The perception that some number combinations appear more frequently than others in the various state lotteries leads me to wonder: do all number combinations have equal probability, or is there some mathematical quirk that would allow certain number combinations to appear more often than others? –Douglas J. Stark, Houston
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In some games of chance, of course, systems do work. Card counting in blackjack, for instance. That’s because every card played in blackjack is a card that can’t be played again. As the deck dwindles, your chances of accurately predicting the next card improve.
Still, gamblers looking for an edge will grasp at anything. There are two main “scientific” approaches to picking lottery numbers–hot numbers and due numbers. Hot numbers are ones that have been coming up a lot lately, while due numbers haven’t come up and supposedly are overdue.
The one feature a number-picking program can offer that might actually do you some good is one that selects numbers at random, or, equally usefully, avoids numbers that are picked often–e.g., 31 and below, heavily bet by those who insist on picking their birthdays. The idea is that if you do win, you’ll have to share the loot with fewer cowinners. A reasonable notion, perhaps. But divvying the boodle is not a major problem for most people who play.
