How to Pick Lotto Numbers

The lotto has been running in Australia since the 1880s in Sydney. It has since grown into the impressive national network we see today, covering everything from Powerball and Oz Lotto to the smaller keno games played in the local RSL. 

Any game involving a selection of numbers always brings out an exciting side of people since most players have lucky numbers, suspicions around specific numbers, or other favourites that are their go-to choices.  

We all know that the lotto is a game of chance—much like online pokies or bingo—and you have as much chance of winning as the next guy, but have you considered whether some strategies might improve your chances of getting a more significant chunk of the change should your lucky numbers come in? Did you ever think that there’s a theory for how to pick lotto numbers that help you achieve just that? 

Keep reading as we delve into the exciting world of the lotto, picking your lotto numbers, and the strategies many people advocate as the best for winning the lottery here in Australia and, indeed, the world over. 

Popular Picking Methods

People have been playing the lotto for as long as they have been inventing methods and strategies to help pick their lotto numbers. Some methods stem from superstitions, such as whether a number is lucky or unlucky. Other players stick to using the same set of numbers, fearing to deviate in case that’s the one week their numbers are drawn. 

Others might take a more logical approach, studying previously drawn numbers and using calculations or algorithms to help them determine the likelihood of a number being produced. 

Yet other players are likelier to take a random approach and let the computer pick them. This could be a deliberate attempt to stop yourself from inadvertently choosing from the same series of numbers that your brain subconsciously favours. 

As a result, there are two main approaches to picking lotto numbers; the first is using numbers with a sentimental or special meaning, and the second is using the kiosk’s Quick Picks option to get a guaranteed, random set of numbers. 

Lucky Numbers & Personal Dates

As mentioned, when it comes to picking numbers—be it for the lotto or any other requirement—many people will opt for numbers they consider lucky (either personally or culturally) or have a particular meaning, such as your birthday to that of your loved ones. 

Birthdays and significant dates, such as when you met your partner, graduated, started a job, or a wedding anniversary, are common for regularly picked lotto numbers. These dates have sentimental meaning to people, so numbers between 1 and 12 (for months) or 1 and 31 (for days of the month) are more common than those outside these ranges. 

For others, suspicious reasons influence selections, such as avoiding the number 13 in the West or using the lucky number eight, given its significance to Chinese culture. Understanding these cultural nuances can help you make strategic decisions, especially when playing ringfenced lotteries where you have a firm understanding of the demographic you’re playing against. 

Regardless of the reasoning behind picking specific numbers, it’s always important to remember that there is no evidence that any of these reasons can impact the likelihood of a number being drawn, as the lotto is designed to be a game of chance.

Random Selection (Quick Picks)

Quick Picks are born of a need for convenience. For those with a more pragmatic approach and who believe that one selection of numbers is equally as likely as any other to be drawn, using this random number-generated function is a simple way to pick lottery numbers. 

Not only does using the Quick Picks function guarantee a randomly picked selection of numbers thanks to random number generator (RNG) technology, but it’s also a far quicker way of securing your tickets—particularly if you intend to play multiple rows or games. This makes for a fast and efficient way of purchasing lotto tickets. 

Most people will accept that there are no hard and fast rules to determining the best lottery numbers to pick, whether you’re in Australia or abroad, and that even studying previous outcomes will garner little insight into what’s coming next. Choosing your numbers manually simply adds an extra level of excitement and enjoyment to playing the lotto. 

Strategies to Increase Odds 

Now that we have established that there is no way of knowing or influencing which numbers will be drawn from week to week, that isn’t to say that there aren’t specific strategies you can employ to maximise your chances of getting the best result should your numbers hit. This means what you can do to reduce the number of fellow winners with whom you’ll have to share the prize pot if your numbers do come in. 

Increasing your odds to this effect comes down to recognising how other players might approach picking their lotto numbers. For example, some players might avoid particular patterns and recently drawn numbers or numbers that represent dates because others would likely have such numbers as their ‘lucky numbers’ or numbers that hold sentimental value. 

We have outlined below some of the more common ways in which you might avoid picking the same numbers as large swaths of the population based on understanding and avoiding the likely methods players use to select their numbers: 

Spread & Balance

Random number generators were initially invented because humans tend to choose patterns. Even subconsciously, we have a tendency toward patterns. This is a part of the human condition deemed so far beyond our control that scientists decided the only way to conduct accurate experiments was to invent a way of guaranteeing random outcomes. 

As such, anything you can do to avoid patterns that others might choose—for example, 1,2,3,4, etc., odds, evens, primes, Fibonacci—will help you avoid picking the same numbers as your fellow players. These known number patterns are far more likely to have already been selected by the myriad of other lotto players compared to the numbers that have no noticeable connection towards each other. Spreading your choices far and wide will help to balance your picks and avoid common patterns. 

Avoid Repetition 

Another common tactic when picking lotto numbers is for players to study previous winners and make deductions based on the number of appearances of particular numbers. As many mathematicians will tell you, patterns can always be determined from a dataset if the viewer wants to see one, so it is easy to see how some players might deduce that a certain number is more likely to drop than another.  

Looking at previous outcomes is a common strategy adopted by avid lotto players. The fact that these past results are a static set of numbers means that looking at them the same way as others is likely to return the same set of results. This could ultimately result in players who adopt these types of methods playing the same numbers based on their chosen calculations, so if their numbers do come in, there would be a large pool of winners to share the prize. 

The mathematically minded would suggest that you avoid falling into such traps and that it’s best to disregard any previous lotto results, that simple statistics will show you that previous outcomes bear no relevance to the likelihood of a number being picked in a subsequent draw. Those who see more to this world than black and white might have something else to say about patterns seen in the universe, such as Fibonacci, and how they appear in predictable ways.

Mix of Popular & Unpopular Numbers

So, how do you increase your chances of winning the lottery? There is no simple answer to that question and no straightforward answer that guarantees results. That is, after all, half the fun of the gamble. You cannot predict the outcome because it is entirely random by design. 

By picking an assortment of numbers, utilising both strategies above should yield the best results. Like hedging your bets, pick some popular numbers that seem to appear frequently according to previous results or have particular connotations and some that are less common or less popular amongst the community within which you’re playing.  

The logic behind this final strategy is that if there is no solid, steadfast evidence of any lottery winning strategies having proven success, spreading your bets across both sides of the argument could help secure a win that doesn’t involve sharing the prize money among too many other players. 

Conclusion

There is no foolproof way of picking lotto numbers and getting it right—if there were, we’d all be millionaires right now. But as you can see from the above, there are specific strategies you can try when making your lottery number selection to help improve your odds. 

Whether your favoured method is mixing it up each week, sticking to the same numbers religiously, choosing numbers less likely to be picked by others, or something else entirely, there’s one thing we know for sure. Despite your chances of hitting that jackpot being immensely long, if you did hit those winning lotto numbers, you’d be getting your hands on a lot of cash!

Whatever method you choose to help you pick, always exercise responsible lottery playing and never bet beyond your means. Gambling is supposed to be fun and a form of entertainment, not a way of generating income. If you feel at any time that you are no longer in control of your gambling, there are many independent bodies available with specialist knowledge to help you gamble responsibly.