I see so many people buy lottery tickets when the jackpot gets large. Once 6/49 passed $30 million, everyone and his or her dog is buying a ticket. It’s like they couldn’t be satisfied with a mere $4 million. I mean really, who can survive on that kind of money?

Now if everyone’s playing the lottery, you’re going to have to share the winnings with a bunch of jackasses. So my new totally unresearched and unscientific theory is that there’s a sweet spot of when you can buy a ticket that will give you the best chance of winning the most money. Buy when the lottery is low and that’s all you win. Buy when it’s high and you split. Buy in the middle, and you strike green gold!

Here’s a convenient chart which demonstrates my idea:

Still though, it’s a rare day when I buy a lottery ticket. And my chances of winning are just a hair smaller than a regular buyer.