Flip a Coin
Flip a coin: press once, or flip 10 or 100 times and see the counts and percentages of heads and tails. Choose single flips, best of 3 or best of 5. A small table shows how the share of heads settles near 50% as the number of flips grows.
Example result shown first. Press a button for a real flip.
Coin and luck signs
Framed coin lines
Flip the coin in three steps
- Choose how you want to count: single flips, best of 3 or best of 5.
- Press Flip once, Flip 10 times or Flip 100 times. The coin spins and the counts update.
- Read the result and the percentages. Press Reset counts to start again.
How the share of heads settles
With a fair coin, a short series can be far from 50%, and a long one stays close. The table gives the exact chance that the share of heads falls within the stated range, worked out with the binomial formula.
| Flips | Heads in range | Chance | Chance of exactly half |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 4 to 6 heads | 65.6% | Exactly 5: 24.6% |
| 100 | 40 to 60 heads | 96.5% | Exactly 50: 8.0% |
| 1,000 | 400 to 600 heads | over 99.99% | Exactly 500: 2.5% |
Best of 3 and best of 5
A series ends as soon as one side has enough wins, so you may flip fewer times than the maximum. With a fair coin, a best of 3 ends 2 to 0 half the time and 2 to 1 half the time. With more than two options, spin the wheel of names.
| Series | Wins needed | Possible scores | Chance of each |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best of 3 | 2 | 2–0 or 2–1 | 2–0: 50%, 2–1: 50% |
| Best of 5 | 3 | 3–0, 3–1 or 3–2 | 3–0: 25%, 3–1: 37.5%, 3–2: 37.5% |
Symbols for decisions
Copy a check mark, a star or a luck sign to go with your result.
Check marks and crosses
Stars and asterisks
Shapes
A real coin is not perfectly fair
A team led by František Bartoš and Eric-Jan Wagenmakers collected 350,757 real flips from volunteers. Their result was that a coin landed on the side it started on 50.8% of the time, a small but real bias that matches a physics model of the flip. Heads and tails were equally likely overall. The online coin on this page has no starting side and no bias.
Use it for fun
A coin flip is good for small choices, such as who goes first. Do not use it for gambling or for any decision where money or prizes are at stake. Device check: we tested the page in Chrome on a computer and have not yet tested iPhone Safari or Android Chrome. Report problems to [email protected]. Back to OxoApp.
Frequently asked questions
Is the coin flip fair?
Each flip uses your browser’s secure random generator, so heads and tails each have a 50% chance and previous flips do not matter. A run of five heads does not make tails more likely next.
Why do 10 flips rarely give exactly 5 heads and 5 tails?
Chance varies a lot in a small sample. With 10 flips, exactly 5 heads happens about 25% of the time. The share of heads gets closer to 50% only as the number of flips grows.
Does a real coin land on the side it started?
A 2023 study of 350,757 real flips, by Bartoš, Wagenmakers and colleagues, found that a coin landed on the side it started 50.8% of the time. The online coin has no such bias.
What does best of 3 mean?
The first side to win two flips wins the series. Best of 5 means the first to three wins. The tool tells you when a side has won.
Updated