When it comes to picking your lottery numbers, you have two ways to play. You can choose the exact numbers you want or you can take advantage of Quick Pick and get a random number selection. In the Quick Pick vs. your own numbers debate, which option brings the most lottery luck?
No matter how you choose your numbers, the odds of winning remain the same. Still, even with equal odds, there are some pros and cons to the experience for both approaches. Let's dive in.
Choosing Your Own Numbers
Is it better to pick your own lottery numbers? A lot of players have fun picking their own numbers, using birthdays, anniversaries or other digits that have significance to them.
Some play the same numbers week after week. There are even theories as to which lottery numbers are “hot” and “cold” based on a game’s drawing history.
The bottom line? Choosing your own numbers can be fun and strategic.
Congrats, Paul from Minnesota on your #Daily3 win! 👏 🎉
— Jackpocket (@Jackpocket) August 26, 2021
"I played our daughter's birthday 4/22. Hit it straight and found out I won when I read the email the next morning." Paul hopes to one day win #MegaMillions or #Powerball so he can retire early. Fingers crossed! 🤞 pic.twitter.com/9tWUVXPUJk
Lottery Quick Picks
Quick Pick is fast. It's easy. And it makes sure you’re utilizing the full pool of selectable numbers at your disposal. Mega Millions, for example, draws numbers from 1 to 70.
But because Quick Picks are random—not unique—this leaves the possibility of repeat numbers appearing across your ticket order.
But, wait! There’s still another option.
The Best of Both Worlds
On the Jackpocket app, you can decide to choose your own numbers or Quick Pick, just like you can in person at the corner store.
Quick Pick Options
Our Quick Pick is similar to what in-person lottery retailers offer, but with a huge advantage: You get to see the numbers generated before you commit to the order.
If you don’t like what you see, you can clear them and Quick Pick again. The app will generate a set of new random numbers for you. Confirm your order and you're all set.
Super Pick
For Powerball and Mega Millions fans that want to easily get the best coverage of numbers possible, there's Super Pick, a new Jackpocket feature. Get a series of 25 or 26 Quick Picks that cover every special ball in the game plus every standard number at least once. Playing the lottery online is more convenient than ever.
What are computer-generated numbers?
Just as it sounds, these are numbers randomly generated by a computer. The computer system uses cryptographic libraries and programs for higher degrees of randomization than humans can. We often think we are being random when it comes to choosing numbers to play. Still, we end up biased towards some numbers over others. Computers don’t have such a bias, and as a result, they may pick consecutive numbers, whereas humans may avoid them. Yet, consecutive numbers can show up in a lottery drawing.
Pros and cons
Is it better to pick your own lottery numbers, or is Quick Pick better? Let's look at the pros and cons of each.
The Pros:
- Choosing your own lottery numbers gives you complete control over your picks and lets you play numbers that are meaningful to you, whether that's from birthdays, anniversaries or lucky numbers based on your horoscope. With enough research, people can also avoid the most commonly played numbers, if they want to.
- Quick Picks are fast, easy and convenient, especially if you’re on the go. You really don’t have to think about what numbers to play!
The Cons:
- Playing your own numbers can be time consuming, especially when ordering multiple tickets or if you take the time to scrutinize past winning numbers before trying your luck. And because we humans tend to gravitate towards the same numbers—lucky number "7," for example, or numbers between 1 and 31 that correspond to special dates on the calendar—there's a possibility of having to share the jackpot with other like-minded number-pickers.
- If you use Quick Pick, your numbers will be random but not necessarily unique across the tickets in your order. That's why Jackpocket launched Super Pick.
FAQs
Does playing your own lottery numbers increase your odds of winning?
No, it doesn’t matter if you play your own numbers or choose Quick Pick. The odds of winning are the same. (The odds of winning vary by lottery game.) Whether you use Quick Pick vs. your own numbers, it’s just a matter of how you’d like to participate in the fun!
Do Quick Picks win the lottery?
Yes, they can! Around 60-70% of players choose Quick Pick when they play the lottery. We've had plenty of Jackpocket winners either way! One of our own $1 million winners went with a Quick Pick for the win. BTW, Jackpocket’s random number generator has been evaluated by Gaming Laboratories International. 👌
What's your go-to numbers picking strategy? And if you’re feeling lucky, download the Jackpocket app today!
