Pick 3 Myths: Mirror Numbers, Hot Digits and 'Due' Numbers

Daily games draw so often that players love to spot patterns. Some of it is great fun, as long as you know what the numbers can and can’t do.

“Mirror” numbers

A popular system swaps each digit for its “mirror” (0 and 5, 1 and 6, 2 and 7, and so on) and plays that. It’s a fun way to choose a number, but the mirror of yesterday’s result has exactly the same chance as any other number: 1 in 1,000 for Pick 3 straight.

Hot and cold digits

If 7 came up a lot this month, it’s “hot”; if it hasn’t shown in weeks, it’s “cold”. Over short stretches, some digits always appear more than others; that’s what randomness looks like. The draw has no memory, so a hot digit isn’t more likely and a cold one isn’t catching up.

“Due” numbers

A number that hasn’t hit in a long time isn’t due. Every draw starts fresh, with all 1,000 numbers equally likely. Thinking otherwise is so common it has a name: the gambler’s fallacy.

Doubles and triples

Numbers like 112 or 444 feel rare, but they’re just as likely as any other single number. What’s different is how they play: a number with repeated digits covers fewer orders as a box (see how Pick 3 works).

So how should you pick?

However you like: birthdays, plates, a quick pick, or a number from one of the Lucky Team characters. No method beats the odds, so pick for fun and set a budget first.