Lotto because the game is slow and boring
 
This approach is a little less appealing to me. Usually I am up against a cautious and bright opponent. Charging in with my high ranked pieces usually will not work well against this foe. But I know what is going on and do not forget I can read your setup and I know where to attack. So under this approach, I will determine what side your Marshal is on and I will attack the other side with my Marshal or General. But I will not stop there, I will attack everything whether it moved or not because you are such a brainless nitwit that let me read your setup and now you will suffer the consequences. Now you ask: How did I show you my entire setup by moving only 6 pieces and you still do not know where my Marshal is?  The answer: Because I could tell it was your Marshal and the way you moved those 6 pieces gave me the vision of your setup I needed.  And if I happen to blow up on a bomb, I will just write that up as blurred vision. All psychics cannot possibility be right ALL the time. This is another approach I utilize often. Its payoff far exceeds its drawbacks. And if you are the type of opponent that tricks me into hitting bombs, this does not make you good; you just got lucky!  
 
 
Lotto when I am losing and there is no other alternative
 
I do not enjoy this approach of lotto as much as the other three. By rank of the different ways to lotto, this is surely the least successful approach to win. What I mean to say is that ANYONE can do this approach. And I am not just anyone; I am a man with a great mind that is able to utilize my Sixth Sense to read the board before this is my last option. But, if I was having a bad game, and my bomb-sniffing abilities have let me down, I will gladly use this approach as well. This approach is great for me when I am down a couple of high-ranking pieces and you cannot possibly stop all my pieces. What I do is attack all your unknown and unmoved pieces. Now this is not luck at all. This is just reading the board and utilizing this mystic info that I possess. Just because you think you have a good setup, does not necessarily make it a good one. Don't you ever forget, I am one of the few that can see your entire setup before you move your pieces. For this reason, you can never make a good enough setup to stop me. In this late stage of the game, you better be able to stop me from getting to your uncovered flag, because if you fail to stop me, I am going to win.  
 
This post is long overdue because I am growing tired of all you Lotto-Hating players. Lotto is part of the game as you know. So next time you complain about my lottoing, show me in the rulebook where it says I cannot do it.  
 
 
 
***Disclaimer: Esquire never Lottos so this is an attempt to get into the mind of the Lotto Kings out there. No real persons were used in the making of the post, but you know who you are. Enjoy!  

I've had several players utilize a similar approach, not quite as thought out as yours, and there is much validity to what you say. I'm from Nevada, and, insofar as bombs from the get go are concerned, the chances of striking one [all things being equal] are about 1 in 6.66666 [extend out]. Naturally, with each successful bomb avoidance, that factor increases accordingly, without factoring in the opponents #1 and Spy, naturally...
 
I've also had a player march right up and try that routine with their #1, leaving me with a smirk on my face because, bingo, they stepped on a mine the first strike they made, and believe me, they are more cautious from that point on...
 
The other fact of the matter is you can lose the #1, and, as long as you have a Spy, their #1 must be on the lookout. Of course, the counterbalance is that, once you lose your #1, the only hope to kill his #2 is via bomb or trade...in fact, trading #2's seem to be the best option once your #1 sucks wind. In this way it's a battle of his #1 [vs. your Spy and whatever bombs remain]...
 
Another nice little approach is to plan on #1 assassination from the first move forward, all the while luring his #1/#2 vis a viz "Venus Fly Trap" using your #4's as bait...
 
Making an opponent lose a good number of #5's and #6's early on, whilst keeping yours is wonderful for the end game when successfully used in concert with the VFT...
 
I don't get lucky with lottoing early in a game, I've usually taken the wind out of my sails within the first three moves, thereby losing my #1 for a couple of #9's and a #4 [or #3 if exceptionally lucky..."
 
I find latter game lottoing more effective...

What if your colonel hit a bomb on one of the sides?  Which piece, and where would you lotto next?

being an avid lottoer, i have had much experience with each type of lotto. i can honestly say that i would never aimlessly ram my marsh or general into the opposing forces to start a game. doing so really waters down the game, and makes it far less enjoyable, even when it works in your favor. yes i often lotto my marsh into the front row on one of the corners, but only against players who rarely if ever have a front row bomb. even then, the purpose of this lotto is not to gain a high ranking piece, rather to gain an advantageous position on the board for my oncoming attack. I've probably lottoed the front row with my marsh about 25-30 times, and I think I can recall twice where there was a bomb/spy waiting. And one of those games I still managed to win(thanks pathfinder).
 
If you are any good, you shouldn’t mind being down a major or even col, especially if you are picking off multiple low level pieces and finding bomb placements in the process. If you can scout a bomb, I see nothing wrong with sending a major in that area to clean up some garbage. If you can get a serg, miner or 2miners, and then find another bomb, I would consider that a victory for me.  
 
Times I would not suggest lotto are as follows:
 
-If you are already down a power piece, and losing another power piece on a bomb will 100% result in defeat
-If you are up two power pieces
-If you are playing someone who bombs their flag in 100% of the time, and you are up the highest ranking piece
-the game is dead even, and you have little information on bomb placement – to me this is the same as lottoing right off the bat, only much more annoying, as you have spent time and energy on the game already. There's no glory in winning this way.
 
I have taken CS’s approach a few times, just to see what the success rate is. I have found that there are too many variables in the equation to make the colonel ramjob a successful routine practice. So I wouldn’t recommend it.
 
It’s no coincidence that most of the top players RARELY ever lotto, especially if they’re not losing big. You will never have a 10/1 win ratio if you lotto routinely. The game can easily be won with no lotto ever. But for those of us who play the game fast and furious, and are willing to take the occasional loss on a bad guess, using these guidelines should improve your chances of success.
 
**This does not apply if your name is GFK or matt23