Playing with your favorite numbers means you deliberately choose certain numbers to appear in every combination you play. In some lottery cultures, they call it fixed numbers. When you implement fixed numbers, it implies that you are reducing the number field. This reduction means that your probability space is completely different.
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How Do Favorite Numbers Affect My Outcome?
Most players use lucky numbers or favorite numbers, but only a few take the time to learn the mathematics of playing fixed numbers. We will use simple examples so that you can make better decisions based on facts. Let’s begin.
How do fixed numbers work? Let’s see some examples:
For this article, we will use the 6/49 format with 13,983,816 total combinations. Don’t worry if your favorite lotto game is different, the mathematical principle can be applied to any lottery game.
Example 1: Using One Favorite Number
If you’re focusing on number 7, you’re locking in 1 out of 6 required numbers. That leaves you with 5 more numbers to pick out of the remaining 48 numbers. So there are a total of 1,712,304 combinations for you to deal with.
C(48,5) = 1,712,304
At the juncture when number 7 is part of the winning combinations, you’re no longer competing with all 13.9 million combinations. You’re now playing in a smaller universe of combinations that already include your favorite number, 7.
So, now you only need to match 5 other numbers. And your probability becomes 1 in 1.7 million instead of 1 in 13 million. This is true only if 7 is drawn.
Example 2: Using Two Favorite Numbers
This time, let’s say your favorite numbers are 1 and 2, so you have 2 numbers locked in. That means you have to pick 4 more numbers from the remaining 47. This effectively reduces your probability space to 178,365 combinations.
C(47,4) = 178,365
At a certain point where 1 and 2 are both drawn as part of the winning combination, your entire strategy comes into its moment of relevance. You’re not playing 13.9 million combinations anymore.
This is a huge shift in probability. Your chances of success now depend on hitting 4 of the remaining 47 numbers, essentially reducing your game to a conditional 4/47 game. However, take note that this advantage only exists at that precise juncture where 1 and 2 are indeed drawn.
Fixed Numbers Compared
| Fixed Numbers | Numbers Left to Pick | Formula | Total Combinations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 6 | C(49, 6) | 13,983,816 |
| 1 | 5 | C(48, 5) | 1,712,304 |
| 2 | 4 | C(47, 4) | 178,365 |
As you can see, fixed numbers can drastically reduce the probability space you have to deal with.
How Does This Fixed Number Strategy Benefit You?
Using your favorite numbers doesn’t increase your overall winning chances. But it does change the direction of your game at a certain point in time. But remember that the likelihood of matching all 6 winning numbers is still the same for all combinations.
If your favorite numbers are among the winning combination, then you have already crossed part of the hurdle. Your chance of matching the remaining numbers now depends on how well you covered the reduced combination space.
Let’s consider an example:
Assume the winning numbers are: 1-2-15-22-34-41
If you choose to lock in 1 and 2, and all your combinations were derived from these two numbers, then you’ve already matched 2 out of 6. Your problem now is how to match the other 4 numbers, and that effectively shifts the game of 6/49 into a game of 4/47. This happened because your combinations were drawn from the 178,365 group that includes 1 and 2.
Suppose you played 10 such combinations, your probability of winning is:
10/178,365 = 0.0056%
Compare it to:
1/13,983,816 = 0.00000715%
That’s a significant improvement in conditional odds, but only if your favorite numbers are drawn.
Conclusion: Playing Your Favorite Number Is a Good Strategy, But There’s a Caveat
Using fixed numbers is a conditional strategy.1 It succeeds at one specific point, when your chosen numbers do appear in the winning draw. For instance, if you have fixed 1 and 2 in all possible combinations, your entire strategy relies on that specific juncture when the lottery draw includes both 1 and 2.
So this isn’t a strategy for increasing your odds. It’s for maximizing your advantage when and if your favorite numbers are hit. The effectiveness of this strategy is confined to that narrow window. Outside of it, your tickets won’t perform any better than random ones.2
Playing with fixed numbers doesn’t change the odds of the game. What it does change is how you play your lottery strategically. And that’s how intelligent play begins. You can play fewer tickets with greater focus, or expand cleverly in a reduced set. No matter how many numbers you locked in, the math helps you see what you’re actually playing.
Ready to put this logic to the test on your next game? Use a Lotterycodex Calculator now and play your favorite fixed numbers with confidence.
Each number has an equal chance of being drawn, and that likelihood is not different with each draw, no matter what has occurred in the past. But playing the same numbers each time can be part of an effective system. Through focusing on certain numbers, you narrow your set of combinations, and this can be effective at certain junctures. So, yes, drawing the same numbers can be effective too, but only if you are familiar with the math and the conditional relevance associated with it.
Fixed numbers don’t improve your chances of winning, but they alter the mathematics of playing when a certain condition is met. For example, after your fixed numbers have been drawn, your odds shift to matching the remaining numbers, technically reducing a 6/49 game to a 4/47 or 3/46 game. This approach is conditional. That is, it only succeeds when your fixed numbers are drawn. Otherwise, you are no better off than a random ticket.
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References
Hi Edvin, I’m focused on betting on two to three fixed numbers in the 6/49 draw. The question is what’s the best way to distribute the fixed numbers in the numerical range from 1 to 49. Besides the numerical distribution of the fixed numbers, could you suggest any mathematical methods, such as NODS and frequency, to best focus on which fixed numbers to choose? And finally, should I play the fixed numbers in every draw until they come out, or should I keep changing them? Thanks, Edvin.
https://lotterycodex.com/same-lottery-numbers/