3 Ways to Pick Lottery Ticket Numbers

Lottery tickets are a fun and inexpensive way to play games of chance. Most of the proceeds from lottery ticket sales are placed in your state's general fund, while the remainder goes toward the jackpot. If you need help coming up with lottery numbers, try one of the methods below. (You can also use the random lottery number generator at left.)

Birthday, Address, Phone Number

This method of picking lottery numbers uses digits from your personal data. For example, suppose your birthday is February 23, your street address is 2977, and the last four digits of your phone number are 1415. Then you can use the numbers 2, 23, 29, 77, 14, and 15 and a basis for your five lottery ticket numbers. Just remember that all five numbers have to be different. Also, the highest Mega Millions number is 56, and the highest Powerball number is 59.

You can use your personal info to pick the sixth lottery number. This doesn't have to be distinct from the other five. In the Mega Millions lottery, the highest number is 46; in the Powerball lottery, the highest number is 39.

Previous Winning Numbers

Many people use the numbers from previous winning tickets to select their lottery numbers. You can visit the lottery websites to see a list of the most recent winning numbers. For example, if the numbers 33 and 17 have come up often, you can choose one or both of these numbers for your own ticket.

Some people do the opposite. If certain lottery numbers occur more frequently, you may wish to avoid these numbers when you fill out your own ticket.

Random Plus One

Every lottery has the option of quick picks or easy picks, in which the computer randomly generates a set of five numbers plus a sixth. If you purchase two lottery tickets, you can pick one randomly, and then add one to each number to make the second ticket. For example, suppose your quick pick ticket is 2, 9, 37, 40, 44, 12. Then for the second ticket select 3, 10, 38, 41, 45, 13.

This article is for entertainment purposes only. Mathematically, every combination of lottery ticket numbers has an equal chance of winning. No method for picking lottery numbers has guaranteed results.

© Had2Know 2010