It's no secret that Hamilton is the biggest musical on Broadway right now. Tickets are sold out, resale tickets are priced astronomically high, the digital lottery has about 10,000 entries per day, and amidst all this chaos there seems to be little hope in actually seeing the show unless you have this thing called money. Which most of us don't have. But there is a small sliver of hope. And that hope is the in-person lottery that still occurs prior to Wednesday matinee performances along with the Ham4Ham show.
But even with the in-person lottery, the odds are slim. There are still nearly a couple thousand participants looking to score some front row tickets. Is there a science to winning the in-person lottery? Or, are we all just fooling ourselves into thinking that there is one for the sake of our sanity. Regardless of your opinion, here are 5 simple tips on how to survive the in-person lottery.
Before delving into the tips, here's a brief rundown of how the lottery actually works.
Between the hours of 9 a.m. and 12:30 p,m., The Richard Rogers Theater begins forming a line for the lottery. It doesn't matter what place you hold in the line as staff won't begin the actual lottery process until 12:00 p.m.
The process is pretty straight forward: when the lottery begins, staff will hand out a slip of paper and a pencil. Walk to the table, fill out the slip of paper, and throw your entry into the basket. Should you win, you are allowed 1 or 2 tickets. Even if you put on your entry form 1 or 2 and decide to change, it doesn't matter. Staff will ask you regardless of how many you want if your name is selected.
It may seem silly that I'm pointing out the process but trust me, there are plenty of people that will show up at the lottery and do not listen to basic instructions. Be nice to the staff, they have a lot of stupid people to deal with which is entertaining for you but not so entertaining for them. And now, the tips!
1. Be Calm
The important thing to do once the lottery starts is to remain calm. You will feel a rush of excitement and the line will start to move pretty quickly. You'll be dealing with people who will stop in the middle of the line to try and fill out their paper on their hand and staff members that are desperately trying to get those people to listen to directions. It's very easy to get lost in the moment and forget some of the other important tips that are listed below. So stay calm, take a deep breath, and take your time. It's a lottery, there's no rush even though it may feel like it.
2. Fold your entry
It's no secret that folding your entry in a "unique" way will increase your odds of winning any sweepstakes. And the Hamilton lottery is no exception. While some Broadway lotteries do not permit the folding of entries, the Hamilton staff thus far appears to be okay with this little trick. And it definitely pays off: most of the entries pulled out are folded in some way or form. You'd also be surprised as to how many people don't fold their entry (It's a lot). So fold your entry. It could save your life.
3. Bring friends
People who are attending the lottery solo have won. It does happen. However, you can increase your odds by bringing a buddy since that is what most people in line are doing as well. While it won't increase your odds, it will certainly keep the playing field even rather than being at a disadvantage by going solo. And, if you are going solo, try to find a solo buddy to help keep your odds at an equal level with the majority of the crowd.
4. Scatter your friends
Hey, Hamilton did it to win the Revolutionary War right? Instinct says to stay with your friends so that you have someone to socialize with while you wait. But if you want to try and increase your chances, scatter your friends. As mentioned before, the lottery is just a basket. There's nothing special about it to mix the names up other than a good old-fashion hand throwing entries around. So if you position you and your friends at different places along the line, in theory, your entries will be more scattered in the basket and at different levels.
5. Lean towards the end of the line
While being at the front of the line will get you a better view of the Ham4Ham show, it may not get you a lottery ticket. Nearly every time I have attended, winners tend to be at the end of the line rather than the beginning. They're mostly in the back of the crowd as opposed to the front. And, most people won't show up until about 20 minutes or so before the drawing time. So in this case, being almost late might actually be worth it.
Even if this theory isn't true, it may make you feel better if you're towards the end. If you are towards the beginning, your hope will slowly diminish as you watch the line that never seems to end.
At the end of the day, the most important thing to remember about the Hamilton lottery is that there probably isn't any kind of science to winning; it's just a matter of luck. But hopefully if you apply some of these tips, at least it will make you feel better and more confident when entering the lottery. Especially since we've all lost hope with the digital lottery.
