Jerry and Marge Selbee have cracked the code. This retired Michigan couple has figured out how to win the lottery and they've done so dozens of times, cashing in for over $26 million.

Jerry Selbee tells 60 minutes that he's always had a head for math. He has a bachelor's degree from Western Michigan University and together with his wife they ran a convenience store in Evart, about 45 miles northwest of Mt. Pleasant.

One morning after retiring in 2003, Jerry bought a ticket for a new Michigan lottery game called Winfall. Selbee says it took him about three minutes to figure out a feature of the game that would increase his odds of winning.

"Iin Winfall, if the jackpot reached $5 million, and no one matched all six numbers, all the money 'rolled down' to the lower-tier prize winners, dramatically boosting the payouts of those who matched five, four or three numbers."

See if you can follow Jerry's math. I've read it five times and I still don't get it.

"If I played $1,100 mathematically I'd have one 4-number winner, that's 1,000 bucks.  I divided 1,100 by six instead of 57 because I did a mental quick dirty and I come up with 18. So I knew I'd have either 18 or 19 3-number winners and that's 50 bucks each. At 18 I got $1,000 for a 4-number winner, and I got 18 3-number winners worth $50 each, so that's 900 bucks. So I got $1,100 invested and I've got a $1,900 return."

The Selbees then began playing on a larger scale, investing hundreds of thousands of dollars which paid off with huge returns.

Today the Selbees live a quiet life, using their winnings to help their kids, grandkids, and great-grandchildren. According to 60 Minutes, the Selbees have sold the rights to their story which is in the early stages of being adapted into a movie.

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