Management recruiters when advertising for a CEO surmise that if they have a perfect advertisement then they will get only one reply from a person having the exact abilities desired.
Winning first prize in Lotto is a similar challenge. By putting in an entry of Lotto numbers you are advertising to achieve a desired result, that is a prize and larger the better. If you don’t know how to do this then your chance of winning is minimal.
What is the chance of winning first prize in Lotto? In a 6/45 game of Lotto, which means 6 numbers are drawn from 1 to 45, mathematically the answers are as follows:
To pick all 6 numbers drawn your chance is 1 in 8,145,060. However, if you enter a full card (14 different combinations of numbers) then your chance of picking first prize has improved to 1 in 581,790. If you do this each week then you can expect to win first prize within 12,000 years! Obviously we need to speed up things. Is this possible?
Of course, the odds are better to win minor prizes like 4 of the 6 numbers drawn and 3 numbers plus a supplement, which give prizes of ca. $50 and $30 respectively, compared to possibly several million dollars for first prize. The minor prizes are what one normally wins.
Many people buy an Ezi-Pick or Maxi-Pick ticket which provides a random selection of numbers for 10 or 25 combinations. The Lotto draw is random so this would seem to be a sensible way to go. The conventional wisdom is that it is impossible to improve your chances of winning by using favorite numbers or special “systems”, but many people do so, including myself.
The use of birthdays, anniversary dates, house or car numbers can be dismissed as illogical but does provided satisfaction if you play Lotto for entertainment purposes. Mathematicians say that Lotto is randomly drawn and that numbers have no memory, least of all about your personal history.
The alternative is to use a “system”. I have tried out some of the “Wheeling System” developed by Gail Howard and explained in her books Lottery Master Guide and Lotto – How to Wheel a Fortune. Here the odds of winning any prize are given and how to choose favorable numbers to enter on your card. It is best to be familiar with computer recording of results and of operation of the systems chosen to improve your chances of winning.
Some skeptical readers will be saying that if the draw is random then how can a system improve your chances of winning? Well, this can be considered in two parts, namely the choice of numbers and how they are presented.
Although the chances of winning first prize is 1 in 8,145,060 a large portion of combinations can be ignored whilst other combinations may have a higher possibility of being drawn. For example, the combination 1,2,3,4,5,6 has never ever been drawn in any Lotto game. Even a run of 4 consecutive numbers drawn is very rare and the longest I have seen is 3. So it makes sense to now and then choose pairs of numbers, which eliminates lots of unlikely combinations.
This is an extreme example of bias in the draw of numbers. In a random draw you can expect in the long term all numbers (and groups of 5 numbers) will be be hit an equal amount. That is an equal number of hits from 1 to 45 and an equal number of odd and even numbers, but with the latter not quite as there are 23 odd and 22 even numbers. It is best to play a balanced game with half low numbers and half high numbers, and half even and half odd, unless biases develop.
It is important to record Lotto results 1 to 45 on a wide sheet of paper so that you can get an over view of how things are going in the long term, also the medium term (10 games) and short term (5 games). Do this manually and mark the hits (XX) and the supplements with a red line and the games out number. Now any biases are revealed! This chart will be essential to help you pick the best numbers. Play the biases to improve your chances.
There is another important chart best maintained on your computer using any database software. I record the numbers and supplements drawn, type of draw, sum of numbers, number of odds, number of repeats, adjacent numbers and pairs (for all 8 numbers drawn), hits for the last 4 supplements. For the long term (30 games) my average number of repeat numbers drawn are 1.2; adjacents 2.1; odd 3.0 etc. So it makes sense to include one or more repeat numbers and as many adjacent numbers as is feasible. Any biases that develop usually even out after 5 or 10 games so choose numbers assuming things will soon come back to the random equilibrium point.
How to put it all together? The “Wheeling System” is very convenient to give you the best combination of 6 numbers to enter from all the numbers that you have chosen as favorable to be drawn, or have given priority. These systems are easy to put on your computer and with the click of your mouse will print out the combinations of numbers to mark on your Lotto entry card.
There are a large number of wheeling systems offered in Gail Howard’s Lotto books so which ones to use? Simplest is best since the major factor in success is your choice of numbers, not the system type. I like the simple 401 system, probably because it has given me a second prize. Here you choose 8 numbers which when “wheeled” gives you 4 lots of 6 numbers which you enter on your card. Do this as many times as you like with different choices of 8 number combinations. I do it 3 up to 10 times.
In conclusion, playing Lotto is a challenging hobby but you must be aware that this is an exercise involving random numbers. I play a 6/45 Lotto game each week for a modest $20. Once you become skilled at picking good numbers then you will start getting useful dividends, better than the random choice Maxi-Pick way. Even when you loose you are doing the community a good service. Here in Australia where I live the Lotto money is distributed 60% for prizes and 24% to hospitals. So give it a go, but responsibly!
