It isn't hot numbers and cold numbers. That is nonsense. It's bold numbers and shy numbers.
When the six numbers drop out of the mix into the hopper and roll down the chute, they get immediately famous. Over the course of a 6/49 game's first 13.9 million combinations, every number accumulates its 15 minutes of fame.
After each draw the six winning numbers are exposed to spotlights, cameras, commentary, and incessant scrutiny in the public media. That includes their being placed into tabloid headlines alongside the latest Elvis sightings and alien landings on the White House lawn.
Some numbers react to this kind of exposure with aplomb, others react to it as a lead weight.
Then they get reloaded into the machine for another spin. No wonder some numbers react differently in the next drawing. Also it's not like they are in an isolated chamber. All the other numbers have seen what happened to their peers. Some might want to emulate the hot media stars, while others are content with the placid life. After all, who can fault them for just doing what comes naturally? So it's the bold and shy numbers that make up the playing field.
Joe Roberts: CDEX, Lottery Director software
