This is one of those lottery questions that can make your head spin. Should I play the same lottery numbers or change them? It can turn your brain inside out if you overthink it…
If my numbers haven’t come up yet, surely they are more likely to in future?
This is comments page 6. Read the full post here:-
Should I Play The Same Lottery Numbers In Every Draw?
Hello,
How did people like Joan Ginther and Richard Lustig win multiple times?
In Joan’s case partly from playing wisely (she has a math Ph.D.) and partly from spending a huge amount on tickets. She played scratch-offs so simply worked out which were the best ones to play at any given time. There’s a lot more to this than most people realise – see my scratchies tips for more on this. And then she bought big, really big.
Richard Lustig is a different case. Firstly he’s won a heck of a lot less than Joan, and less than most people realise (see his wins listed here). All the evidence indicates it’s just a combination of luck and buying a lot of tickets – note that he hasn’t reported any wins since 2010 (when he started selling his book).
Actually Richard Lustig is dead. So no, he wouldn’t be posting any further winnings.
I realize many lottery games are not the same as in the US (our match 6 is 1-49, MegaMillions 1-70, and Powerball is 1-69). You may say, “that has no effect on the game you play”. I also realize you are saying that past does not prove future yet you use the word “odds” in relation to numbers being drawn. Can you really have it both ways? Remember balls are only balls, but I say numbers are only numbers and they have a time expectancy of life and showing up; which you appear to believe also in a way by you stating knowing when numbers will play…
Yup, he died in 2018 (you’re replying to my comment from 5 years ago).
I’m not sure I follow the rest of your comment. Past doesn’t prove future – how does that ‘disprove’ odds? But bear in mind I do emphasize (a lot) in the article ‘mathematically speaking’ (and qualify why I say that).
“numbers are only numbers and they have a time expectancy of life and showing up” – sure they will tend to average out over time (why is that different to balls being just balls?).
“by you stating knowing when numbers will play” – pretty sure I didn’t state that. 🙂
Yes Richard Lustig has passed on to the great lottery winner circle in the sky July 2018. He’s listed in Wikipedia.
Dear lotto guy,
4 out of 6 of a set of numbers I play for lotto 649 has showed up. I played the set and I have won $86. Should I keep playing the same numbers now that 4 of the numbers in the set has showed up. In A PREVIOUS DRAW 2 of the numbers showed up and I won a free ticket. My hunch tells me it must be my lucky numbers and I want to keep playing them. what do you recommend?
I would like to know if you increase your odds of winning by taking out a few of the highest and lowest numbers. I.e. You can choose five numbers between 1 – 34 but you only play 5 – 30.
Not unless you have a very good reason why you’re choosing only from that reduced range of numbers.
Think of it this way. If you roll a dice but decide you’re only going to guess from numbers 2 – 5, have your chances of being right changed?
Unless there is now a reason why 1 or 6 cannot be rolled, or are less likely to be rolled, then your odds are still 1-in-6 of being right.
So let’s simplify the lottery into a coin toss stretched over 1,000,0000 times. Doesn’t the heads and tails usually end up averaged out close. Although it could be heads 20 times in a row it will eventually hit tails 20 times in a row.
Yes… but how does that help you? 🙂 The next coin toss is still a 50/50.
There could have been 2, 20 or even 200 heads in a row. But that doesn’t mean that tails is more likely on the next coin toss – or the one after that. The next 200 could all be heads.
Is it better to play the lotto every draw or choose to play only certain draws? I find it too expensive to play every draw so I want to wait for when the jackpot is high to play a couple of tickets.
It depends on your overall strategy really. But there’s nothing specifically wrong with targeting only certain draws.
Also read this: Are My Chances Of Winning Better If I Play Less Often
I won’t risk playing by targeting certain draws – I rather play all draws just in case my numbers come out.
If you are playing Powerball or Megalotto you need a timeline of 30 to 25 years, and you can pass it to your son or daughter the numbers you had been playing so it will not be wasted.
(Amended from ALL CAPS)
That’s just superstition though really :-). It just doesn’t work like that.
There is no ‘memory’ to the draw. So (in simple terms, but read the post) a result that hasn’t happened in 50 years is still no more (or less) likely than the one that got drawn last week.
What about the people who have won 649 or Lotto Max, do they pick their own numbers or quick picks?
People have won both ways.
But if you’re really asking which is better, then this question about your chances of winning with quick picks may help 🙂
I have been playing the same numbers for Lotto, Take 5 and Mega Millions for over 20 years and won a few Take 5 2nd places, nothing more. I am going to be losing my job soon and I can’t afford the $25 a week anymore. How do I just quit cold turkey and not worry about if my numbers will come out one day and I didn’t play it. If I used quick pick it would be easier, but playing the same numbers it’s very hard to stop.
Two ways:-
1. Recognize they are only ‘your numbers’ when you play them. When you don’t play them they are nothing, just irrelevant.
2. Understand that the chances of those numbers coming up are no better now than 20 years ago.
And if you find yourself playing when you genuinely can’t afford it – then seek help, because that’s superstition becoming an addiction. Sorry if that bit sounds harsh 🙂
I was also playing the same numbers every draw without any luck. I felt a big relief when I switched to using quick picks. I think I prefer the quick pick method because when you cannot afford to play for while you don’t have to worry about your numbers coming up. As at now I have quit playing the lottery for a while because I need to save money for other priorities in life. If I was playing the same numbers all the time quitting for a while will just be a problem because you will be worried your numbers will come up.
I do get why it ‘feels this way’ – but that’s really just superstition. They are only your numbers when you play them. And your numbers can’t come up if you don’t play.
But if switching to quick picks makes this feel easier, than that’s not a bad thing 🙂
In the history of lotto numbers do you know say Mega or Powerball game – have the same exact numbers been drawn more than once?
Yes they have – have a look at this post https://www.lottery-guy.com/lgblog/are-winning-lottery-numbers-repeated/.
I recently developed a Lotto simulator. There are various methods of choosing your numbers, including ‘Manual’, ‘Random’, ‘Overdue Based’ and ‘Modify on Match’. You enter the amount of draws or years to run the simulation and then wait for the results.
It is interesting to note that the ‘Overdue Based’ method of choosing numbers turns out to be consistently the worst method. The only reason I can think for this happening is that by only picking from the most overdue numbers it is limiting itself on the range of numbers it has to choose from.
Here are some of my results based on 1,000,000 draws:
Draws: 1,000,000
Overdue Based:
Jackpots: 0
5+Bonus: 0
5 nums: 4
4 nums: 454
3 nums: 10601 *
2 nums: 97558
1 num: 381778
Modify on Match:
Jackpots: 0
5+Bonus: 0
5 nums: 10 *
4 nums: 456 *
3 nums: 10246
2 nums: 97760 *
1 num: 381573
Manual:
Jackpots: 0
5+Bonus: 0
5 nums: 9
4 nums: 452
3 nums: 10512
2 nums: 97398
1 num: 381987 *
I’d suggest running a lot more draws – is this a 6/49 draw you’re simulating? If so, that’s 13 million+ combinations so 1 million draws isn’t all that many statistically. Run a billion 🙂
Also bear in mind coding a random number generator (RNG) isn’t easy, depending on how it’s done it can vary from being heavily biased to outright predictable. Different programming languages handle random number generation very differently. What are you coding in? Commercial RNG’s use events like radioactive decay or atmospheric noise to seed their randomness.
It’s all good fun though 🙂
I played the same number for the last 4 months – I won but not big, like $4. Is playing the lotto a sin?
Seems the matter is a conscious issue. Many USA pastors go golfing on Mondays… $75 for green fees and cart rental on some courses… compare that with granny spending a couple dollars for Fantasy Five tickets. It’s about conscious and individual views on entertainment. Nothing in syllable from scriptures forbidding lottery. Actually Moses used lots to determine tribes getting land parcels when they went into promised land, etc.
No, not a sin. Something to keep you hopeful for better financial days and your retirement!
I saw Richard Lustig has passed away. Well, guess his family will enjoy the winnings!
I doubt there was any winnings left to enjoy – he never did win very much (list of Lustig’s wins here), and won nothing after 2010.
How much he made selling dodgy books & systems however… that’s an entirely different question 😉