The Basics
In Lottso! Express, your goal is to match numbered balls with numbered holes on the gameboard. To place a ball, either click and drag it where you want it to go, or simply click on the numbered hole on the gameboard. For example, in the picture above, the number 5 ball can be placed in the 5 hole (or any FREE hole.) STAR balls can be placed on any hole. FREE holes will accept any ball.
The 6×6 gameboard is divided into 6 different 3×2 cards, which some players also call trays. If you fill up one of these 3×2 cards with 6 balls, you will earn a scratcher, as shown in the lower left of the picture. Scratchers earn you extra points when you scratch them. You can increase the value of a scratcher by placing balls in the multiplier area next to the scratcher. In the picture above, the scratcher could be increased by placing an 8 and/or a 2 in the multiplier area.
Players can also score points by placing balls, completing bingos (row, column, or diagonal), and using all 6 balls in the rack.
The game has 5 levels of goals. You reach each goal by filling the scorebar to the necessary score. When you reach a goal, you get 30 extra balls. You also start the game with 30 balls. When you run out of balls, the game ends. The game is not timed, so take as long as you’d like.
When you are done placing balls for the round, you can press the Refill button to get a new rack of 6 balls. Any unused balls will be wasted.
At the end of the game, if you have reached the 3rd goal or beyond, you will be rewarded with a spin.
Cards (or Trays)
There are several different kinds of cards in Lottso! Express.
Gold
Of the regular cards, Gold cards are worth the most points. They have the fewest FREE spaces, and their multiplier areas also have the fewest FREE spaces. Gold cards are 3 spaces wide by 2 spaces high.
Silver
Of the regular cards, Silver cards are worth the average number points. They have an average number of FREE spaces, and their multiplier areas also have an average number of FREE spaces. Silver cards are 3 spaces wide by 2 spaces high.
Bronze
Of the regular cards, Bronze cards are worth the fewest points. They have the most FREE spaces, and their multiplier areas also have the most FREE spaces. Bronze cards are 3 spaces wide by 2 spaces high.
Lottso
You earn the Lottso card when you complete two vertically adjacent regular cards in the same round. In the picture above, you could earn a Lottso card by completing the Gold and Silver card below it, or the Silver and Bronze card below it. You can see an already-earned purple Lottso card on the bottom right part of the board. Lottso scratchers don’t have any multiplier areas, but their scratchers score (on average) more than the regular scratchers. Also, Lottso cards have a single EXTRA square. EXTRA squares work like FREE squares, and they also award you 6 extra balls. Lottso cards are 3 spaces wide by 4 spaces high.
Super Lottso
You earn the Super Lottso card when you complete three vertically adjacent regular cards in the same round. In the picture above, you could earn a Super Lottso card by completing the Gold, Silver, and Bronze cards on the left side, in the same round. You could also earn a Super Lottso card by completing the Silver card and the Lottso card below it, in the same round. Super Lottso scratchers don’t have any multiplier areas, but they score (on average) more than the regular scratchers and the Lottso scratcher. Also, Super Lottso cards have two EXTRA squares. EXTRA squares work like FREE squares, and they also award you 6 extra balls. Super Lottso cards are 3 spaces wide by 6 spaces high.
Mega Lottso
You earn the Mega Lottso card when you complete the entire board in the same round. This takes a lot of planning, and sometimes it requires wasting a few balls as you wait for the right numbers. It’s often worth the wait, though. Mega Lottso scratchers don’t have any multiplier areas, but they score (on average) more than any other scratcher. Also, Mega Lottso cards have three EXTRA squares. EXTRA squares work like FREE squares, and they also award you 6 extra balls. Mega Lottso cards are 6 spaces wide by 6 spaces high. Wowie!
Scratchers
There are several different kinds of scratchers in Lottso! Express.
Match
Each of the six spots on the “Match” scratcher hides one copy of a matching set of scores. The first pair of matching numbers you reveal will be the score. The final score can be multiplied by 1.5 or by 2 if you place balls in the multiplier area for this scratcher.
Scratch
There are six spots on a “Scratch” scratcher and one of them hides a collect. Click on a spot to reveal a number or the collect icon. You’ll keep all the points you score before revealing the collect icon. The final score can be multiplied by 1.5 or by 2 if you place balls in the multiplier area for this scratcher.
Pick 3
There are six spots on a “Pick 3” scratcher. Pick 3 spots, and their sum total will be your score. The final score can be multiplied by 1.5 or by 2 if you place balls in the multiplier area for this scratcher. This scratcher is only available to Club Pogo players rank 15 or higher. On average, Pick 3 scores roughly the same a Match or Scratch, but some players may find they prefer the consistency of Pick 3.
Pick 2
There are two rows of three spots on a “Pick 2” scratcher. Pick one spot from the top row, which is multiplied by the spots you pick on the bottom row. The final score can be multiplied by 1.5 or by 2 if you place balls in the multiplier area for this scratcher. This scratcher is only available to Club Pogo players rank 35 or higher. On average, Pick 2 scores roughly the same a Match or Scratch, but some players may find they prefer the variation of Pick 2.
Lottso
There are three spots on the “Lottso” scratcher. After you pick a spot, three columns of points will appear, and you score whichever points you picked. Lottso scratchers don’t have any multiplier areas, but their scratchers score (on average) more than the regular scratchers.
Super Lottso
There are 6 rows of spots on the “Super Lottso” scratcher. You start on the bottom row, and work your way up the pyramid. Each row of the Super Lottso scratcher works like the “Scratch” scratcher. You keep clicking spots until you reveal the red up arrow, which moves you up one row. At the very top, you keep clicking until you reveal the collect icon, at which point you get all those points! Super Lottso scratchers don’t have any multiplier areas, but they score (on average) much more than the regular scratchers and the Lottso scratcher.
Mega Lottso
There are 6 rows of spots on the “Mega Lottso” scratcher. The “Mega Lottso” scratcher works like the Super Lottso scratcher, with two twists. First, each row is one spot wider than the “Super Lottso” scratcher, so you have more chances to win on the “Mega Lottso” scratcher. Also, and most importantly, on the top of row of the “Mega Lottso” scratcher, there is a normal point score, a normal collect icon, and a replay icon. If you reveal the replay icon, you get to replay the entire “Mega Lottso” scratcher, keeping all your points. You can replay the scratcher up to 10 times if you are very lucky! Each time you replay the scratcher, the scoring spots and the collect spots could be in different places, so memorization won’t help. Mega Lottso scratchers don’t have any multiplier areas, but they score (on average) much more than any other scratcher in the game.
Scoring
There are lots of ways to earn points in Lottso! Express. Here is the complete list:
- Each ball you place is worth points equal to its number. For example, placing a number 6 ball earns you 6 points. The STAR ball is worth 10 points.
- Using all the balls in the rack earns you 50 points.
- Getting a bingo (row, column, or diagonal) earns you 25 points. A double bingo is worth 100 points. A triple bingo is worth 300 points.
- Completing scratchers earns a variable number of points. Regular bronze scratchers are worth the least (on average), and Mega Lottso scratchers are worth the most. You can increase the value of a regular scratcher by placing one or two balls in the multiplier area for that scratcher. A regular Gold scratcher, fully multiplied, is still worth less than a Lottso scratcher (on average.)
At the end of the game, you earn 1 token for every 25 points that you have scored. Every time you reach one of the five point goals, you earn 30 extra balls.
Tips and FAQ
- The Undo button can be used as long as you haven’t refilled, earned extra balls, or scratched a scratcher. There is no penalty for using the Undo button.
- The Bronze, Silver, and Gold cards appear at the same frequency. Bronze cards pay less, but are easier to complete and multiply. Gold cards pay more, but are harder to complete and multiply.
- If you have to pick between multiplying a Bronze card or a Gold card, multiply the Gold card since it’s usually worth more.
- The frequency of all the balls is the same, so if you have to pick where to put a STAR ball, cover up numbers that are more common.
- All things being equal, put STAR balls on lower numbered holes, since you’ll score 10 points for the STAR ball and only 1 point for a 1.
- Remember that you get 50 bonus points for using all the balls in the rack, so try to set things up to ensure you can use all the balls.
- Mega Lottso can have a big payout, so it might be good strategy to wait to click the scratchers until you can do all of them at once.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is there a timer in Lottso! Express?
A: No! Take as long as you’d like.
Q: Is there a penalty for using the UNDO button?
A: No! Undo all you want (though maximum of 6, and it resets if you refill, scratch, or earn extra balls.)
Q: When does the game end?
A: The game ends when you have no more balls left, all the available balls have been placed, and all the scratchers have been scratched.
Q: Are there difficulty levels?
A: There are no difficulty levels, but there are 5 different levels of goals to achieve in a single game.
Ranks
Lottso! Express has 50 ranks that you can earn as you progress through the game. For Club Pogo players, your rank is shown on a special Rank icon that appears in the upper left. Mouse over the rank icon in the upper left to see your current progress towards the next rank. At the end of each game, the Game Summary screen will also display how many more balls you need to place to reach the next rank.
Whenever you place a ball anywhere on the board or in a multiplier area, you earn progress towards your next rank.
There are 5 rank badges you can win in Lottso! Express. The badges are given out when you achieve ranks 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50. There are also two secret badges, which we won’t write about here, because then they wouldn’t be secret!
Note: To make rank progress, you do not need to win the game. You simply need to place balls.