Random Draw Lots
Usage Tips
Hide each result before passing the device
For coffee runs, presentation order, chores, or small giveaways, enter matching participant and outcome lists separated by line breaks or commas. Each person chooses a remaining face-down lot, reads it privately, and hides the screen before the next turn.
What is Random Draw Lots?
Random Draw Lots shuffles an equal number of outcomes for 2 to 30 participants into face-down lots. Each participant chooses one remaining lot and sees only their own result. The result can be hidden before the device is passed on, and the full assignment list appears only after everyone has drawn.
How to Use
- 1 Enter equal-length participant and outcome lists separated by line breaks, commas, or tabs, or choose a preset.
- 2 Select Create lots to shuffle the outcomes and display every lot face down.
- 3 The participant named on screen chooses one remaining lot and reads the private result.
- 4 Select Hide and pass to next person before handing the device to the next participant.
- 5 After the final draw, review and copy the complete assignment list or shuffle the same entries again.
Understand unique lot assignments and outcome probability
Last reviewed: July 31, 2026Theoretical chance of drawing specific outcome text
chance (%) = lots with matching text ÷ total lots × 100
If several lots contain the same text, their individual chances are combined. Because all outcome positions are shuffled without replacement, every lot is equally possible for each participant before drawing begins.
A four-person coffee draw
- • 4 participants
- • 1 Buy coffee lot
- • 3 Free pass lots
- 1. Buy coffee chance = 1 ÷ 4 × 100 = 25%
- 2. Free pass chance = 3 ÷ 4 × 100 = 75%
- 3. One complete draw assigns all 1 Buy coffee and 3 Free pass lots without replacement
Before the draw, each participant has a 25% chance of receiving Buy coffee, and exactly one participant receives it in the completed draw.
How to read the result
- No numbered lot reveals its content before selection, and each shuffled outcome position can be chosen only once.
- As earlier participants draw, the composition of the remaining lots changes, but assigned outcomes are never reshuffled or moved between lots.
- Repeating an outcome line makes the final number of participants receiving that text equal to the number of copies entered.
Conditions that change the result
- The tool is designed for a small group sharing one device; it does not create private remote links or store draws on a server.
- Browser randomness is suitable for ordinary games and group decisions but does not provide the audit trail or proof required for regulated prize drawings.
- The full assignment list appears on the same device after the final participant finishes, so the tool is not intended for results that must remain permanently secret.
Common input mistakes
- Blank lines are ignored, so verify the displayed participant and outcome counts before starting.
- Duplicate participant names make the final list ambiguous; add numbers or nicknames to distinguish them.
- Passing the device without selecting the hide button lets the next participant see the previous result.
Reference Knowledge
- ● Outcomes are shuffled once with the Fisher-Yates method when the draw begins, and each outcome position is placed into one distinct lot.
- ● Participant order stays fixed throughout the draw. A completed lot is disabled so it cannot be selected twice.
- ● Outcome text may be repeated. Each separated entry remains a distinct lot, so repeated text is assigned exactly as many times as it was entered.
- ● Line breaks, commas, and tabs all separate entries. Use a slash (/) or middle dot (·) instead when punctuation is needed inside one entry.
- ● An individual result is shown only during that participant’s reveal step and is hidden on the next turn. The full assignment list appears only after every participant has drawn.
FAQ
Q. Can the participant and outcome counts be different?
No. Make the counts equal so every participant receives exactly one outcome. Empty entries are ignored.
Q. How do I separate entries?
Use line breaks, commas, or tabs. If one name or outcome needs internal punctuation, use a slash (/) or middle dot (·) instead of a comma.
Q. Can I include several copies of the same outcome?
Yes. For one coffee buyer in a group of four, enter one Buy coffee outcome and three Free pass outcomes.
Q. Can one participant see everyone else’s result?
Only the current participant’s outcome appears immediately after a choice. Hiding it moves to a clean next-turn screen, although the complete list is shown after the final draw.
Q. Can a completed lot be selected again?
No. After its result is confirmed, the lot changes to a completed state and cannot be chosen again.
Q. Does Shuffle again preserve the previous assignment?
No. It keeps the entered names and outcomes but creates a new shuffle and clears the progress. Copy the completed list first if you need to keep it.
