He Picked 6 but Missed the Key Number--7:45

Benny Effendi says he had the great foresight to pick all six numbers in Wednesday’s Super Lotto. Only his ticket was for today .

He just didn’t know it.

Effendi, 38, said he unknowingly made his picks shortly after the Wednesday deadline--but before the drawing--and ended up with a stub for today. The auto mechanic, who lives in Buena Park, thought he had won until a co-worker pointed out the correct date on the stub.

“It just shocked me,” Effendi said.

So unless his magic combination of 3-7-14-19-21-35 repeats, the Buena Park mechanic is three days late and a dollar short. Or $39 million short, depending on how you look at it.

“The ticket is still a good ticket because some of those numbers could come up,” said Norma Minas, a spokeswoman for the state lottery. “But more than likely, because of the laws of random, they won’t come up. It’s possible he could pick a few numbers and win $5.”

Effendi said he bought his ticket late because he had to pick up his son a little later than usual Wednesday, missing the 7:45 p.m. cutoff. He is not sure exactly what time he bought the ticket but thinks it was before the 8 p.m. drawing.

Minas said she is somewhat skeptical of reports of people buying lottery tickets with winning numbers during the 15-minute window.

“It has been awhile since I heard a story like this,” she said. “I cannot really make a specific comment because I don’t have the ticket.”

For now, Effendi is keeping his job fixing Nissans and Toyotas at a shop in Costa Mesa. He plans to keep playing the Lotto.

Maybe lightning will strike twice.