Do you play the lottery?  How do you pick your numbers?  You could just pick one, two, three, four, five, and six.  After all, the odds of these balls being chosen are exactly the same as any other six “randomly” chosen numbers.  You could also pick numbers the numbers you just saw on a TV show or inside a fortune cookie.  You could even use your kids’ birthdays, expecting some good luck.  But, the fact is that every one of these strategies is a loser.

The primary reason to avoid picking numbers using these methods, is that if you win, you will likely get stuck sharing the bounty.  A bunch of people are using these same strategies.  Yes, the odds of one through six hitting are the same as any other “randomly” chosen set of numbers.  But if the balls numbered one through six are chosen, you’ll be splitting the prize money with twelve other geniuses who had made the same argument.  Shared winnings actually diminish your odds, which are measured by the ratio of the expected payout to the cost to enter the drawing.

This New York Times article  describes an instance where this situation actually happened.  A group of people who picked their numbers using fortune cookies all shared the prize.  The article even mentions a study from the seventies showing that you could actually gain an advantage in the lottery by avoiding popular numbers.  For example, picking numbers above thirty-one (since people have a tendency to use their birthdays,) was a beneficial strategy.

You know, there’s another good reason to avoid birthdays.  If you play the lottery on a regular basis, and you usually choose the same numbers, how are you going to feel if they finally do hit on the week that you were too busy to buy a lottery ticket?  You’ll be sick for the rest of your life.  Either use the quick pick option, or pick a different bunch of numbers (that include high ones) every time you play.  Good luck!

        

 

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