If you’re hoping to win the lottery, you may be tempted to use a system that claims to improve your chances of winning. But be careful. Some of these systems make unreasonable claims like guaranteeing that you’ll win or charge you for services that won’t increase your odds. Instead, try some of these free lottery number strategies to increase your odds of winning the jackpot.

Choose random numbers. This method is quick, easy and gives you a random sequence of numbers that have equal chances of being picked. You can also request a random selection when buying a ticket and let the computer choose for you.

Pick numbers that are hot. This strategy analyzes past lottery results to see which numbers have been drawn most frequently. It then suggests that these are the “lucky” numbers to play. From a probability standpoint, this is untrue; past frequency doesn’t determine whether or not a number will be drawn next time. But people have used this method to win the lottery, so it has some validity.

Avoid numbers that have been recently drawn or are overdue. These numbers have been picked more frequently than others, and as a result, have lower odds of being chosen. Moreover, they are likely to be played by other players, so you’ll have to split the prize with other winners.