If you’re trying to win the lottery, your chances of winning are pretty much tied to your lottery number. Many people rely on superstition or lucky digits to choose their numbers, but there is actually science behind how to pick lottery numbers that increase your chances of winning the jackpot.

The basic rules are simple: pick six numbers between one and 59. If you want to be even more specific, try a combination or permutation calculator. Combinations are a lot easier to work with than permutations because there are fewer elements to count. For example, if you’re playing a five-number game, the combinations are 36C10. Permutations, on the other hand, are more difficult to work with because there are a lot of possible ways to pick the numbers.

Some people prefer to pick lottery numbers by looking up previous lottery draws and selecting combinations that have won in the past. This method is fairly time consuming, but some players feel that it gives them an edge. Keep in mind, though, that every number has an equal chance of appearing in the next drawing. Therefore, if you select a combination that has already won, it will likely not appear again soon.

Another popular way to select your lottery numbers is to use dates. Whether it’s your birthday or a Quick Pick, using dates to select your numbers could increase your chances of winning, but it also means that you’ll have to share the prize with a lot of other people who use the same strategy.