How to Split Teams with a Ghost Leg (Amidakuji) Lottery
A ghost leg lottery, called amidakuji in Japan, also works well as a random team picker. If you write the right number of team names at the bottom, the teams come out exactly the size you planned. Everyone draws a line, so no single person decides who ends up together. This article shows how to make one on paper and online, plus tips for splitting teams fairly.
Why a Ghost Leg Lottery Works for Team Splitting
- Each team gets exactly as many people as the number of times its name appears at the bottom
- Everyone helps build the lottery, so nobody can say the organizer picked the teams
- Everyone can watch the paths being traced, which makes the result easier to accept
Picking captains who choose players one by one leaves someone picked last. Counting off works, but people can change their position in line. Drawing names from a hat keeps team sizes even, but everyone has to trust whoever prepared the slips.
Decide the Number of Teams and Team Sizes First
Write one team name at the bottom for each person. To split 8 people into 2 teams, write "Red" 4 times and "Blue" 4 times.
| People | Teams | Team names at the bottom |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | 2 | Red ×4, Blue ×4 |
| 9 | 2 | Red ×5, Blue ×4 |
| 10 | 3 | A ×4, B ×3, C ×3 |
| 12 | 4 | A ×3, B ×3, C ×3, D ×3 |
When the numbers do not divide evenly, the lottery also decides which team gets the extra person. Mix up the order of the team names rather than choosing it yourself.
How to Make One on Paper
- Draw one vertical line for each person
- Write the team names under the lines, then fold the paper to hide them
- Each person writes their name above a line
- Everyone adds one or two horizontal lines between neighboring vertical lines
- Unfold the paper and trace each path to read out the teams
Do not draw a horizontal line at the same height as one next to it, or it becomes unclear which way the path turns. See How to Make a Ghost Leg Lottery on Paper and Online for the basics.
Paper works best when everyone is in the same room and there are about 10 people or fewer. With more people, tracing takes a long time and mistakes happen.
How to Make One Online
With Amida-san, each participant draws their own lines from their phone. No sign-up or app install is needed.
- Create an event on Amida-san and enter the team names in Allocations, once per person ("Bulk add" lets you paste one name per line)
- Share the URL on Slack, Teams, WhatsApp, or email
- Participants open the URL, enter their name, and draw their own lines
- Once everyone has joined, the organizer starts the draw
- Everyone's ball follows the lines to a team. You can also view the result as a table
If you will not know the head count until the day, set the size of just one team and use "All Others" for the rest. For example, enter "Red" 4 times and set All Others to "Blue". However many people join, 4 will be on Red and everyone else on Blue.
Anyone can reopen the result at the URL, so when someone asks later which team they were on, the answer is easy to find. Free events stay available for 180 days, and up to 299 people can join one event.
Keeping Experienced Players Balanced
A fully random split can put all the experienced players or older students on one team. To avoid that, make separate lotteries.
- Make one lottery for experienced players and another for everyone else, with the same number of each team name in both
- Assign one leader to each team first, then use the lottery for everyone else
Tell everyone how you will split the teams before the draw. Changing the rules after seeing the result defeats the purpose of using a lottery. Decide in advance when a redraw is allowed, too (How to Redo an Amidakuji).
Ideas by Situation
- PE classes and classroom groups. Draw it on paper, put it on the board, and trace it together. See Fair Ways to Decide Classroom Roles, Groups, and Turn Order
- Group work in training sessions. Share the URL at check-in and have everyone join before you start. How to Run a Workshop has more tips
- Breakout groups in online meetings. Decide the rooms with the lottery before assigning Zoom breakout rooms (How to Assign Zoom Breakout Rooms Fairly)
- Custom matches in games. See How to Split Teams Fairly in Discord
FAQ
How many teams can I make?
Add more team names to Allocations to make 3 or more teams. Teams can also have different sizes.
What if someone drops out?
Before the draw starts, edit the event and change the number of team names to match the number of participants. Whether to redo the teams after the draw depends on the redraw rules you set in advance.
Should I use paper or an online tool?
Paper is enough for a small group in one room. An online tool is better for larger groups, when some people are remote, or when you want to keep a record of the result.
Summary
To split teams with a ghost leg lottery, decide the number of teams and team sizes first, then write each team name once per member. To keep experienced players balanced, make separate lotteries and announce the method before the draw. For larger groups or remote participants, use an online lottery where everyone draws their own lines from their phone.
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