When Harry Black plays the BC Lottery, he adds something to his ticket purchase that few other players knew about.

He had played the same way for years, but the 66-year-old Surrey resident had never won more than $10 at a time.

Even so, he stuck to his routine when he played the British Columbia Lottery Commission’s 649 game in 2013, and this time it paid off.

Here's how it worked.

For years, Harry Black played the very same numbers in every game.

But the difference - he's always bought two tickets with the same numbers every time he plays.

And when the numbers were drawn in this game, Black had matched all six. The total jackpot was a record $63 million, and there were four separate winning tickets.

Since Harry held two of those tickets, he came away with half the jackpot share of $31.6 million.

"This is a wonderful surprise to all of us," said Kevin Gass, Vice President of Lottery Gaming at BCLC.

"While it’s not known how many people buy identical tickets for a draw, it is the first time in the company’s recollection that we’ve had this unique sort of win."

Black, a part-time film industry worker, says he won't quit his job, but said at the time he does plan to do a bit of traveling, including a visit to Scotland.

Then he plans to buy some land and build his dream house.

Black says he’ll also invest his winnings and share a significant portion with his friends and family members.

OUR TIP: While Harry's strategy worked for him this once - after many years of experimenting - it's an expensive way of playing for most players.

We don't recommend copying his method. But you never know how it will turn out!

ABOUT THE GAME: Lotto 6/49 is a Canada-wide lottery game drawn on Wednesdays and Saturdays after 6 p.m (PT). Players can purchase tickets at any lottery retailer or at PlayNow.com.