51

'O ciardino — the garden

No full dossier yet for 51. The Smorfia line below is its place in the Neapolitan book of dreams; more dossiers are written over time.

Smorfia napoletana'O ciardinothe garden

Cultural interest — does not change your odds.

The reality check

What the machines actually did with 51, across every lottery this site holds a long record for.

Powerball90of 103 expected−1.29σ
UK Lotto113of 119 expected−0.61σ
EuroMillionspool stops at 50
SuperEnalotto166of 161 expected+0.41σ
Set for Lifepool stops at 44

Across 3 lotteries that hold a 51, its average deviation from expectation is −0.49σ. Statistically ordinary, everywhere. (2 of the games do not go that high.)

The one thing a belief about a number can measurably do is change how many people play it — and a jackpot shared more ways is worth less to each winner. That is the only real consequence, and it is arithmetic rather than folklore.