Want to learn how to win the Irish Lotto? If so, ditch statistical analysis and embrace combinatorics and probability theory. Math can be difficult, but don’t worry; a calculator can bring this potent tactic to you on a silver platter.
First, we will discuss the Irish lotto game’s mechanics and challenges. Knowledge is crucial so we can make smarter choices rather than picking numbers randomly or believing in today’s horoscope.
Ultimately, you will learn a lottery strategy based on what is mathematically achievable within the game’s framework.
Let’s dive right in.

Table of Contents
The Odds of Winning Irish Lotto
To know the odds of winning the jackpot, we need to know the number of distinct playable combinations out of picking six numbers from 47 balls. It’s possible using the combination formula:

Let n = 47 and r = 6, the probability of winning the Irish Lotto jackpot is 1 in 10.7 million (10,737,573).
When you buy two tickets, your probability of winning technically improves to 1 in 5,368,787. The odds are still unfavorable, and you have a better chance of being elected leader in your community than winning the Irish Lotto.
Of course, winning the jackpot prize isn’t the only possibility. You can also win more likely lower-tier prizes if you don’t match all six.
Based on the official odds and prizes schedule, the overall odds of winning any prize are 1 in 29.1 Therefore, the probability of an individual ticket not winning is approximately 0.9655. Consequently, the probability that you lose nth times is this number raised to the power of n.
P(losing nth times) = 0.9655n
Achieving a 50/50 shot at winning any prize may require the purchase of approximately 20 tickets. However, this is no assurance of success. To attain a 99.99% certainty of winning a prize, buying about 262 tickets may be required. We calculate this using the P(winning any prize) being the complementary of P(losing).
P(winning any prize) = 1 – 0.9655262 tickets
If you’re looking for tips on how to win the Irish Lotto, realize that such a goal is not easy. Understand that this 99.99% guarantee leans towards winning the lowest-tier prize. Winning typically involves a match of two balls and one bonus ball, resulting in a €3.00 win.
Securing minor prizes in the Irish Lotto, let alone bagging the jackpot, is challenging. So please don’t subscribe to the belief that you can profit from the lottery. You can’t.
Be Mathematical When Playing Irish Lotto
If there’s only one tip to win the Irish Lotto, it’s buying more tickets.
However, buying more tickets is useless if you’re not choosing sensibly.
Look at this combination:
10-11-12-14-16-18
Notice that each number in this sequence belongs to the 10s group, meaning they all start with the digit 1. Additionally, this combination predominantly consists of even numbers.
Not only is this combination a poor choice, but it is also a waste of time and money.
According to probability theory, a truly random game spreads the probability fairly across the entire number field.
Therefore, a winning combination of purely even numbers and all numbers belonging to only one group is rare.
If you aim to win the Irish Lotto, the last thing you want to do is to bet your money on a rarely occurring composition. To get the best shot possible, you must play your game the way a random game picks winning combinations most of the time.
Gut Feeling Meets Mathematical Logic
Most people believe that all combinations have an equal chance of winning. However, most people don’t trust their math.
Take a look at the following combinations:
2-4-6-8-10-12 | all even numbers |
1-10-11-12-20-21 | exclusive use of digits 1 and 2, excessive use of consecutive numbers |
1-11-12-20-21-22- | exclusive use of digits 1 and 2, excessive use of consecutive numbers |
1-7-17-27-37-47 | numbers predominantly ending in seven |
10-15-20-25-30-35 | numbers are in multiples of five |
Let me ask, “Are you willing to buy five tickets with these previously mentioned combinations?“
I have asked lottery players; surprisingly, none will take the risk.
Even if most people strongly believe that all combinations have an equal chance of winning, their intuition screams and says, “These combinations cannot be right.”2
Gut feelings take over.3
I don’t know about you, but I don’t think intuition is enough.4
When playing the Irish Lotto, you should make informed choices based on calculated guesses supporting your gut feeling.
For example, many lotto experts recommend avoiding 1-2-3-4-5 to avoid splitting your jackpot prize since many players use the same combination.
It does make sense, but mathematically speaking, that is not the real reason why you avoid certain combinations when buying lotto tickets. A math-based reasoning strategy is important when learning to win the Irish Lotto.
Statistics Will Not Help.
The Irish Lotto game is finite. We don’t use statistical analysis when dealing with a finite structure because we have sufficient data to infer the game’s composition.
In the context of the lottery, we use combinatorial mathematics and probability theory to understand how balls behave in a random draw.5,6 These two mathematical tools help calculate all possible outcomes of the Irish Lotto and reveal information that will help you make intelligent choices and win the game. Read The Winning Lottery Formula Using Math.
Irish Lotto players should be able to grasp mathematical insights from the game.
Understanding Your Mathematical Advantage in Irish Lotto
In a truly random draw, two things stay the same no matter what you do. First, you cannot manipulate the underlying probability. Second, you cannot beat the odds.
This inherent randomness of the game ensures fairness so that numbers and combinations have equal chance.
So now, How do you win the Irish lotto when all the numbers and combinations are equally likely?
Well, just because all combinations are equally likely doesn’t mean all hope is lost. Realize that combinations are not created equally because of varying compositions. And compositions have varying odds. As an Irish Lotto player, you should focus on your odds rather than the probability.
One of the secrets is understanding the difference between odds and probability.
Let me explain.
Odds and probability are two different terms. They are not mathematically equivalent.7
Probability is expressed as:
P(success) = all favorable events / all possible outcomes
So, P(failure) is complementary to P(success):
P(failure) = 1 – P(success)
The probability formula calculates how likely an event is to happen, while odds compare the number of ways an event can succeed and fail.8
Odds = P(success) / P(failure)
So, odds provide a clearer picture of your advantage. For example, in the Irish Lotto, you have one way to win against 10.7 million ways to lose.
A lottery strategy exists because not all combinations are created the same way. Combinations have varying compositions and exhibit different ratios of success to failure.
However, Odds are normally associated with winning and losing, which may create confusion when applied to compositions. So, I propose to use the term frequency ratio to emphasize the odds and, at the same time, highlight the frequency of occurrence of each combinatorial composition. This term offers a clearer representation of favorable shots.
Making Informed Choices Using the Frequency Ratio
To master the concept of frequency ratio, we have to compare two combinatorial groups.
There are 134,596 ways to combine six numbers using a 6-even composition. This group will give you only one favorable shot to match the winning combination and 105 ways to fail.
There are 4,655,200 ways to combine numbers using the 3-odd-3-even composition. This group will give you 33 favorable shots in every 100 draws. Hence, this group is a better choice.
Let’s compare the two groups side by side.

Based on the comparison table above, you should avoid the 6-even group due to its unfavorable ratio of 1 to 105 (1:105). This ratio indicates that out of 106 draws, you get only one favorable shot, and the remaining 105 are unfavorable.
As an Irish Lotto player, you don’t want to spend your money on 106 draws to get one favorable shot. If you want to win, you aim to get more favorable shots with fewer tickets.
Lottery Game’s Subordination to the Law of Large Numbers
Each Irish Lotto draw is independently random. However, if you observe many draws together, you’ll notice that the game follows a deterministic behavior. This is possible because of the law of large numbers, which states that with more and more draws, the outcomes align closely with what’s likely to happen according to probability.9

The Irish Lotto had 890 draws from September 5, 2015, to March 16, 2024. The comparison table below should show an agreement between theoretical estimation and actual results.
We determine the expected frequency by multiplying the probability by 890 draws.
Expected Frequency = Probability x 890
Therefore, for the 3-odd-3-even, the expected frequency will be 297.
Expected Frequency = 0.33382813788553500 x 890 = 297
If we do the same computation for the rest of the compositions, we will arrive at the following table and comparison graph below:

As you can see from the table and the accompanying graph, the expected frequency and the actual frequency are very close. Knowing the relationship of probabilistic prediction to the actual draws helps you learn how to win the Irish Lotto.
This is the power of mathematics. Thanks to probability, we can determine the likely behavior of the game over many draws.
It’s important to understand that the prediction and the actual value may not necessarily be exact. However, the probability can serve as an accurate guide on what to expect.
The Irish Lottery Using Lotterycodex
Combinatorial and Probability analysis is a complex process. Without proper methodology, you may get contradicting conclusions.
For example, the combination 1-2-3-4-5-6 belongs to the 3-odd-3-even group, but based on its composition, it cannot have a favorable frequency ratio because it comprises purely low numbers. A truly random lottery fairly spreads the probability between low and high sets.
So, precision and accuracy are important when dealing with combinatorial and probability analysis.
To accurately represent the lottery’s random behavior, we must consider sets that spread the probability fairly across the entire number field, putting odd/even and low/high numbers in one combinatorial calculation.
Lotterycodex puts the number field of the Irish Lottery into four sets, as shown below:

Generated by Lotterycodex calculator
These number sets fairly distribute the probability across the entire number field. The results of the Lotterycodex analysis will allow you to see the likely behavior of the Irish Lottery draws over time according to the law of large numbers.
Lotterycodex categorizes compositions into templates. These templates are then classified as dominant, occasional, or rare, as illustrated in the table below:

Generated by Lotterycodex Calculator
Remember, matching the right composition doesn’t automatically make you an Irish Lottery winner. These templates can be a helpful guide, especially if you’re not a fan of math and prefer to avoid complex manual calculations with large numbers.
Predicting the Irish Lotto
Use the calculator below and behold visually how the Irish Lotto must behave over time based on the law of large numbers.
How to Win Irish Lotto
If you want a better chance of winning the Irish Lotto game, buying more tickets helps. However, using a lottery wheel could make this strategy even better than buying tickets randomly. A lottery wheel is a strategic way to trap winning numbers. You cannot achieve this strategic trapping method by simply buying tickets randomly.
We created the Lotterycodex calculator as a powerful lottery wheel. It helps you determine which groups of combinations dominate the Irish Lottery’s draw, helping you choose numbers wisely.
Using Lotterycodex templates, always choose the frequency ratio that will favor you. These templates are #1, #2, and #3.
The table below reveals how Lotterycodex predicts the likely behavior of the game according to the law of large numbers.

Generated by Lotterycodex Calculator
Lotterycodex’s predictions, laid out in tables, provide insights into the game’s likely trend based on the law of large numbers. The templates, sorted by frequency ratios, allow players to make informed choices. If you’re not a fan of doing complex calculations manually, especially involving probabilities and combinations of large numbers, these templates simplify this process.
Alternatively, we offer a free lottery calculator to help you calculate the many possible events in your game and understand how the odds work according to your risk tolerance.
Unlock Lottery Success with Proven Math-Based and Data-Driven Insights
Access Lotterycodex now!What Are Your Thoughts About the Irish Lotto Game?
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I think the irish lotto is 6 numbers and a bonus, so that would be pick 7 from 47, which would affect your calculations. Not certain, so might be wrong.
The Irish Lotto game is a 6/47 game. The bonus number provides additional layers of winning opportunity but only six numbers are required to win the jackpot prize. The rule of the game is to pick 6 numbers from 47.