When picking numbers to play for lotteries, most people who choose not to use quick picks usually use numbers that mean something personal to them. Anniversaries, birthdays, and such.
But some people go a little more “unorthodox” and use some quite unusual methods to pick their numbers.
For example, some people will use numbers around them that they notice throughout the day. While at home or out shopping, or driving to and from work, they mindfully take note of any numbers that happen to catch their eye.
Licence plates, cab or transit vehicle identification numbers, phone numbers on billboards or signs, or any other number that just happens to tickle their fancy.
Man's Best Friend
Have a dog? Here’s one for you.
You can get a whole bunch of plastic drinking cups and number them according to the numbers for the lottery.
Get your dog to pick up, knock down, or in some way choose cups, and those are the numbers you would use to play the lottery.
You can also grab a couple of dice from one of your kid’s board games and choose your numbers this way. Simply roll the dice one at a time and use the numbers in that order.
For instance, if the first dice rolls a 1 and the second rolls a 5, that number would be 15.
If you want a single number, just add them together, like a 3 and a 6 for a 9 instead of 36.
Alhough this method leaves out the numbers 0, 7, 8, and 9, you can always roll the dice until you get a combination that equals one of these, eg 6 and 4 for 10, just drop the one, or 5 and 3 for an eight.
Next Stop: Jackpot
Here’s a weird one.
Did you know you can use your car tires to pick your lottery numbers? Apparently so. This involves acquiring a piece of chalk from your kids or your local dollar store and, for a 6/49 number lottery, writing the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 around the front tire. For the back tire, write the numbers 0, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, and 42.
As you drive, the numbers will rotate. Stop your vehicle and look at which numbers are nearest to the ground.
Add the front tire number to the back tire number and you have your first pick.
Do this five more times to get your full set of lottery numbers.
Sweet Victory
Are you a chocoholic? Well then, why not use chocolate to pick your numbers? Buy a big bar of milk or your favourite chocolate that comes in squares.
Place 49 squares of chocolate on a plate and carefully, with a clean sharp pointed instrument, etch the numbers 1 to 49 on the underside of the squares, then place the squares all face up.
Through the process of elimination you, your friends, or family, eat the chocolate until there are only six squares left. Turn these over and these are the numbers to play.
A Clean Win?
If you have a tumble dryer at home, you can always crudely recreate the way the balls are actually drawn for the actual lottery.
You will need 49 ping pong balls (dollar store again) and number them with a marker from 1 to 49.
Set the dryer on the lowest heat (you do not want to melt the ping pong balls). Start it up for a moment to let the balls mix up well. Stop the dryer, reach in blindly, and take out a ball. This is your first number. Do not put the ball back in the dryer.
Start it up again then stop it. Reach in and pull another ball. This is the second number.
Repeat this processes with the four other balls and any bonus number ball.
You now have your lottery numbers ready and set for you to buy your ticket.
If you live in an apartment you could use one of the dryers in the laundry room, but this might not be a good method to use out in public at a laundromat.
Using these unusual methods will not guarantee any win for you, but they sure make it more fun every time you need to pick numbers for your favourite lottery game.