How to use the weighted random picker
- In Options as Name, weight (one per line), write each option and its weight, for example
Curry, 2. - Set How many draws (1 to 100).
- Tick Allow the same winner twice if one option may win more than once.
- Press Pick winner. The first winner is shown large, all winners are listed when you draw several, and an Odds table shows each option’s weight and chance.
What it does and when to use it
A plain draw gives every option the same chance. Sometimes that is not what you want: a raffle where people bought different numbers of tickets, a dinner vote where three people want pizza and one wants salad, a game loot table, or a chore list where the bigger jobs should come up less often. Write the weights once and the tool does the maths.
If every option should be equal, the random picker or the spinner wheel is simpler. To split a list into groups instead of picking winners, use the random group assigner.
How it works
The tool adds up all weights. It then takes a random fraction between 0 and 1, multiplies it by the total, and walks down the list, subtracting each weight until the number falls inside one option’s share. An option with weight 3 covers three times as much of the line as one with weight 1, so it wins three times as often over many draws.
Without Allow the same winner twice, the winner is taken out of the list and the next draw uses the remaining weights. If you ask for more draws than there are options, you get one draw per option and no more.
Worked examples
Dinner vote. The sample list Pizza 3, Curry 2, Salad 1, Noodles 2 has a total of 8. The odds table shows Pizza | 3 | 37.5%, Curry and Noodles 25% each, and Salad 12.5%.
Mixed separators and bad weights. The lines Ana: 2, Bo | 1, Cy, 0, Dee, -3 and Ed give Ana 50%, Bo 25% and Ed 25% (Ed has no weight, so it counts as 1). Cy and Dee are skipped with the message “Ignored lines 3, 4: weights must be positive numbers.”
Limits and tips
- Up to 100 draws per press. Without repeats you get at most one draw per option, and a warning says so when you ask for more.
- The odds table shows the chances for the first draw. Without repeats, later draws have different odds because winners are removed.
- For a prize draw by ticket count, use the number of tickets as the weight.
- Your list is processed in your browser and not saved.
Frequently asked questions
How do I write the weights?
Do the weights have to add up to 100?
My option name ends in a number. What happens?
What does "Allow the same winner twice" change?
Is the draw random?
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