The Powerball and Mega Millions lotteries center around drawing five numbers and an additional “bonus” number. The whole point is for you to attempt to guess which numbers will be drawn and select them on your card beforehand. The more numbers that match, the higher the prize will be.
There are two ways that you can fill out a lottery ticket. Hand-select each number individually or use the Quick Pick option and let a computer randomly choose for you.
You shouldn’t take the decision lightly, as both options have many pros and cons. The choice that you make can be the reason that you miss out on hitting the jackpot.
Why Should You Use Quick Pick?
Quick Pick is the more popular of the two options, as somewhere between 70 and 80% of lottery players use it. These are a few of the reasons that can explain why Quick Pick is more common:
Quick and Convenient
Selecting your lottery numbers by hand will require quite a bit of work. It can be time-consuming when the jackpot reaches eight, nine, or ten figures. Times like that tend to see a significant increase in lottery players.
First, you’ll likely have to wait in line to get a playsheet. Then, you’ll have to choose your number and properly fill out the number of tickets you want to play. After that, you’ll be in line waiting to hand them over to the cashier and pay.
The process is much more straightforward when using Quick Pick. You’ll simply walk up to the cashier, tell them you want however many Quick Picks in the lottery of your choice, hand them the proper amount of money, and leave with your tickets/numbers in hand. It’s just that simple.
Completely Randomized
The winning combination of lottery numbers gets drawn randomly without rhyme or reason. The patterns appearing when reviewing previous numbers are virtually inconsequential to future drawings.
There may be some numbers that seemingly appear more often than others, but they’ll have no bearing or influence on the numbers that will get drawn next.
It’s a logical fallacy to try and outguess the next event in a random series. You might think that a number will get drawn next as it hasn’t been selected in a while and is overdue. You might also feel a number won’t get drawn because it’s unlucky.
Whatever the justification may be, it won’t have any impact on the lottery drawing.
There are no emotions or thoughts involved with lottery drawings. Using Quick Pick to select your number functions in the same way.
The five numbers and bonus selection are chosen at random by a computer. The numbers that you receive are merely pure chance and blind luck. These are the same factors determining the winning lottery numbers during the drawing.
Wider Selection
Most people that play hand-selected numbers are picking their numbers for a reason. In some cases, it might result from a perceived pattern or system. However, these numbers are most commonly selected because they carry some emotional significance.
For example, it’s prevalent for people to select the numbers involved with birthdays and anniversaries. The problem is using calendar dates severely limits the numbers that you can choose. After all, there are only twelve months in a year and a maximum of 31 days in a month.
The Powerball features numbers ranging from one to sixty-nine. The Mega Millions goes one step further and includes numerals from one to seventy. Limiting your number pool to 31 or less will disregard more than half of the play sheet.
Using Quick Pick will remove any self-inflicted restrictions and open up the entirety of the playsheet.
Less Likely To Split Winnings
Opting for Quick Pick isn’t going to change the odds of winning (more on that later). However, it can slightly reduce the odds of splitting the prize with other players.
The reason is that Quick Pick numbers are chosen at random. So the chances of these numbers being someone else’s “lucky” number are much smaller.
For example, seven is widely regarded as a very lucky number despite not being drawn as often as you might think. Seven is among the most commonly selected Powerball and Mega Ball bonus numbers.
If the jackpot were ever to feature seven as the bonus modifier, it would surely have been selected more often than, say, nineteen.
Easier To Stop
It’s a common practice to play the same numbers every week. The problem with this strategy is that it’s likely to result in you developing an emotional attachment to them. It can be hard to sit out a week when you’ve been playing the same numbers for years.
Could you imagine how you’d feel if your numbers hit the one week you decided to take a break?
One of the more underappreciated benefits of using Quick Pick is that the numbers are impersonal. It’s much less likely that you develop any emotional attachment to them or feel compelled to play.
You’d never know that you had a chance to win, as the numbers generated for you this week would be completely unrelated to the numbers from last week.
Potential Downside
The biggest downside of using Quick Pick is that there’s no turning back once the numbers have been selected. You’ll be stuck with your numbers after the ticket has been printed, and there are no refunds.
You might end up with a Quick Pick ticket of numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 with a bonus modifier of 6. You won’t be able to get a “redo” or a refund, even for a ticket that’s virtually guaranteed to lose.
Why Should You Pick Your Own Numbers?
Picking your numbers for the lottery is far less common than using Quick Pick. However, these are a few of the reasons why selecting your own numbers might be the better option:
Total Control
Choosing your own lottery numbers will give you complete control. You’ll be free to pick whatever combination of numbers you feel like. Nothing stops you from picking numbers based on a perceived pattern, important dates, or statistics from previous drawings.
It’s important to remember that the lottery is only a game. It’s a game where you might win generational wealth, but a game nevertheless.
You should try to have fun with it and enjoy your money. It’s improbable that you’ll win anyway, so why not take the extra time to play the game properly?
Quick Results
Picking your own numbers will make it much easier to determine if you’ve matched the winning numbers or not. Playing the same numbers each week means you won’t have to scan through your tickets and review them individually.
You’ll know the first time you see the winning numbers whether you’ve got a prize to claim.
Avoid Common Numbers
As mentioned earlier, there are specific numbers that people tend to play more often than others. One popular strategy in selecting lottery numbers revolves around selecting numbers that are hardly ever drawn.
The idea is that picking rarely selected numbers will reduce the chances of a split jackpot.
More Flexibility
Both lottery features have a variety of games with desirable prizes. Picking your own numbers can provide more flexibility and allow you to enter into multiple draws.
You could play for several weeks in advance, use the same numbers each time, use different numbers, or combine both. You won’t have the same freedoms with Quick Pick, as your numbers will be locked in for a singular draw.
Potential Downside
The biggest downside to selecting your numbers is the possibility of making a mistake on your play sheet. There are no refunds once the ticket has been printed.
You’ll be stuck with your card even if you accidentally choose the wrong number or fail to make a box to enter a specific drawing. These mistakes can negatively impact the amount of money you win or your eligibility to claim your prize.
Which Option Is Better?
The odds of winning the lottery will stay the same regardless of whether you use Quick Pick or not. If there were a clear-cut edge provided by one, then it wouldn’t even be a question about which one to use. The answer will be different for everyone as it will primarily come down to personal preference.
Many enjoy picking their own number and making a game of the experience.
They can try to create a system, search for a pattern, or use numbers that mean something to them. Others prefer the convenience of Quick Pick. They can simply walk into a store, toss a few dollars on the countertop, and leave with a few opportunities to retire early.
Both options are perfectly acceptable as long as you play the lottery responsibly. You should establish a strict budget that you can use to play the lottery. You'll need to take a break from playing when the money in your lottery budget is gone.
Remember that the odds of winning the lottery aren’t in your favor. It’s not worth blowing money you might need for food, gas, or rent.
What Are the Odds of Winning the Lottery?
The odds of winning the lottery are only slightly higher than nonexistent. You’re likelier to be struck by lightning, hit by a meteorite, and hit a hole-in-one in golf. These are the current odds for winning either of the two major American lotteries:
Mega Millions
- Jackpot: 1 in 302,575,450
- $1,000,000: 1 in 12,607,306
- $10,000: 1 in 931,001
- $500: 1 in 38,792
- $200: 1 in 14,547
- $10: 1 in 606 or 1 in 693
- $4: 1 in 89
- $2: 1 in 37
Powerball
- Jackpot: 1 in 292,201,338
- $1,000,000: 1 in 11,688,053
- $50,000: 1 in 913,129
- $100: 1 in 36,525 or 1 in 14,494
- $7: 1 in 579 or 1 in 701
- $4: 1 in 91 or 1 in 38
Play the Yotta Lottery for Free and Enjoy Better Odds
Using Quick Pick or selecting your own numbers won’t significantly impact your overall odds of winning the lottery. There isn’t anything legal that you can do to improve your odds of winning.
Choosing your own numbers or having them selected for you won’t make any difference in the long run. However, playing a different lottery can make a big difference.
The Yotta weekly sweepstakes are free to enter and feature a $1million grand prize.
You receive tickets based on the amount of money that you have in your account. The money will stay in your account whether you win or lose. You might not win a billion-dollar jackpot in the Yotta sweepstakes, but it’s impossible to beat a lottery with free entry.
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