Singapore Toto glossary
Plain-English definitions of the terms used in Singapore Toto and on TotoLab — from prize groups and System entries to wheeling guarantees and the statistics behind our guides.
- Abbreviated wheel
- A wheel that uses fewer tickets than a full System entry while keeping a stated guarantee, such as 4-if-4. See how wheeling works.
- Additional number
- A seventh number drawn after the six winning numbers. It only counts towards Groups 2, 4 and 6.
- Cascade
- When Group 1 has snowballed to its limit and is still not won, the jackpot cascades to Group 2 winners — or, if there are none, to the next group down that has winners. See snowball and cascade draws.
- Cascade draw
- The draw in which an unwon jackpot will cascade to Group 2 if nobody matches all six numbers.
- Chi-square test
- A statistical test of whether observed counts (such as how often each number is drawn) differ from what chance would produce. TotoLab uses it on its hot and cold numbers page.
- Cold number
- A number drawn less often than average over a chosen period. Past frequency does not predict future draws.
- Combination
- One set of six numbers. There are 13,983,816 possible Toto combinations.
- Consecutive numbers
- Neighbouring numbers such as 17 and 18. Almost half of all combinations contain at least one consecutive pair. See consecutive numbers.
- Coverage guarantee
- A promise that a wheel delivers a minimum match if enough of your numbers are drawn, written as X-if-Y.
- Draw number
- The sequential number Singapore Pools gives each draw. TotoLab lists results by draw number.
- Full wheel
- Every six-number combination of a pool — identical to a System entry.
- Gambler's fallacy
- The mistaken belief that a number or pair is "due" because it has not appeared recently. Each draw is independent.
- Group 1–7
- The seven Toto prize groups, from Group 1 (all six numbers) to Group 7 (three numbers). See odds and prize groups.
- Hong Bao draw
- An annual special draw held around Chinese New Year with a large guaranteed jackpot.
- Hot number
- A number drawn more often than average over a chosen period. Like cold numbers, it describes the past only.
- Jackpot
- The Group 1 prize: 38% of the prize pool, with a minimum of $1 million, shared equally among all Group 1 winning tickets.
- Odds
- How likely an outcome is. TotoLab writes it as "1 in N": on average, one winning outcome for every N tickets.
- Ordinary entry
- A single six-number ticket costing $1.
- Pool (wheeling)
- The set of numbers you choose to wheel, usually 7 to 15.
- Prize pool
- Under the game rules, 54% of each draw’s net sales (after GST). Groups 1 to 4 take fixed percentages of it; Groups 5 to 7 pay fixed amounts.
- Quick Pick
- Numbers chosen randomly by the terminal or app instead of by you.
- Snowball
- When nobody wins Group 1, the jackpot is carried forward and added to the next draw. Unwon Group 2, 3 and 4 prizes also carry forward.
- Special draw
- A draw held outside the usual Monday and Thursday schedule, typically around New Year, Chinese New Year or National Day.
- Sum (total)
- The six winning numbers added together. Totals cluster around 150. See sum of numbers.
- System entry
- An entry with 7 to 12 numbers that plays every six-number combination of them, at $1 per combination. System 7 costs $7; System 12 costs $924.
- System Roll
- An entry with five numbers plus every possible sixth number, covering all 44 combinations.
- Wheel
- A set of tickets built from a pool so that a stated minimum match is guaranteed if enough pool numbers are drawn.
- X-if-Y
- Shorthand for a wheel guarantee: if Y winning numbers are in your pool, at least one ticket contains X of them.
Still unsure about something? Start with how the odds work or browse all guides.