It's amazing how easily some people will believe a lie but must be dragged, kicking and screaming, to see the truth. I read and listen to examples of this every day. After years of listening to such drivel, I've just reach the point where my frustration has got the better of me. You know what I mean? So, I've decided to tackle these Lotto Lies one by one in this series of articles.

Lotto Lie #1 - There is nothing you can do to improve your chances of winning the lottery.

Over the years, I've made the mistake of trying to reason with such skeptics. I've plied them with indisputable logic, irrefutable data and example after example about the lottery that proves that their position is untenable. All to no avail. I should have realized that only a reasonable person, someone with an open mind and willing to engage in an intellectual discussion, can ever be persuaded of anything. So, if you're reading this, I'm probably preaching to the choir. So, if you will all turn to one of my favorite pages in the Hymnal, ‘You can improve your chances of winning the lottery.’

The first Lotto Lie is naive and easy to refute. First, the lottery is a game of chance. In all games of chance, the player has certain odds of winning. Up to this point, even the skeptics agree. But, here's where I typically lose them.

Blackjack

In all games of chance, including lotto, there are different levels of play. Some people are very good, some people are very poor, and the rest of us fall somewhere in between. For example, it was only a few years ago, that the commonly held belief was that success at Black Jack was pure luck. After all, it was a Random Game of chance, just like the lottery. And yet, professional gamblers seemed to do quite well.

The casinos fostered the idea that it was a random game of chance because it helped their bottom line, while professional gamblers quietly went about their business. However, some MIT students stumbled upon the keys to the castle and raked in lots of money at the casinos. You've probably heard the story or saw the movie.

Just like the lottery, if you play Black Jack intelligently, you will improve your chances of winning. In Black Jack, you study the past history by counting cards and apply a basic understanding of probability, and the advantage swings from the house to the player. Once people learned about this, almost overnight, courses were being offered and books were being sold. People had discovered that there was a lot they could do to improve their chances of winning.

Texas Holdem

Another example is Texas Holdem, which has become a worldwide phenomenon. After Doyle Brunson published his Super/System book, the truth was out. If you play the game intelligently, study the past performance of each opponent and apply a basic understanding of probability you will improve your chances of winning.

Now, there are many more books, courses, tapes, CD’s and even training camps. Once people realized that success was determined by how they played the game, people all over the world were flopping, turning and rolling down the river.

State Lotteries

Just like the casinos did with Black Jack, the state lotteries have fostered and perpetuated Lotto Lie #1; that there is nothing you can do to improve your chances of winning the lottery. But, the lottery is a game of chance, just like any other. Therefore, the same logic applies.

Play intelligently
Study the lottery's history
Apply a basic understanding of probability
Use a computer with the best lottery software

Computers

Computers have been used to unravel the mysteries of many so called Random Games of Chance; like Black Jack, Poker and Stock investing, just to name a few. But, as many have pointed out, lotteries are the most difficult games of chance ever devised. So, trying to improve your lottery play without a computer is probably an exercise in futility.

So, you’re going to need the Best Lottery Software that provides what you need when you ask for it; like a genie. Well, the best genie isn’t in a bottle; she’s on your computer.

The second article in the Lotto Lies series is ‘Lottery Secrets – The lottery is a random game of chance’.