In the world of high stakes lotteries, there are fewdebates as divisive as to how you should pick your lottery numbers. In one camp, you have those who staunchly believe you should always go with your lucky numbers, sticking with them until lady luck finally shines in your favor. In the other camp, you have those lottery players for whom the lottery is simply a matter of mathematics and luck. For these players, the aim is to diversify and vary your numbers every time you play. In the long run, they hope this gives them the best chances of success.
But of these two starkly contrasting opinions, who is correct? Or perhaps more accurately, who is the least incorrect? Is it merely a matter of opening up your NJ sports betting app, loading the lottery, and hoping for the best?
According to mathematicians and statisticians the world over, sticking to the same numbers each week is a poor strategy given the sheer number of potential combinations of a lottery. On this basis, it’s best to diversify the range of numbers you choose from, rather than waiting for a combination to come up that will, in all likelihood, not appear.
But how does the professional advice from the mathematicians’ fare in the real world, and what do actual lottery winners say is the best tactic?
Well, according to Richard Lustig, a man who could claim to be the luckiest alive, there is, in fact, a strategy! Lustig has won a total of seven grand lottery prizes and has perfected his lottery playing strategy through trial and error. According to his aptly named book – “Learn How to Increase Your Chances of Winning the Lottery” – there are several tips you can try. Firstly, don’t simply use the ‘quick pick’ numbers automatically generated from the computer. Secondly, avoid using standard numbers like birthdays and anniversaries, etc., as this severely narrows down the diversity of numbers you are likely to draw from. Thirdly, don’t change them – once you’ve settled on a pattern you like, stick with it. Fourthly, play consistently. And finally, understand the odds you are up against and have playing limits that you stick with.
Most notable about these five tips is that Lustig recommends sticking to the same numbers each week once you have settled on a combination you like the look of, something that flies directly in the face of the mathematicians’ advice!
Lustig isn’t the only lottery winner to take this advice, however. And according to a New York Times article, Manhattan resident Robert Bailey won a staggering Powerball jackpot of $343.9m after playing the same numbers every week for over 25 years.
In this case, despite what the experts suggest, with Einstein famously saying that insanity is trying the same over and over again but expecting different results, there might be some method to this madness!
