Your Complete Lottery Strategies
An Introduction To Lottery Strategies
Let’s have a look at lottery strategies. Though lottery number are picked at random, that doesn’t mean there are no methods by which we could improve the winning odds in our favor. First we should define what we mean by “winning.” If we’re just seeking the big win, then the probability is going to be pretty small. For example, the odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are around 1:292,201,338. But you have a more realistic 1:32 chance of winning $4 by matching any number.
All Or Nothing
So we should really discount the “all or nothing strategy”, and we should focus on what’s possible in order to win money, as in any money at all. Another example is that you buy 38 US Powerball tickets. Simply number them 1-38 for the ticket Powerball numbers. Because you’ve covered all the possible outcomes, then you can be sure one ticket will get you $4.
Strategies For Winning The Lottery
1. Buy more tickets.
This is a no-brainer. The more tickets you have the greater the possibility of a win. In the late 70’s and early 80’s Stefan Mandel did just this, and it paid off big time. He simply had a huge team of people purchase all the possible lottery combinations.
2. Play More often
Just like the above, another easy but basic strategy.
3. Joint a Syndicate.
This is essentially pooling your resources with others as a means of boosting your chances.
4. Find a Game With Better Odds
This is a form of risk assessment. You’re looking at the cost of each player in relation to the potential payoff. This is going to take a lot of research and a lot of math. it’s probably better to look for games with plenty of prize tiers.
5. Enable Bonus Game Modes.
Many lotteries have a bonus mode which offers either additional prizes or another shot at winning with the same numbers. On the other hand, you often have to pay extra for these.
6. Enter Second Chance Draws.
Second chance draws are normally free to enter. Often you have to submit your tickets by mail and you are given another go at winning. Some lotteries even offer this online.
7. Check Your Results!
Seems pretty obvious. But you would be surprised just how many people miss the deadline for claiming prizes. If you bought your ticket online, then most of today’s sites will send you a notification if you happen to win.
8. Try not to pick common numbers.
It’s not that there’s any greater or lesser chance of winning, just that you will not have to share any prize. On the whole, stay well clear of dates.
9. Play in Quick Pick Mode.
This speeds things up and makes more efficient use of your time.
Pick 3 Lottery Strategies
1. Boxed Bets
These occur in games that allow any combination of winning numbers in any order. for example, if you bought a ticket with “456” and the winning number was “564”, then you’re still a winner. These are much easier than “straight” bets where the numbers are drawn in order. For an easy win, these are definitely the way to go.
2. Number Guaranteed
Pick a number and then place it in all 36 possible combinations for all positions. This strategy can give you a good spread for the combinations of your chosen number. If you were to combine this with Frequency Analysis and Positional tracking you might get lucky.
3. Frequency Analysis
This involves tracking previous winning numbers and trying to spot trends or patterns. Yes, we know that probability doesn’t work like that, but bare with us. Numbers that occur more often are called “hot” numbers and those that occur less, “cold” numbers. There is no standard method of analysis. But there are computer programs readily available that can do all the heavy lifting, like tracking numbers and doing analysis for you. But do keep in mind that any trends you spot are just coincidences. All lottery games make a huge effort to ensure that the draws are completely random.
4. Positional Tracking
This is a trip down the rabbit hole. This doesn’t just check how often the numbers come up but also keeps track on the positions they occupy in the winning draws. As with the above method, there are software programs to help you in your madness. Though it might add some sort of scientific method to your number choosing strategy, in reality it’s just another aid to helping choose random tickets. So you might feel better about your choice, but it will not make any difference to the completely random outcome.
Pick 4 Lottery Strategies
1. Lottery Wheeling
You can use this method for any kind of lottery. If you look online there are lots of books that deal with this method. But keep in mind that no author has actually won anything with it! Lottery wheeling is a method of maximizing your chances with the numbers you have already chosen. Essentially you’re arranging a set of numbers in differing combinations and then you play them all in the draw. this is really for lotteries with tier prizes. Providing on the lottery wheel arrangement, you could win a certain prize. But then again, you could not!
2. Pairs or Doubles Analysis
Here you’ll analyze the probability of two numbers being together in a winning draw. This is a subset of frequency analysis and positional tracking. Essentially you’re going to be looking through past lottery results looking for trends and patterns. Once gain there are any number of computer programs to help you out. The elephant in the room with this method is that the lottery companies spend a lot of time and effort to ensure that there are no trends or patterns.
Pick 5 Lottery Strategies
1. Odd or Even Number Analysis
The idea here is to spread your number selection to include a good mix of odd and even numbers. You can use this strategy for all types of lottery. It really encourages you to pick a larger number variety. Of course, you have no control over the numbers drawn, you can ensure that your number pick is less likely to be shared by others, thus giving you a larger slice of the winnings.
2. Sector Analysis
Because Pick 5 lotteries have a bigger number range than Pick 3 or 4 games, then it’s easier to analyze this larger number range by dividing them into 3 “sectors”: high, middle and low. As with other methods, you then go over previous results to see which sectors have resulted in a winning number. For example, you might stick with a high range of numbers for your next ticket picks.
Scratch Off Lottery
Many of the largest lottery companies offer scratch cards alongside their big ticket games. Unlike their huge jackpot offering lotteries, scratch cards have one distinct advantage for the punter. Namely that there is a per-determined number of cards and therefore winning tickets. The best lotteries to play use a system where winning tickets are generated at random. But with scratch cards, the operator has to make a set of number winning tickets. Therefore the latter system is not completely random. Technically, you could buy a Powerball ticket every day and still not be guaranteed a win. Conversely, you could buy up every ticket for a scratch card lottery and you would definitely win. It goes without saying that no-one wants to spend all their cash on buying up all the tickets, but here are some ideas to help you swing the odds into your favor.
1. Set a Budget
Just make sure you’re not spending more than you can win. Yes, we know that seems obvious, but please don’t go overboard with your spending.
2. Buy Multiple Tickets
Because scratch cards have a closed ticket pool, then there are a fixed number of tickets per game. So if follows that the more tickets you buy the better your odds of winning. You can buy your lottery tickets online.
3. Buy Tickets From the Same Roll
Remember that scratch lotteries are designed to get people to buy more tickets. To that end, each roll will have some winning tickets on it. The reason being that people will not buy from a roll that has an unbroken string of losers. So buying all your tickets from the same roll will certainly help you get closer to the prizes.
4. Buy all Your Tickets at Once
Just like the above tip, if you buy all your tickets at the same time, then they should be coming from the same batch. This can only help increase your chances. Buying a ticket a day or a week, might seem easier, but you’ll be receiving tickets from different rolls.
5. Join Second-Chance Lotteries
There are any number of lotteries which offer second chance games for losing tickets. in theory your odds should improve. Keep in mind that the huge prizes of Powerball and MegaMillions make then very popular. To that end there are fewer people playing scratch games. And yet an even smaller number of players enjoying second chance games. So you’ll be playing in a much smaller pool of other players, thereby increasing your chances of being a winner.
Have a look through our listing of the best lotto jackpot reviews in order to find the best site for you to play.
We’ve also written an extensive Lottery Guide to help you with all aspects of the lottery including the best lotteries to play and the best progressive jackpot lotteries.
