What Are The Best Ways to Pick Lottery Numbers?

Note: *The following article is purely for fun. It is based on individual opinions and does not constitute advice. The drawing of lottery numbers is entirely random. Please always gamble responsibly. #Ad. Find out more on our How Our Site Works page.

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When it comes to ways of picking lottery numbers on traditional draws or the 49's lotto draw, everybody's got their own strategy. Some use "special numbers" such as birthdays, anniversaries or house numbers, while others go more for a gut feeling to sort out their numbers, and then there's those who have just been playing the same numbers for years on end and would be tormented to see those numbers then appear having not picked them.

But are there any strategies you can use to help pick winning lottery numbers for 49's and other draws? In the post below, we'll look at some tactics that other people use in order to pick their lottery numbers and see if there is any benefit for you to follow suit.

Choosing Lucky Numbers for 49's Lotto

Undoubtedly the most popular way to pick lottery numbers is choosing lucky numbers – i.e. numbers that represent something to you.

There's no doubt that choose lucky numbers makes lottery a much more personal experience for players, but unfortunately there's no statistical advantage to doing so.

Effectiveness: 3/5

So, are there more effective ways to pick lottery numbers? Well, yes...

Random Number Generator (Lucky Dips)

While it might seem counter-intuitive, using truly random lottery numbers is one of the most effective ways of picking lottery numbers. Why? Because while it doesn't boost your chances of winning, it does reduce the chances of you having to share a jackpot prize should you win... if you're playing a traditional lottery.

Because most people select their numbers based on lucky birthday numbers, this means that there is a bias to picking numbers between 1 and 31 (i.e. the days of the month). Therefore, using a random number generator takes out the “human factor” of picking numbers – thus making it more likely that your set of numbers is totally unique, and therefore reducing the likelihood of you sharing a jackpot if you win.

Random number generators (or "lucky dips") offer you the best chance of winning a bigger prize amount. You can use our lucky number generator here.

Effectiveness for traditional draws: 4/5

Avoid "Popular" Numbers

Using a similar principle to the random number strategy, avoiding the most popular numbers (i.e. those that players pick most often) is also highly recommended. Again, this reduces the odds of having to share a prize if you do win big on a traditional lottery.

So, the key question is: what are the most popular lottery numbers? Well, the big two are the “lucky” number 7 and, surprisingly, the “unlucky” 13. These are the most common lottery numbers that players pick and should therefore be avoided. It's also worth picking a few numbers over 31 – as to avoid birthday numbers.

Effectiveness: 4/5

Frequency Charts

Pattern loving players who play or bet on the lottery often look at frequency charts when picking lottery numbers.

Frequency charts are quite simply charts that show the amount of times certain numbers have been drawn on the lottery over a period of time.

There are two ways to interpret these results though. When a number is appearing a lot and is "hot", some people think this is more likely to keep appearing. Whereas other people believe it is better to pick "cold" numbers as they are due to be drawn more often. See the latest 49's Hot & Cold balls here.

In truth, using frequency charts is a statistically fruitless tactic as each lottery draw is independent of other draws, meaning that previous draws don't affect the likelihood of a number appearing. That said, keeping an eye on frequency charts certainly doesn't harm your chances of winning a prize and you might enjoy it.

Effectiveness: 3/5

The good news if you're betting on 49's lotto, you have guaranteed fixed odds.

That means you can pick whatever numbers you want, with whatever system you want and if they come up your prize is guaranteed and everyone is a winner!

Selecting The Right Bookmaker

Betway is a great bookmaker for betting on 49's as it offers the best odds on three, four and five numbers bets on 49's. But there's also another great reason to use Betway for 49's... and that's because at the time of writing new customers can also get a fantastic welcome bonus:

Betway -