Are lotteries really random or can you reduce the astronomical odds? Let’s look at some of the strategies you can use to win!

One of the easiest strategies is using your own common sense. You can’t win if you don’t play. Stop saying "if I only won the lottery" and play regularly! Even buying one ticket a week increases your chances of winning.

Set yourself a playing budget and play as many tickets as you can afford. Play a wide range of numbers to increase your chances of picking a winning number.

Do you have some lottery playing friends? Why not start a lottery club? You’ll increase your buying power and chances to win. See my article on starting a lottery club.

The easiest way to choose numbers is to let the lottery computer do it for you. The theory here is that the lottery is completely random so any combinations can win. This is a good idea because you’ll get some fresh numbers instead of always playing the same ones.

Everyone has their own special way of selecting favorites. Your birthday, your cat’s birthday, your grandpa’s age or the anniversary of your first cigarette. How does this theory stand up? It is a random selection but a lot of people will share many of your special numbers. If your birthday is June 13 and you choose 6/13, well, lots of other people have the same birthday too.

Another potential drawback of this system is that a lot of these special numbers will be in the lower half of the number field, 12 months, 30 days in a month, etc. Make sure you play some of higher numbers too.

But the theory of random selection says any combination can win so why not play your faves? They have just as good a chance of winning.

This theory requires you to follow the winning lottery numbers over a period of time. Hot numbers are the ones that have recently been winning. According to the theory, if these numbers have been winning they’ll win again so you should use them. Cold numbers are just the opposite. They haven’t won lately so they’re due to win.

One way to use this system is to play both hot and cold numbers. Try playing 3 hot and 3 cold numbers. Or play any mix you like.

Can you do basic math? Then you can do the lottery wheel. You can even get software for your computer or go online and have the calculations done for you!

The wheel theory calculates all possible combinations of your chosen numbers. You can choose your favorite 6 or more if you like. If your budget allows, you can play all the combinations.

Realistically this probably is too much for the average player's budget but it could be practical for a group. The idea here is that you input your faves or the recent winning numbers and the wheel gives you all the playable 6 number combinations.

With this system you pick your numbers by splitting the card in half. 3 numbers come from the lower numbers and 3 come from the higher numbers. Also choose 3 even and 3 odd numbers. You could combine this strategy with the wheel system or the hot and cold number system.

Is there a best system? Try them all and see what feels good to you. Remember you can't win if you don't play!