Winning the lottery is a dream that many people have, and the Powerball is the best of the best when it comes to a lottery draw.
With the record-breaking Powerball jackpot reaching $2.04bn in November, tickets were so popular that the drawing had to be delayed because they could not process all the sales in time!
The odds of winning the jackpot? One in 292.2 million. That being said, selecting the winning numbers is close to impossible, but there are still plenty of ways to improve your chances of winning.
While nothing is guaranteed, you can increase your odds of winning BIG money by following these tips on how to boost your chances of winning the Powerball jackpot.
Here’s How It Works
The jackpot’s value grows in size until there is a winner. Players select 5 numbers from 1 to 69 and 1 Powerball number from 1 to 26.
Players can multiply non-jackpot prizes by 2, 3, 4, 5, or 10 times with the Power Play option for an additional $1 per play, but usually, tickets are $2 per play. No matter if you’re in Minnesota, Pennsylvania, or somewhere else, Powerball rules remain the same for the most part.
How to Boost Your Odds of Winning the Powerball Lottery Jackpot
Luck is obviously a huge factor when it comes to selecting winning numbers for the Powerball. But in most cases, it doesn’t just come down to luck for the winners; it also involves quite a bit of strategy for turning the odds in your favor.
BonusFinder US compared years of data from previous lotteries to uncover the secrets of maximizing your chances of winning.
If you’re looking for more information about placing wagers online, they have a step-by-step guide with excellent tips that will help answer any questions. For now, here are a few basic strategies for selecting the winning Powerball numbers:
Buy More Tickets
All lottery games are based on chance and probability, so the best way to improve the odds of winning is to buy more tickets.
Think of it this way; if you have a 1 in 300 million chance of winning with a single ticket, purchasing a second ticket doubles your odds to 2 in 300 million, 3 tickets to 3 in 300 million, and so on.
If you don’t buy Powerball tickets, then there’s no chance of winning. The best thing to do is purchase more tickets to better your odds.
Select Numbers Carefully
People tend to choose the most popular numbers based on past Powerball lottery draws. The most popular and the least popular numbers? 24 and 23, respectively. It’s also common to play numbers that are specific to you as an individual, such as birthdays or anniversaries, therefore making it more common to choose numbers between 1 and 31.
While this isn’t a bad strategy, it’s not the best way to do things. It’s actually smarter to choose uncommon numbers that won’t be played as much, as this gives you a higher chance of taking home the jackpot all on your own.
Choose the Same Numbers Regularly
If your first ticket doesn’t win you any money, it’s a normal instinct to want to change things up in the next round. It’s actually best to stick with the original numbers for each draw, just in case they show up.
Theoretically, your numbers will eventually get picked somewhere down the line, and number combinations that were picked in the past are unlikely to come up again.
What Are the Most and the Least Commonly Drawn Numbers?
The research found that the five most commonly drawn numbers are 61, 32, 21, 63 and 69 while statistically the numbers 34, 26, 13, 46, 35. 24 and 4 were the most rare.
Use Quick Picks
If you don’t know what numbers to play, feel free to use “quick picks”, which are random numbers that are generated for you by the lottery machine.
Quick picks aren’t usually recommended, but they’re great if you’re new to the game and don’t know where to start.
Purchase Tickets Strategically
Be smart about how you buy your tickets. For example, if you’re brand new to the game and have never entered to win in the past, just start out with 1 ticket.
But if you’re a seasoned lotto player and know that buying more will improve your odds in the draw, go for it!
Join a Group Lottery Pool
Teaming up with fellow Powerball fans is a fantastic way to boost the odds.
In a pool, everyone who joins agrees to buy at least one ticket. If someone wins, they split the money evenly with everyone involved in the pool. Depending on how many people join the pool, you could generate a bunch of tickets without having to pay for them on your own.
Of course, you have to be willing to split the winnings, but with a Powerball jackpot, even a large group could walk away with tons of cash.
Conclusion
Whether you’re playing in Indiana, Missouri, or Wisconsin, try to be smart about your Powerball strategy. The odds won’t necessarily be in your favor, but following the tips above will definitely improve your chances in the next draw.