Filter - Match Package

[sliver]

Hi Stan,

could you explain how the Match Package filter works. It doesn't seem to make much sense to me how it works.

I have a package with about 200K+ tickets, when I run the Match Package to remove tickets that match in 4 numbers I get just 3 (!) tickets left when the initial package was sorted, and when its not sorted I get 14 tickets remaining after the filter has run.

How is this possible to come down to 3 or 14 tickets from 200K+ tickets ? What is this filter doing ?

[stan]

the algorithm is simple:

Code: Select all


for i = 1 to n do {
    ticket T = getTicketAtPosition( i )
    for j = i+1 to n do {
        if( T matches getTicketAtPosition( j ) ) {
            return true
        }
    }
    return false
}



don't know why you're getting different results for sorted/unsorted package. pls email me your file (zipped) and a screen shot of your filter settings and you'll check it out

[sliver]

Hi Stan

Ive attached a 28K package and a screenshot of the match package filter I'm trying to run.

When the package is sorted I get 3 tickets left, when its not sorted I get 14 tickets left. Weird !

Surely there should be more tickets left ?

thanks
Sliver

[sliver]

And the package file -

[stan]

here's the reason why the filter results differ for sorted/unsorted package (it took me a while to find out:)

image the package contains tickets A,B,C (and other tickets), A matches B in 4 numbers, A matches C in 4 numbers, B and C do not match in 4 numbers.

if the order of tickets is A,B,C then A is filtered out (it matches B), B and C are left in the package after filtering

if the order of tickets is B,A,C then only C is left in the package after filtering because B is compared with A (match is found) and removed, then later on A is compared with C (match found) and removed as well.


the filter stops evaluating tickets as soon as the first match is found so it may/does happen that not all tickets are compared with each other and that means the order of tickets in the package makes difference

[sliver]

Ok Stan, help me out here please!

The package I sent has 28,000+ tickets filtered down from a full package of 880,000+ package

The filtered package has the jackpot ticket, and lots and lots of 2nd and 3rd prize tickets. I'm looking for a safe way to reduce this and still get some wins.

If I use the Match Package filter, I'm down to 3 or 14 tickets with no wins. The best tickets filter does not help either.

What can I do to get about 50 tickets that will still contain at least 1 win ?

[sliver]

oh and another question - is this how its supposed to work ? does not seem very logical that it would end up with just 3 tickets from 28,000+

[jimbo]

i also acquire the same results, and cant seem to get about 30,000 tick with jackpot tick still there, down to a playable amount. dont really expect jackpot tick, but it would be nice to have a few 3rd or fourth.

any ideas to get it down to 300 maybe. best tick also didnt get good results?

jim

[stan]

[quote=sliver]
oh and another question - is this how its supposed to work ? does not seem very logical that it would end up with just 3 tickets from 28,000+
[/quote]

it just means that for each ticket in the package there's another ticket that matches its four numbers

try 'match 4, min 10, matching tickets remove' or 'match 6, matching tickets remove' that should give you 100 - 200 tickets only

another option is to use bobes' instructions from the jackpot section