Lottery

Once a week, 5 lotto numbers are selected randomly by the computer. You may enter tickets into the drawing with the "Lotto" function. You can find this under the Godfather tab, then by clicking "Lotto" on that page. If you match a certain number of numbers, you can win prizes. Here they are:

Requirement	Daily Chance Prizes
5 matching balls	333 reward points
4 matching balls	8 reward points
3 matching balls	A Daily Chance collection piece
2 matching balls	An unused Daily Chance ticket
1 matching balls	A random loot item

Four matching balls = 8 reward points? I mean, what are the odds for just 8 reward points? Weird.

Third, you get a point for each daily chance ticket you play. You can let these points build up to 6 total points and exchange them for rewards.

1 Ticket: Random Collection Item
2 Tickets: +10 Stamina
3 Tickets: +30 Energyy
4 Tickets: +1 Ticket
5 Tickets: +1 Stat Point
6 Tickets: +5 Godfather Points

This is actually pretty nice because without buying any reward points, you can collect an extra 5 godfather points per week. Collecting 5 Godfather Points is equivalent to ~1.43 stat points, which makes it more effective then buying +1 stat point.

You get one free ticket every day, and you may additionally buy a ticket for 52 godfather points. Doing some simple math here allows me to think it might take quite some time to collect the full lotto collection set, so I hope it is a good reward (will update when I get the information). None of the other rewards are that exciting- while 333 godfather points looks good on paper, the odds of matching all 5 are like winning the real lottery!


***UPDATE*** - lotto seems to give consumable items instead now, like illegal transaction records, cell phones, and blackmail photos instead of rare loot items.

Originally posted by: Mafia Wars Guide

Using The Bank

I see this consistently - mid to high level players with a lot of money banking their money in New York religiously. Unless you are under level 50, this is a big mistake! Let's take a look at some math:

Let's say you are around level 80 and are working through the Consigliere tier.

1. Each job seems to pay an average of around $5,000,000 and there are 8 total jobs to master, so you'll end up doing a few hundred jobs to finish the tier.
2. So, let's say you do 300 jobs at $5,000,000 a piece.
3. This will leave you with $1,500,000,000 by the time you are finished.
4. If you deposit this in the bank, you will pay a -10% fee. This is $150,000,000.
5. Each time you lose a fight, you can lose a maximum of $100,000.
6. Therefore, you would have to lose 1500 fights in order to save money by using the bank.


Well, some people have lost more than 1500 fights, it's true. However, these players generally are Master Bosses and have been playing for some time. In the Master Boss tier, the average job pays 15,000,000 and you have to do over 1000 jobs to finish the tier. By the time you master every tier, you should have made at least 20-30 billion dollars. If you divide $30,000,000,000 by $100,000 (the most you can lose in a fight), you would have to lose 300,000 fights to save money. So, in short, if you are over level 50, you are wasting money (in New York) by using the bank.

However, Mafia Wars: Cuba is a different story.

The Bank is actually useful in Mafia Wars: Cuba. You can still lose up to 100,000 per fight, but this time it is scarce pesos. Fully upgraded businesses produce just over 300,000 cuban pesos per day, which you could lose most of in just a couple fights. Protect your money in Cuba and deposit it right away!


How to Buy Property

When buying property, always buy it in stacks of 10. It is much cheaper to get 10 casinoes for 300,000 a piece then it is to get one for 300,000, one for 305000, another for 310000, and so on.

Additionally, not all property types were created equal. The cost per building for casinoes goes up much faster than that of office buildings and five-star hotels. So, buy the property that is going to provide the most return on investment (ROI). For example, if you have 100 casinoes and 100 office buildings, and are looking to buy more.

As a theoretical example:

Office buildings produce 150,000/hr and 10 more would cost 1,200,000,000
Investment = 1,200,000,000
Return = 150,000/hr * 10 buildings

This investment will pay 1$ for every 800 invested per hour (1,200,000,000 / 150,000). This means it will repay the initial investment in 800 hours and begin to produce a profit after that of 1$/800 invested.

Casinoes produce 300,000/hr and 10 more would cost 3,000,000,000

This investment will repay itself in 1000 hours (3,000,000,000 / 300,000) and begin to produce a profit after that of 1$/1000 invested.

In short, you should not have the same amount of casinoes, hotels, and office buildings. If you really want that Nest Egg achievement, pay attention to which property will provide the most ROI.

Originally posted by: Mafia Wars Guide

How To Not Get Robbed

Without further ado, here are my top tips on how not to get robbed:

1. Your mafia size should be at least the equivalent of your level.

Unlike defending fights, the amount of mafia members that can "help out" is equal to your level. So, if you don't want to get robbed and are level 70, you should have at least 70 people in your mafia. By having less mafia members then your level, you become a big target.

2. Make sure your mafia is equipped.

Mafia members are only as strong as the weapons and armor you give them. Make sure every mafia member has a decent weapon, armor, and vehicle to use. If you don't have money for that, then why are you buying property?

3. Level Up!

I'm not talking about leveling up to put more points in defense or get more mafia members. Getting out of the low levels early is important for property health - players at higher levels do not rob as often, if at all. Why? Because it is not worth the stamina. Fighting yields more experience and has a chance to drop the best weapons (AR-15s), vehicles (Humvees), and job items (like blackmail photos) that the high level players need.

The 650,000-750,000$ that is standard for robbing a casino pales in comparison to the amount of cash the "Boss" jobs produce. High level players do jobs for money rather than rob. On that note, if you are power leveling, you may find it hard to keep your mafia size equal to your level. The solution is simple - if you can't keep your mafia size equal to your level, just don't buy property (aside from Mafia Mike's) until you are around level 150. Players around level 20-80 rob much more frequently then high level players.

4. Don't rob other players.

As noted in point #3, high level players do not like to rob. The only reason to rob is to get revenge for their low level buddies. So, if you don't piss anyone off (i.e. by robbing them), you are much less likely to get robbed in return.

5. Win a lot of fights.

In Mafia Wars, the best defense is a good offense. When robbing someone, you can only see a few statistics - number of mafia members, whether the property is protected, and the profile stats (such as fights won and lost) of the person you are trying to rob. Since a player can't actually see your defense rating, a high level of defense does little to deter attacks. What they can see however, is your win to loss ratio on fights. I know I'm a lot less likely to try to fight or rob someone that has won 10,000 fights and only lost 1,000! However, when I see someone who has lost many more fights then they have won, I know it's an easy target.

6. Don't put people on the hitlist.

If you WANT to get robbed, be sure to put someone on the hitlist. Not only will the person you put a hit out on rob you repeatedly, but so will his friends. Additionally, when someone posts a hit, their name is shown on the hitlist as well. Some bored higher level players get entertainment out of robbing and attacking people who put out hits rather than attacking for the reward money! Avoid putting your name out there and you won't get robbed (or attacked) as much.

7. Protect your property.

Protecting your property is not as expensive as you might think - it only needs to be done once if you never get robbed! If you followed steps 1-5 and protect your property, the your odds of getting robbed are slim-to-none. If you never have to pay for repairs, you'll save a lot of money!

Summary

If you are getting robbed constantly in mafia wars, just add more people to your mafia, win a lot of fights (if your attack rating is low find a whipping boy), don't rob other players, don't put out hits, and protect your property. If all else fails, level to 150 as fast as you can- people at that level don't rob as much. Do this and I guarantee you your robbery rates will go way down!

Don't let this happen to you!

Originally posted by: Mafia Wars Guide

Stategy and Leveling Guide

In the facebook version of Mafia Wars, collections sets of items that drop randomly while doing jobs. Each collection is tied to a specific job tier (i.e. soldier, enforcer, hitman, etc.) and the items from each collection a chance to drop when doing jobs of the corresponding tier. When you collect a full set, you can "vault" the items (an option under the inventory tab) for a permanent stat bonus.

Here is a list of the collections available in Facebook's Mafia Wars and the rewards available for collecting each set of items:

Street Thug Tier:

Diamond Flush Collection - Reward - +1 energy
Items in set: Eight of Diamonds, Nine of Diamonds, Ten of Diamonds, Jack of Diamonds, Queen of Diamonds, King of Diamonds, Ace of Diamonds

Associate Job Tier:

Heart Flush Collection - Reward - +5 Health
Items in Set: Eight of Hearts, Nine of Hearts, Ten of Hearts, Jack of Hearts, Queen of Hearts, King of Hearts, Ace of Hearts

Soldier Job Tier:

Sculptures Collection - Reward - +3 Defense
Items in Set: Rat Sculpture, Sheep Sculpture, Rooster Sculpture, Tiger Sculpture, Snake Sculpture, Dragon Sculpture

Poker Chips Collection - Reward - +2 Attack
Items in Set: White Poker Chip, Brown Poker Chip, Red Poker Chip, Blue Poker Chip, Green Poker Chip, Purple Poker Chip, Gold Poker Chip

Club Flush Collection - Reward - +3 Attack
Items in Set: Eight of Clubs, Nine of Clubs, Ten of Clubs, Jack of Clubs, Queen of Clubs, King of Clubs, Ace of Clubs

Boxing Collection - Reward - +3 Attack
Items in Set: Hand Tape, Gloves, Headgear, Boxing Trunks, Speed Bag, Heavy Bag, Boxing Ring

Enforcer Job Tier:

Cigars Collection - Reward - +2 Energy
Items in Set: Ebony Cigar, Sky Cigar, Rose Cigar, Ivory Cigar, Turquoise Cigar, Gold Cigar, Royal Cigar

Spade Flush Collection - Reward - +2 Stamina
Items in Set: Eight of Spades, Nine of Spades, Ten of Spades, Jack of Spades, Queen of Spades, King of Spades, Ace of Spades

Billiard Balls Collection - Reward - +1 Stamina
Items in Set: One Ball, Two Ball, Three Ball, Four Ball, Five Ball, Cue Ball, Eight Ball

Hitman Job Tier:

Rings Collection - Reward - +5 Defense
Items in Set: Topaz Ring, Opal Ring, Amethyst Ring, Emerald Ring, Sapphire Ring, Ruby Ring, Diamond Ring

Ties Collection - Reward - +6 Defense
Items in Set: Solid Tie, Striped Tie, Checked Tie, Geometric Tie, Dot Tie, Paisley Tie, Knitted Tie

Capo Job Tier:

Paintings Collection - Reward - +6 Energy
Items in Set: Warhol Painting, Cezanne Painting, Matisse Painting, Van Gogh Painting, Dali Painting, Monet Painting, Rembrandt Painting

Cufflinks Collection - Reward - +10 Health
Items in Set: Silver Cufflinks, Gold Cufflinks, Amber Cufflinks, Jasper Cufflinks, Agate Cufflinks, Onyx Cufflinks, Pearl Cufflinks

Barber Shop Collection - Reward - +4 Energy
Items in Set: Barber Pole, Razor, Brush, Seat, Towel, Scissors, Cream

Consigliere Job Tier:

Great Race Horses Collection - Reward - +7 Energy
Items in Set: Mill Reef, Sea Bird, Arkle, Golden Miller, St Simon, Ormonde, Eclipse



Mafia Wars: Cuba Collections

El Soldado Job Tier
Rum Drinks Collection
Reward: +8 energy
Items: Pina Colada, Hurricane, Bahama Mama, Mojito, Rum Runner, Long Island Ice Tea, Cuba Libre

El Capitan Job Tier
Tropical Fruits Collection
Reward: +3 Stamina
Items: Banana, Lime, Pineapple, Papaya, Coconut, Passion Fruit, Dragon Fruit

El Jefe Job Tier
Entertainers Collection
Reward: +10 Health
Items: Magician, Fan Dancer, Comedian, Band Leader, Cabaret Singer, Crooner, Burlesque Dancer


El Patron Job Tier
Tropical Fish Collection
Reward: +5 Attack
Items: Pufferfish, Sergeant Major, Yellowtail Snapper, Great Barracuda, Queen Angelfish, Reef Shark, Blue Martin

El Padriano Job Tier
Beards Collection
Reward: +7 Defense (also an achievement)
Items: Garibaldi, Hulihee, Vandyke, Mutton Chops, Soul Patch, French Fork, Fidel

Originally posted by: Mafia Wars Guide

How To Win Fights On Defence

1. Recruit more Mafia Members

It's a bit of a redundant theme at this point, but one of the easiest things you can do to not lose as many fights on defense is to add mafia members. If you are lacking mafia members, look for groups on facebook like "Mafia Wars Recruitment Center" and you will be able to find more mafia members there.

2. Equip your Mafia

Now that you've added more mafia members (or already had 500), it's important that they are fully equipped. You will want one weapon, armor, and vehicle for each person in your mafia. The higher the defense on the items, the better off you will be when defending yourself from attacks. Here is a list of the best equipment (weapons, armor, and vehicles both bought from the shop and dropped by jobs) for defense:

Weapon:

Gaff Hook - 30 defense - dropped from the "Pillage a Shipyard" job in the El Jefe tier.

Armor:

Guerrilla Squad - 34 defense - dropped from the "Supply the FRG with Some Extra Muscle" job in the El Padrino tier.

Vehicles:

Armored State Car - 38 defense - dropped from the "Storm the Presidential Palace" job in the El Padrino tier. This is no better than the Private Jet on defense, but it does also have quite a bit of attack (30) and can be a bit easier to get.

Private Jet - 38 Defense - Dropped from jobs and fights
Description: This item has a chance to drop from the "Make a deal with the Mexican Cartel" job in Mafia Wars. If you want more defense, work on replacing your town cars with Private Jets by doing this job over and over again. The drop rate on this item is not good, so be sure you are a Master Boss before collecting it - mastering a tier gives items a +10% drop rate!

3. Put points in Defense

Even if you have a full Mafia with all the best equipment, if you have no points in defense, you will still lose fights to high-end players. One easy way to get points is to do the collections; several of these, such as the ties and rings, will add a good bit of defense to your stats. One point in defense for every level you have will set you up to be above-average when it comes to getting attacked. Additionally, use your godfather points from leveling up for stats, and put those in defense if you feel like you are still getting killed too easily.


Summary

By filling up your mafia, collecting the best defensive weapons, armor, and vehicles, and by putting some points in defense, you can be sure to cut down on your losses in the future!

Originally posted by: Mafia Wars Guide

How To Win A Lot Of Easy Fights

The best way to win easy fights is to find a weak player and attack them over and over. However, even better, is to find an inactive weak player. Many people quit playing mafia wars but leave their accounts active. If you attack an inactive player, you don't have to worry about being put on the hitlist or being attacked by higher level friends of the person you are attacking.

How to spot an inactive player:

Inactive players tend to be low in level, have small mafias, and have old collectibles. The only way to know for sure is to attack the person and look at the report of the fight. Here is an example of a fight with an inactive player(click picture to see it):

Poor Don Mahoney..

The way you distinguish between a new player and an inactive player is by looking at what items you have. The person in this picture (attacked earlier today) has 2 Cupid's Tommy Guns. These were limited edition loot items which were only available around Valentine's Day. Getting two of these weapons requires 5 mafia members. As a result, we can conclude that the person in the picture above has not added anyone to their mafia since around Valentine's Day - that is they quit playing several months ago. And as you can also see in the picture, attacking low level players can still result in good item drops (a police cruiser in this case)! To double check for inactive players, make sure the target's level does not increase over the next few days. If it stays the same, you're golden!

Now that you've spotted this inactive easy target, you need to bookmark their profile. Simply bookmarking the attack page will not work - you have to open their profile in a new window, then bookmark the new page. Here is a step-by-step guide with pictures to clear things up:

1. Once you find your weak inactive target, open their profile in a new tab or window(by right clicking his name), like so:



2. Bookmark the new tab or window that opens up (ctrl + d on most computers). Now instead of attacking random players off of the attack list and hoping you win, you have access to this weak inactive player all the time, right in your favorites list!

3. You can even save time by bookmarking the "attack" link, so that you can simply click your bookmark and attack the inactive player. The advantage here is that you can hit your refresh button (F5 on most computers) times to spend all your stamina attacking the same weak target. This works well with the leveling guide.

4. Profit! Easy wins without retribution.. after all, why would an inactive player care if you attacked them all the time?

Originally posted by: Mafia Wars Guide

How to Win Fights

1. Increase your Mafia size

This is becoming a common theme no doubt. A bigger mafia will win more fights! Regardless of level, you can use 501 Mafia Members (i.e. you + 500) in any fight. The closer you are to that number, the better off you are going to be!


2. Equip your Mafia

Each Mafia member can use 1 (and only 1) weapon, armor, and vehicle when attacking other players. There is no advantage in having more than 1 weapon per mafia member. Only the best weapon will be selected to be used in combat. The only thing that matters when picking the best equipment for offense is its attack rating. Defense is not important! Here are the best items you can collect for offense:

Updated for Cuba

Weapon:

TNT - 42 Attack, 20 defense - drops from the "Raid the Arms Depot" job in the El Padrino tier.

Vehicle:

Hu-9 Helicopter - 36 attack, 27 defense - drops from the "Attack the Army Command Post" job in the El Padrino tier.

Armor:

Guerrilla Squad - 30 attack, 34 defense - drops from the "Supply the FRG with Some Extra Muscle" job in the El Padrino tier.


As you can see, the items from jobs have a significantly higher level of attack than the store bought versions. Keep doing the jobs listed above to collect these items if you want a better chance of winning fights! Additionally, when you master a tier all 3 times, items from jobs in that tier times will have a +10% drop rate. So before doing a job to collect items, make sure the whole tier is mastered. Furthermore, having more than 1 weapon, armor, or vehicle does little for your mafia- in other words, if you have 501 TNT, collecting any more weapons will do nothing for your offensive power. Collecting TNT for everyone in your mafia can take some time, but doing so will give you an edge in fights!

3. Put points in Attack

Even a full mafia with the best equipment will struggle if there are no points in the attack category. Even if you are following the leveling guide, at some point, you will need to put your stat points in "Attack" if you wish to be successful in attacking a lot of players. The formula for attacking other player seems to use attack as a multiplicative function - that is Mafia Size and equipment alone aren't enough to win fights, you need a solid combination of both of these factors.

4. Do not waste godfather points on reward items

This goes right along with point #3. At the moment, reward items flat out are not good (maybe the developers will improve them in the future). The weapons, armor, and vehicles rarely have much more attack or defense rating then what is already available through jobs. Sometimes it is even worse! Rather than get the reward items, spend your points on the +4 stat upgrade, and put points in attack. This will do much more for your fighting ability then buying these items.


Summary

By increasing your Mafia size (up to 501), making sure your mafia is stocked up on the best equipment, by putting some stat points in Attack, and by spending Godfather points on stats to add to attack, you can be sure to increase your chances of winning. However, you will never win 100% of fights - opponents who are Top Mafia bodyguards have a chance to always win on defense, plus critical hits, which are infrequent but occur, will always cause a loss in a fight.

Good luck!

Originally posted by: Mafia Wars Guide