Winning the lottery is the average Joe’s dream. It is something that counterweights all the daily problems we face and gives us hope that one action might solve everything. You can continue to be a dreamer or you can take action to improve your chances of winning the lottery.

Realistically, the odds are astronomical, but following these guidelines you may decrease them somewhat and know that you’ve done all that you can to achieve your goal.

Play the Right Games
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Play the Right Games

Entering the lottery isn’t just playing one game. Many states have a collection of different lottery games that come with different odds, so you are expected to read the odds before you enter.

Picking games with better odds immediately places you in a better position to become a lottery winner. National lotteries have fixed odds and massive prizes, but you may end up splitting the jackpot with another participant if many people enter.

On the other hand, scratch cards come with higher chances of winning despite delivering smaller prizes.

Widen the Range of Numbers You Choose
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Widen the Range of Numbers You Choose

Picking out numbers according to significant dates (birthdays, anniversaries) limits you to 12 months and 31 days. Perhaps you consider these your lucky numbers and you should play them is you feel strongly about the selection, but objectively the chances of winning would be better if you mix both high and low numbers.

For instance, if you are allowed to pick between 1 and 70, try to pick unique numbers that not many people would first think of, like 1, 13, 38, 49 and 67.

Picking Random Numbers is Better than Looking for Patterns
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Picking Random Numbers is Better than Looking for Patterns

Relax and pick different numbers without forcing a pattern. Lottery numbers are completely random and rarely complete any pattern.

They simply aren’t likely to show on a winning ticket and it is better to let yourself be as random as possible. Mix up your ticket and avoid choosing numbers in sequence or patterns like 4, 14, 24, 34 and 44.

Play Less Often, but More Tickets When You Do
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Play Less Often, but More Tickets When You Do

The likelihood of winning increases the more tickets you buy.  This advantage is disturbed if you set aside money to play regularly and then don’t have the sufficient funds to buy multiple tickets.

Keep setting money aside for the lottery and let it accumulate. Then buy more tickets in a single lottery game. You can play once a month, for example.

Form a Lottery Syndicate
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Form a Lottery Syndicate

If you do not mind sharing the jackpot with a group of friends, you can form a lottery syndicate.

Together, you can collect more money to buy more tickets, maximize your chances of winning by covering more numbers and then benefit from the prize as a collective.

Don’t Give Up on Your Numbers
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Don’t Give Up on Your Numbers

Even if you lose a couple of times, stick to the numbers you have picked and don’t give up on them easily. Some other numbers aren’t luckier because the game is completely random.

Who knows, perhaps your combination could be the winning one next time.

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