Odds & Strategies For Winning The $550 Million Powerball Jackpot Saturday

Obviously, I didn’t win the lottery so the jackpot swells to $550 million, ranking as the second-largest for Powerball and third biggest overall. The cash option is an estimated $350 million and the next drawing is this Saturday night.

I can’t even imagine what I would do if I won the lottery, but before I get to fantasizing let’s look at this from a different perspective.

According to Skip Garibaldi, a professor of mathematics at Emory University in Atlanta, you are more likely to die by getting hit by a falling coconut, be blown up by fireworks, or be eaten by flesh-eating bacteria, than actually winning the lottery.

While in the book Brain Trust, 93 scientists share their advice on how to win the lottery.

Their advice includes the following:

-Pick the most unpopular numbers. Avoid, for example, numbers thought to be "lucky," such as 7, 13, 23 and 32.

-Don't pick the number 1. It's on about 15 percent of all tickets.

-Do pick the "especially overlooked" number 46.

I’m not sure any real method works…when in doubt just go with your gut!