26, 44, MB 11
26, 45, MB 11
44, 45, MB 11

Of course, these debuted alongside the repeating Four-Number Combination mentioned earlier.

There was one more Combination: 11, 44, 45. This one made its debut in the March 17, 2015 drawing.

Let the (repeating) Three-Number Combinations flow! Source: lotterytrend-megamillions.com.

As summer vacation continues to wind down, will Mega Millions continue to ramp up in Friday’s drawing?

Two Lottery Winners and a Summer Windown

There was room for only one jackpot to go beyond the half-billion-dollar mark this summer. But let’s be honest; one reason why reason most people are infatuated with the lottery is the crazy-large jackpots. The other reason, of course, is winning! August 11^th was a night of winners for both Lotto Texas and Powerball. Someone in Texas became $16 million richer and a single player in New York won the $245 million prize. Their respective grand prizes are now $5 million and $40 million.

Lotto Texas

General Lottery Analysis

The {3-2-1} Pattern made its 823^rd appearance with winning numbers 3, 9, 13, 25, 30, and 51.

The {3-2-1} Pattern produced a winner. Source: lotterytrend.com.

Of the 1576 Lotto Texas drawings so far, this Pattern has played 52.2% of the time. Prior to Saturday night, this Pattern played on August 4, 2018.

Now with 150 appearances, the 3 2 1 Specific Order has played in 18.2% of the 823 drawings where {3-2-1} was the winning Pattern. This Specific Order has also played in 9.52% of all 1576 drawings. The 3 2 1 Specific Order previously played on July 7, 2018.

Four-Number Combination(s)

There were no repeating Four-Number Combinations.

Powerball

General Lottery Analysis

With winning numbers 5, 43, 56, 62, 68, and PB 24, the {2-2-1-1} Pattern made its 87^th appearance.

A winner for Powerball, too. Source: lotterytrend-powerball.com.

Given the 298 Powerball drawings so far, this Pattern has played 29.2% of the time and was last seen on July 28, 2018.

The [1-2-2-1] General Order made its 26^th appearance and has now played in 29.9% of the 87 drawings where {2-2-1-1} was the winning Pattern. This General Order has also played in 8.72% of all 298 drawings. The [1-2-2-1] General Order was last seen on May 23, 2018.

Now with four appearances, the 1 0 0 2 2 1 Specific Order has played in 15.4% of the 26 drawings where the General Order was [1-2-2-1]. This Specific Order has also played in 4.60% of the 87 drawings where {2-2-1-1} was the winning Pattern. When taking all 298 drawings into consideration, this Specific Order has played 1.34% of the time. The 1 0 0 2 2 1 Specific Order was last seen a little over two years ago. Then, it had played in the July 27, 2016 drawing.

Three-Number Combination(s)

The repeating Three-Number Combination 5, 43, and PB 24 made its debut on June 14, 2017.

Could either the {3-2-1} Pattern or the {2-2-1-1} Pattern see an encore Wednesday night? Will the night have its fill of repeating Four-Number or Three-Number Combinations?

Mega Millions’ Love of Playbacks

Mega Millions did a complete 180! Last time, things were more on the “normal” side. What with August 10^th being a Friday and all, what better way to kick off the weekend than with a playback?

Now, a playback can mean either of the following:

An Australia Play happened (like it did last week)
A unique Pattern and one of its General Orders and Specific Orders played together on a previous date.

Let’s see which one it was that not only showed up but sent the grand prize up to $75 million.

General Lottery Analysis

With winning numbers 1, 3, 12, 22, 42, and MB 6, the {3-1-1-1} Pattern made its 72^nd appearance.

These six numbers made a playback possible. Source: lotterytrend-megamillions.com.

As of the 383^rd Mega Millions drawing, this Pattern has played 18.8% of the time.

The [3-1-1-1] General Order made its 27^th appearance and has now played in 37.5% of the 72 drawings where {3-1-1-1} was the winning Pattern. This General Order has also played in 7.05% of all 383 drawings.

Now with five appearances, the 3 1 1 0 0 1 Specific Order has played in 18.5% of the 27 drawings where the General Order was [3-1-1-1]. This Specific Order has also played in 6.94% of the 72 drawings where {3-1-1-1} was the winning Pattern. Finally, when looking at all 383 drawings, this Specific Order has played 1.31% of the time.

The {3-1-1-1} Pattern, as well as the [3-1-1-1] General Order and the 3 1 1 0 0 1 Specific Order previously played together in the July 24^th, 2018 drawing. This was also the night that someone in California became at least half a billion dollars richer.

Three Number Combination(s)

There were no repeating Three-Number Combinations this time.

Could the {3-1-1-1} Pattern make an encore in Tuesday’s drawing?

Everybody Loves Australia (Plays)

Who doesn’t love Australia, right? What with the surfing, the wildlife, the weather…

But seriously. August 8, 2018 was a night like no other. In fact, something so wild, so crazy happened that we can’t talk about it in this paragraph. All we can tell you right now is that the jackpots for Lotto Texas and Powerball rose to a respective $16 million and $245 million.

Lotto Texas

General Lottery Analysis

With winning numbers 12, 16, 28, 29, 46, and 54, both the {2-2-2} Pattern and the 2 2 2 Specific Order made their 220^th appearance.

Aussie play hopping back for more. Source: lotterytrend.com.

Of the 1575 Lotto Texas drawings to date, the Australia Play has happened in roughly 14% of them.

Four-Number Combination(s)

There were no repeating Four-Number Combinations in Wednesday’s drawing.

Powerball

General Lottery Analysis

Powerball also got struck with Australia Play fever! The winning numbers were 10, 21, 30, 43, 63, and PB 17.

Australia Plays are infectious. Source: lotterytrend-powerball.com.

With those six numbers, the {1-1-1-1-1-1} Pattern, [1-1-1-1-1-1] General Order, and 1 1 1 1 1 1 Specific Order have played 22 times. Given the 297 Powerball drawings, the Australia Play has played 7.41% of the time.

Here’s the kicker. Both Australia Plays were previously seen on July 25, 2018!

Three-Number Combination(s)

The lone repeating Three-Number Combination, 10, 43, and 63, made its debut in the October 19, 2016 drawing.

A repeating Three-Number Combination on the side. Source: lotterytrend-powerball.com.

Could another first take place Saturday night with both Australia Plays making an encore?

Mega Millions and a “Routine” Pattern

After the huge jackpot and the rarely-seen Australia Play, Mega Millions has had one wild summer. The season itself may have about six weeks left, but the school boards say otherwise. As summer vacation starts to wind down, Mega Millions went for something more routine in the August 7^th drawing. The aftermath, if it can be called that, was a rising jackpot. As of this writing, the grand prize is now a cool $63 million.

General Lottery Analysis

With winning numbers 2, 13, 15, 21, 62, and MB 2, the {2-2-1-1} Pattern made its 109^th appearance.

The second-most common Pattern is more “normal”. Source: lotterytrend-megamillions.com.

Of the 382 Mega Millions drawings, this Pattern has played 28.5% of the time and was last seen on July 13, 2018.

The [2-2-1-1] General made its 37^th appearance and has now played in 33.9% of the 109 drawings where {2-2-1-1} was the winning Pattern. This General Order has also played in 9.69% of all 382 drawings. Prior to Tuesday night, this General Order played on June 26, 2018.

Now with five appearances, the 2 2 0 0 1 1 Specific Order has played in 13.5% of the 37 drawings where the General Order was [2-2-1-1]. This Specific Order has also played in 4.59% of the 109 drawings where {2-2-1-1} was the winning Pattern and in 1.31% of all 382 drawings. We last saw the 2 2 0 0 1 1 Specific Order on December 29, 2017.

Three Number Combination(s)

The repeating Three-Number Combination of the evening was 13, 62, and MB 2.

The biggest draw of the evening. Source: lotterytrend-megamillions.com.

This Combination made its debut in the May 30, 2014 drawing.

Will the {2-2-1-1} Pattern make an encore Friday night?

Encores! Encores Everywhere!

With no grand prize winner for either Lotto Texas or Powerball, their respective jackpots are now $15.25 million and $223 million. Although Powerball has officially joined the Mile-High Jackpot Club, the biggest draw of the evening was in the Patterns. Pattern-wise, August 4^th was just like August 1^st for both lotteries. In fact, Lotto Texas saw a three-peat and then some!

Lotto Texas

General Lottery Analysis

With winning numbers 4, 9, 11, 33, 48, and 54, the {3-2-1} Pattern made its 822^nd appearance.

A three-peat for {3-2-1}. Source: lotterytrend.com.

Of the 1574 Lotto Texas drawings so far, this Pattern has played 52.2% of the time.

The 3 1 2 Specific Order also came back for an encore! Now with 155 appearances, this Specific Order has played in 18.9% of the 822 drawings where {3-2-1} was the winning Pattern. This Specific Order has also played in 9.85% of all 1574 drawings.

Playback encores, inside three-peats no less, don’t happen often.

Four-Number Combination(s)

Nestled inside was a lone repeating Four-Number Combination: 4, 9, 11, and 33.

This Combination made its debut in the December 18^th, 2013 drawing.

Powerball

General Lottery Analysis

The {2-1-1-1-1} Pattern encore was thanks to winning numbers 3, 11, 38, 44, 58, and PB 2.

Another common Pattern has its encore. Source: lotterytrend-powerball.com.

Given that there have been 296 Powerball drawings, this Pattern has played 35.5% of the time. As we’ll see shortly, the playback fever didn’t reach Powerball.

With 29 appearances, the [2-1-1-1-1] General Order has played in 27.6% of the 105 drawings where {2-1-1-1-1} was the winning Pattern. This General Order has also played in 9.80% of all 296 drawings. Prior to Saturday night, the [2-1-1-1-1] General Order played on July 4^th, 2018.

Now with four appearances, the 2 0 1 1 1 1 Specific Order has played in 13.8% of the 29 drawings where the General Order was [2-1-1-1-1]. This Specific Order has also played in 3.81% of the 105 drawings where {2-1-1-1-1} was the wining Pattern and in 1.35% of all 296 drawings. We last saw the 2 0 1 1 1 1 Specific Order in the June 17^th, 2017 drawing.

Three-Number Combination(s)

Powerball didn’t see any repeating Three-Number Combinations.

Will the {3-2-1} Pattern/3 1 2 Specific Order play together again in Wednesday’s Lotto Texas drawing? Could Powerball see a three-peat with the {2-1-1-1-1} Pattern?