How to Pick Lotto Numbers

There are seemingly nearly as many different ways to pick lottery numbers as there are combinations of numbers. Many lottery players have a strategy or method for choosing numbers that they stick with, others don’t and are happy to change it up with each entry. When jackpots get exciting and people who don’t ordinarily play the lottery begin to play in droves, some are confronted with a question: which strategy for picking numbers is right for me? So if you’re curious to learn how to pick the best lottery numbers when you buy lottery tickets online, read on! Or, if you’re a set-in-your-ways lottery player convinced you’ve got it figured out, well, you just might learn something new from this article.

Can You Use Statistics to Predict Lottery Numbers?

Using statistics to pick lottery numbers is a very heated topic. Yes, it is absolutely possible to use statistical methods to pick lottery numbers, but, mathematically speaking, the chosen numbers are no more likely to be winning numbers than a set of random numbers. This is because all numbers have an equal chance of being drawn in any given draw. Texan math professor Joan R. Ginther struck luck multiple times, four to be exact, using this very method! But, it is true that some numbers are drawn more often than others within a given time frame, which leads some people to select their numbers according to such trends as hot, cold, and due numbers.

How Do You Play With Hot and Cold Numbers?

Hot and Cold numbers refer to the frequency that lottery numbers are drawn. Cold numbers are rarely drawn while hot numbers show up in the most winning draws. Many players swear by using only hot numbers, as common sense would dictate that the more frequently a number is drawn, the more likely they are to come up again. But does that mean that you should only play Hot Numbers and avoid Cold Numbers like the plague? Although common sense would say yes, you might be surprised by the answer!

What Are Lottery Hot Numbers?

Hot numbers are the numbers that are drawn most often in any given lottery in any given time frame. For example, the most common EuroMillions numbers drawn are 17 20 23 39 and 44, with the two most common EuroMillions Lucky Numbers being 2 and 3. Some players would choose their numbers based on these trends, betting that if a number has been drawn more often in the past it will continue to be drawn in the future. It’s tempting to go along with this line of thinking, after all, if you flip a coin and it lands on heads five times in a row wouldn’t you maybe think that heads is hot and that the sixth flip would land on heads as well? If your answer is ‘no’ then you might be someone that plays cold numbers.

What Are Lottery Cold Numbers?

Just as the name implies, cold numbers are the opposite of hot numbers in that they are the numbers drawn least in any given lottery in any given time frame. For example, the least-drawn Italian SuperEnalotto numbers are 60, 53, 59, 28, and 27. The Italian SuperStar number with the fewest hits is 72. Players who choose to play cold numbers reason that because the cold numbers haven’t been drawn very frequently in the past, the chance that they’ll be drawn in the future is greater. To return to our coin flipping example: heads has come up five times in a row, what will the next flip of the coin bring? If you’re a player that chooses cold numbers, you believe that the next flip will land on tails because this outcome has yet to occur and is therefore more likely.

One thing to keep in mind when picking lottery numbers is that every number in the guess range has a totally equal chance at being selected. It so happened that some come up more than others. So unless the lottery you’re playing is rigged, any number you pick, whether hot or cold, has a chance of winning you big!

What Are Due Lottery Numbers?

Due numbers, sometimes called overdue numbers or outstanding numbers, are numbers that have not been drawn for an above average number of draws and therefore are due to be drawn. If a number is drawn 5 times over 100 drawings, then it is drawn on average every 20 drawings. If more than 20 drawings have elapsed since this number was drawn last, then it can be considered due. This does not guarantee that these numbers will be selected, as all numbers still have an equal chance of being chosen. One of the interesting things about the concept due numbers is that, to a certain extent, it can be combined with both hot and cold numbers to help select an entry. A number can be both hot and due, potentially making that number a great choice, depending on a player’s strategy.

How to Pick Lotto Numbers Using Numerology

On the other side of the strategic spectrum from statistics sits the numerological method of selecting lottery numbers. While players who choose a statistical method to pick their numbers are relying on mathematical principles, those whose choices are guided by numerology are abiding by a faith in something beyond human reason. Numerological strategy is about finding a person’s lucky, personal, or true numbers and playing them in the lottery. Lucky, personal, or true numbers can be birthdays, anniversaries, or other significant dates and numbers. They can also be numbers that seemingly coincidentally reoccur in a person’s life at precipitous moments. Numerologists often employ formulas to convert unwieldy numbers, such as dates with a day, month, and year, into more user friendly single digit numerals that fit nicely into a lottery ticket. Many winners have won using numbers that they considered lucky, or auspicious. While those numbers may have worked in their favour, and many people tout it's efficiency, there's no concrete proof that numerology will guarantee you a big win.

Another mystical study that can help you pick lotto numbers is astrology - the study of planets. Choosing lucky numbers based on your horoscope is a practice that has been done around the world for centuries. Whether you're choosing an important date, or your next lottery numbers, it couldn't hurt to consult the stars.

Do Random Numbers Boost Your Odds?

Statistically, there is no winning advantage to playing random, computer generated numbers, but, if you happen to win, the odds are that you will win more. Random numbers don’t give you an advantage because, statistically speaking, they are no more or less likely to be chosen than any other set of numbers. With randomly generated numbers, the odds that two players will have the same numbers is incredibly small. For some players, choosing random numbers can take some of the fun and excitement out of the game. Pressing the Quick Pick button when you play for a huge Mega Millions jackpot isn’t nearly as satisfying as stringing together important dates, birthdays, and other significant numbers or pouring over hot, cold, and due numbers to expertly pick out an odds boosting entry. A lot of people play the lottery in spite of the odds of winning, not because of them, and delegating our number selection to an algorithm seems to run counter to the excitement and hope that compels us to play the lottery in the first place.

Make It Look Nice

Another way to fill out a play slip is to put on your beret and paint a pretty picture when you're choosing Powerball numbers. When choosing numbers try to create an intricate pattern with your number selection. Or, you can make horizontal or vertical rows, or even a smiley face. Get creative with your selections and see what you can create! There is no reason you can’t use your imagination and have some fun. Your creativity might even pay off in a big way if your ticket turns out to be a winner, at which point you might want to sign that ticket and put it in a safe place.

Trust Your Gut

Every once in a while, a lottery winner will claim to have played numbers that came to them in a dream, through divine revelation, popped into their head, or that they simply had a good feeling about.  As far as trusting your gut being a strategy to abide by, it’s difficult to say how that would work. On the one hand a lot of players might  have a gut feeling when selecting numbers only to be disappointed when they don’t win. At the end of the day, if certain numbers are really calling your name, it just might be worth your while to answer!