Using Birth Dates in Playing the Lottery? Here’s What Math Says

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Last updated on February 22, 2024

Have you ever asked yourself? Are birth dates a good strategy for number selection? What does the math say about it?

Let’s set one thing straight from a mathematical perspective.

Birth dates are commonly used numbers in the lottery.

What Lottery Experts Say About Birth Dates

Many experts recommend that you should never make a combination composed purely of birth dates or special dates. At least add some numbers higher than 31.

Explanations are varied. Some may be valid, and some are mere assumptions. Here are some of the most popular ones:

  1. Birth dates restrict your combination to calendar numbers 1 to 31. So, you neglect other numbers in the process. This approach doesn’t adhere to the natural behavior of random selection.
  2. Winning numbers in the lottery tend to be evenly distributed over the entire number field. So restricting your numbers from 1 to 31 reduces your chances of hitting the grand prize.
  3. Many players are using dates in the lottery. If you indeed win, chances are, you will likely share your jackpot prize with other winners who use dates.

Are they right? Let’s use math to find out.

Using Birth Dates and The Mathematical Proof

The mathematical calculation differs from lottery to lottery. We will use a Lotto 649 system.

Here, we only use birth dates as the primary topic as it is the most commonly used approach. Nonetheless, the calculations we will be doing here also apply to anniversaries and memorable days in your life.

As usual, we will use probability theory.

Let’s group numbers into two sets. We will call numbers from 1 to 31 as calendar numbers, which we will refer to as C. The rest are non-calendar numbers, which we will refer to as N.

Thus, we get:

C = {1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,…,31}

N = {32,33,34,35,36,37,…,49}

So, we produce the following number patterns with these sets of numbers.

CompositionDescription
6NAll numbers are non-calendar numbers.
1C and 5NOne calendar number and five non-calendar numbers
2C and 4NTwo calendar numbers and four non-calendar numbers
3C and 3NThree calendar numbers and three non-calendar numbers
4C and 2NFour calendar numbers and two non-calendar numbers
5C and 1NFive calendar numbers and one non-calendar number
6CAll numbers are calendar numbers.

We can determine the number of combinations each composition can produce using binomial coefficients.1

CompositionPossible Combinations
6N18,564
1C and 5N265,608
2C and 4N1,422,900
3C and 3N3,667,920
4C and 2N4,814,145
5C and 1N3,058,398
6C736,281

All of these patterns can produce a total of 13,983,816 possible combinations for a Lotto 649 system.

Therefore, the probability for each pattern is computed as follows:

CompositionProbability
6N0.00132753463003232
1C and 5N0.0189939570143085
2C and 4N0.101753341148081
3C and 3N0.262297501626166
4C and 2N0.344265470884342
5C and 1N0.218709828561817
6C0.0526523661352524

Based on the probability value, we can estimate the likely outcome of the lottery in 100 draws.

CompositionEstimated occurrence in 100 draws
6Nzero occurrence
1C and 5Ntwice
2C and 4N10 times
3C and 3N26 times
4C and 2N34 times
5C and 1N22 times
6C5 times

Based on the mathematical estimation, the best combination is 4C and 2N, followed by 3C and 3N.

Again, this calculation applies only to the Lotto 6/49 game. In Powerball and Mega Millions, the calculation can be very different.2,3

So, What Math Says

These mathematical calculations tell you one thing clear:

Using birth dates as a lotto combination is not a bad thing.

So, in the case of lotto 6/49, your best bet is 4C and 2N. You select four calendar numbers; they could be birth dates or special dates in your life, and then two non-calendar numbers.

In the case of the Powerball 5/69 game, you might want to consider two compositions—the 3C and 2N composition and the 2C and 3N composition.

Below is a table of possible compositions and the number of possible combinations in the Powerball game.

C = {1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,…,31}

N = {32,33,34,35,36,37,…,69}

CompositionPossible Combinations
5C169,911
4C+1N 1,195,670
3C+2N 3,159,985
2C+3N3,922,740
1C+4N2,288,265
5N501,942

Advanced Lotterycodex Analysis

Some preach that all combinations are equally likely, whether you use birth dates or whatnot. Of course, that’s true.

But don’t forget that combinations have different compositions. Therefore, there exist combinatorial groups with varying success-to-failure ratios.4

There is more to a lottery game than meets the eye. Deep within its finite structure are layers of combinatorial groups that can help you make informed choices when playing.5

Using Lotterycodex analysis, we separate combinatorial compositions into dominant, occasional, and rare groups. As a lottery player, you aim to pick numbers based on the dominant group to get the best shot possible.

We describe these combinatorial groups as Lotterycodex templates.

Lotterycodex Templates as a Simple Guide

Here’s an example of how Lotterycodex analyzes a 6/49 lottery game:6

In a 6/49 lottery game, only three of 84 templates are the dominant groups. These dominant groups will give you more favorable success-to-failure ratios when playing.7

Here’s the one for a 5/50 game:

In a 5/50 game, only two of 56 templates are dominant groups.

You must pick numbers based on these dominant groups, as these groups represent most of the winning numbers in a 5/50 game.

Make an Informed Choice When Playing the Lottery

Remember that you cannot manipulate the outcome of a truly random lottery game. You cannot change the probability. You cannot beat the odds.8 But you can use math to get the best shot possible. Use Lotterycodex calculator to guide you in the number selection process.

Questions and Answers

Is using only birth dates in the lottery a good strategy?

No. A random lottery game distributes the probability across the entire number field. Most lotteries have a wider range of numbers, so relying solely on birth dates ignores a significant portion of the potential number pool. This restriction can decrease the number of ways you get favorable shots, as it doesn’t utilize the full range of available numbers in the lottery.

Should one avoid using birth dates entirely when selecting lottery numbers?

No. Players are advised to follow the natural probability distribution across the entire number field. While using birth dates is common and can be part of your strategy, including numbers outside the 1-31 range is beneficial. This approach broadens the pool of numbers you select from and can potentially increase the number of ways you get favorable shots.

What is Lotterycodex’s approach to analyzing lottery games?

Lotterycodex’s approach to analyzing lottery games involves a unique method of separating the combinations into different combinatorial groups. This method categorizes combinations based on their success-to-failure ratios. Lotterycodex aims to identify trends in lottery games, providing insights into which combinations will dominate and will more likely prevail over time. This approach is grounded in mathematical principles of combinatorial, probability theory and the law of large numbers.

Additional Resources

  1. Binomial Coefficient    []
  2. How to Win Powerball 5/69 According to Math    []
  3. How to Win the U.S. Mega Millions 5/70 According To Math    []
  4. The Winning Lottery Formula Using Math    []
  5. How to Win the Lottery According to Math    []
  6. How to Win the Lotto 6/49 According To Math    []
  7. The Lotto Secret: Three Math Strategies for Winning Revealed    []
  8. Odds, Probability, and the Lottery    []
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