Weighted spinner wheel: how to make some options rarer

Short answer: give each slice a weight. The chance of a slice is its weight divided by the total of all weights, so a x3 slice comes up three times as often as a x1 slice.

Turning weights into odds

Example: pizza x1, sushi x1, salad x3. The total is 5, so pizza and sushi each have a 20% chance and salad has 60%. Want salad less often? Lower it to x1 and every option is 33%.

When weights help

Dare and consequence wheels: make the hardest dare rare. Reward wheels for kids: common small rewards, one rare big one. Difficulty wheels for drawing or games: weight easy prompts higher. Chore wheels: give the least-loved chore less weight if it takes longer.

Keep it transparent

If other people are affected by the result, tell them the weights before you spin. A weighted wheel is fair as long as everyone knows the odds.

Doing it with Whirlpick

Open a slice and set its weight from x1 to x9; you can also hide a slice for a round without deleting it. Each spin starts from a random angle, and changes are saved automatically.

How do I work out the odds of a weighted slice?

Divide the slice's weight by the total of all weights. Weights 1, 1 and 3 give 20%, 20% and 60%.

Is a weighted wheel still random?

Yes. Every spin is independent; weights only change how likely each slice is, not which one comes up next.

Can I make a slice very rare?

Give it weight x1 and the others x9. With five other slices, the rare one comes up about 2% of the time.