If you research online or read up on how to win the lottery, you’ll find tons of different tips. There’s everything from lottery frequency schemes to software that can pick numbers for you right down to plain wishful thinking.
Of course, there’s no solid way to predict what numbers will come up in any draw. Draws are totally random, so the best you can do is pick your numbers and hope for the best.
That being said, there are ways of increasing your chances of winning the lottery. Here are some of our common-sense tips that might just help you win a little jackpot the next time you play.
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Buy More Tickets
This is probably the most obvious one, but if you’re not buying enough lottery tickets, you just can’t win. The more tickets you purchase, the greater your chances of winning. Just remember that buying more tickets costs more money, but at the same time, being able to buy your tickets online means quicker ways to increase your winning chances.
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Use Your Lucky Numbers
Lottery players debate whether it’s better to buy quick picks or choose your own lucky numbers. We say, it’s up to you, but there’s no harm in choosing your own.
The nice thing about lucky numbers is that they’re yours, and you’ll always remember to play them.
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Play the Right Games
We hear people talk about winning a lottery like it’s just a single game. But there are so many lottery games out there all with different odds of winning. Read up on the odds before you decide which tickets to buy and you might just maximise your chances of a win.
Keep in mind that games like Mega Millions and Powerball are big lotteries, and that means a broader entry pool. Smaller lotteries, where you physically need to go off and buy a ticket, often have better odds.
Don’t disregard scratch games, either, which may have smaller prizes but greater chances of an overall win.
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Play at the Right Time
Play the lottery when a big jackpot has built up so that you have a possibility of winning something or have a go at unpopular times when there’s less likelihood of sharing your jackpot. Which is better?
It all comes down to your preferences, but when you play a lottery online, you can keep track of the games and play at the right time for you to increase your chances of a jackpot win.
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Avoid Patterns
If you like choosing your lottery numbers based on patterns – like filling in a card in diagonal lines or an X pattern, for example, chances are other players out there also do it. This only really increases the likelihood of splitting your winnings with other players.
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Join a Syndicate to Get More Entries
One of the easiest ways to boost your chances of winning the lottery is to buy more tickets. As we’ve said, that costs more money, and even if you do invest a whole lot in your tickets, your odds are still pretty low.
Lottery syndicates, though, give you a chance to improve your odds without spending a ton more. Consider joining the office lottery pool or choosing an online syndicate to improve your winning chances.
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Avoid Consecutive Numbers
Studies show us that the total of your numbers should fall somewhere between 104 and 176. That’s because the majority of lottery jackpots fall in this range. It varies depending on the game you play, but the point is to pick numbers that stretch over a wider range of lottery numbers.
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Choose Rare Numbers
While we really can’t predict what numbers will come up in any given game, picking certain numbers may give you a slightly better edge, at least for your payout.
Should you scoop a big jackpot, there’s always the possibility of having to split it with other people who picked the same numbers as you. So, you may as well aim for rarer numbers to try and improve your odds of keeping the entire pot all for yourself.
How can you tell which numbers are rare? Some players try to use statistics to figure out which numbers are chosen the least, while others go over combinations that players mostly avoid. There are even lottery apps out there to help you choose numbers.
How Do You Pick Your Lottery Combinations?
The information out there can get confusing. After all, lotteries are a game of pure luck.
So, how do you pick your numbers?