Take 5 Midday vs Evening: Is One Draw Better?
New York's Take 5 has two draws a day. We looked at every midday and evening result to see whether they behave any differently.
Take 5 was a once-a-day game for almost thirty years. In July 2021 New York added a midday draw at 2:30 pm, alongside the 10:30 pm evening draw. People often ask whether one draw is "luckier". Here's what the data says.
Same game, same odds
Both draws use the same rules: five numbers from 1 to 39, with a 1 in 575,757 chance of matching all five. The draws are independent, so the midday result tells you nothing about the evening one.
Comparing the two since midday began
| Midday | Evening | |
|---|---|---|
| Draws | 1,918 | 1,918 |
| Average total of the five numbers | 100.2 | 100.4 |
| Share of odd numbers | 51.4% | 51.6% |
The theoretical average total is 100 (five numbers averaging 20), and 20 of the 39 numbers are odd, or 51.3%. Both draws sit right on top of those figures. That's what a fair draw looks like.
So which should you play?
Whichever suits you. The only real difference is the prize pool. Take 5's top prize is pari-mutuel, shared among everyone who matches all five, so a draw with fewer players can mean a bigger share. That depends on ticket sales, not on the numbers.
Midday and evening results for every day are on the Take 5 page, and the full archive goes back to 1992.