How to flip a coin online
There is nothing to set up. Open the page and flip.
- 1Have someone call heads or tails out loud.
- 2Tap "Flip". The coin spins for about a second and lands on "Heads" or "Tails".
- 3For a bigger decision, set "Best of" to 3 or 5. The tool keeps the series score and names the winner as soon as the other side can't catch up.
- 4The "Tally" counts heads and tails for this session, and your last 10 flips are listed too.
- 5Switch "Sound" on or off to suit the room.
Is a virtual coin toss fair?
Yes. Each flip uses your browser's secure random generator, so heads and tails each have exactly a 50/50 chance. No thumb, no wobble, no coin rolling under the couch.
Every flip is independent. The coin doesn't know it landed on tails four times in a row, and the next flip is still 50/50. Streaks are more common than people think: a set of 10 flips usually has a run of three or more in a row somewhere.
Flip 100 times and watch the "Tally". It ends up near half and half, but rarely at exactly 50 and 50. That's what fair looks like.
Best of 3 or best of 5: when one flip isn't enough
One flip can feel too quick for some decisions, like who gets the front seat for the whole road trip or who picks the movie for a month. Set "Best of" to 3 or 5 and play a short series instead.
In best of 3, the first side to win 2 flips takes it. If heads wins the first two, the series is over and the tool says so. In best of 5, the first side to 3 wins. Everyone can see the score, so there's no arguing about who was ahead.
A few house rules keep it fair. Call before the flip, not while the coin spins. The caller keeps the same side for the whole series. And whoever lost the last series calls first next time.
When to flip a coin
Who goes first
Board games, card games, the first serve in ping-pong or the kickoff in backyard football.
Two choices, no favorite
Two restaurants, two movies, two weekend plans. If you feel a little disappointed when the coin lands, you've learned which one you really wanted.
Fair splits between two
Who washes and who dries, who takes the top bunk, who gets the last cookie.
Tiebreakers
A trivia night or a board game that ends in a tie. One flip, no rematch.
Classroom
Decide which half of the room presents first or which team picks the topic. Or play the standing game below with the whole class.
Coin toss games for groups
Heads or tails, last one standing
Everyone stands. Before each flip, players put their hands on their heads for heads or on their hips for tails. Anyone on the wrong side sits down. The last person standing wins. A favorite in classrooms and at kids' parties.
Streak guesser
Each player guesses before every flip and keeps going until they miss. The longest run of correct guesses wins. Three in a row is good. Five is a legend.
Coin walk
On a walk around the neighborhood, flip at every corner: heads, turn left; tails, turn right. See where you end up, then take the short way home.
Heads you answer
Pick a question from Get to Know You. Heads, you answer it yourself. Tails, you choose who answers. Good for a new group or a family dinner.
Truth or dare by coin
Can't decide? Heads it's a truth, tails it's a dare. Our Truth or Dare game has the questions and dares ready.
Paranoia
In Paranoia, one player reads a secret question and answers with a name out loud. A coin flip decides whether the question gets revealed to the group.
Heads or tails, and águila o sol
People have settled things with a coin for a very long time. Children in ancient Rome played a version called heads or ships, after the two sides of a common coin.
In Mexico, flipping a coin is called echar un volado, and you call águila o sol: the eagle or the sun. On our Spanish page, this tool is called Cara o cruz.
In American football, a coin toss before the kickoff decides who gets the ball first, and the visiting team usually makes the call. It's a polite rule worth borrowing for game night: the guest calls it.
Games and tools that go with a coin flip
A coin only has two sides. For three or more choices, use Spin the Wheel. To set the turn order for the whole table, try Who Goes First, where everyone puts a finger on the screen and the phone picks. For board games that need dice, the Dice Roller rolls up to 10 at once.
All of them are free and run in your browser, with no sign-up and no app.
Questions
Is the coin flip really 50/50?
Yes. Each flip uses your browser's secure random generator, so heads and tails have exactly the same chance every time.
Can I do best of 3?
Yes. Set "Best of" to 3 or 5. The tool keeps the series score and announces the winner as soon as the other side can't catch up.
Why did I get heads five times in a row?
Streaks are part of randomness. Any five flips in a row come up all heads about 1 time in 32, so over a lot of flips you'll see it now and then.
Does it keep track of my flips?
Yes. The "Tally" counts heads and tails for this session, and you can see your last 10 flips.
What does echar un volado mean?
It's how people in Mexico say flip a coin. Instead of heads or tails, you call águila o sol, the eagle or the sun.
Who should call heads or tails?
Agree before the flip. A common rule is that the guest or the visiting team calls it, out loud, before anyone taps.
Is flipping a coin online free?
Yes. Flip a Coin is free, with no sign-up and no app to install.