Flip a Coin and Roll Dice: Quick Ways to Settle Ties and Small Decisions

Alongside the comment picker, RaffleSelect has two small games that people tend to discover by accident and then keep using: Flip a Coin and Roll Dice. They're simple, free to use, and surprisingly handy when you run a social account or a small business.

This post is a collection of situations where they help, plus a few where you should reach for something else.

Why use an online coin at all?

You probably have a coin in a drawer. The online version has a few advantages:

• It's on screen. You can record or livestream it, so other people can see the result rather than taking your word for it.
• Nobody argues about the catch. No "it hit the table," no "you looked before you called it."
• It's always there. Your phone is in your hand already.

Giveaway situations

A tie in a voting or "best answer" contest

If you run a contest where you or your audience judge the entries, such as best photo or funniest caption, you may end up with two finalists you genuinely can't separate. Agree in advance that ties will be settled by a coin flip, assign heads and tails to each finalist on camera, and flip. Mention the tie-break method in your rules so nobody is surprised.

Deciding who picks their prize first

If you've drawn two winners and the prizes are different, a coin flip can decide who gets first choice. With three to six winners, roll a die for each person and let the highest roll choose first, re-rolling any ties.

Choosing which post to run the giveaway on

Torn between two prize photos or two caption ideas? Let a coin decide and move on. It's a small thing, but getting unstuck quickly is worth something when you're managing your own content.

Everyday business situations

• Which product to feature this week when two are equally due a spotlight.
• Who goes first in a team meeting, a live Q&A or a staff competition.
• Splitting a team into two groups for a challenge.
• Pick a day: number your options one to six and roll the die to choose which day you post, test, or schedule something.
• Customer engagement in a story: "Heads, we restock the blue one first. Tails, the green one." Then flip live.

Turning it into content

A coin flip or dice roll is a tiny moment of suspense, and short suspense makes decent short video. A few ideas:

1. "You choose, the coin decides." Let followers vote between two options, then flip to break the tie if the vote is close.
2. Dice-roll discounts for a day. Roll live and announce a small perk tied to the number, for example a different free add-on for each result. Decide the six outcomes beforehand and show them before you roll.
3. Roll for the next giveaway prize. Show six possible prizes, roll the die, and that's the one you'll give away next week. It builds anticipation for the giveaway itself.

If you tie a discount or prize to a roll, keep it simple, write the outcomes down first, and honour whatever comes up.

When a coin isn't the right tool

A coin flip is great for choosing between two clearly defined options. It is not a way to pick a giveaway winner from a crowd of entrants. For that, you want every eligible entry to have an equal chance, which is what the comment picker does once your filters have run.

Use the full picker when:

• You have more than a handful of entrants.
• You need duplicate or hashtag filters applied.
• You want backup winners (substitutes) chosen at the same time.
• You want a shareable winner certificate or a countdown before the reveal.

And for anything where real money, prizes of significant value or formal contest rules are involved, settle tie-break methods in your written rules beforehand rather than improvising.

Making a coin flip fair in public

If the result matters to other people, a little process goes a long way:

1. Assign the sides first, out loud or in writing, before anything happens.
2. Show the screen from the moment you tap until the result settles.
3. One flip, no "best of three" unless you announced best of three beforehand.
4. Post the clip if anyone might question it later.

The same applies to dice: list what each number means before you roll, and roll once.

Try them

Both tools live on the site and take a second to use: Flip a Coin for two-way decisions and Roll Dice for up to six options. For picking a winner from your post's comments, start a giveaway here.