Ladder Game (Amidakuji)
Enter names and results, make a ladder, then tap a name to follow its path to a result. Great for picking a winner, an order or who buys coffee.
How to play
- Choose 2–8 players and type their names (blank names show as #1, #2…).
- Fill in the results, or use a preset: one winner, an order (No. 1, No. 2…) or who buys coffee.
- Press Make a ladder. The rungs stay hidden until someone taps a name, then that player's path is traced down to a result.
- Show all draws everyone left; New ladder makes a fresh ladder with the same names and results.
Why everyone gets exactly one result
Each rung swaps the two neighbouring lines. However many swaps there are, two paths can never end in the same slot, so a ladder always pairs every player with one result. This ladder has 10 rows, rungs never touch at the same height, and every pair of neighbouring lines gets at least one rung.
Is the ladder game fair?
Not on its own. A path moves at most one line per rung, so with more players it tends to end up near where it started and rarely reaches the far end. We built 20,000 ladders per group size with the same generator this page uses and counted where the first player landed:
| Players | If fair | Straight down | Far end |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 33.3% | 32.5% | 35.0% |
| 4 | 25.0% | 27.8% | 21.8% |
| 5 | 20.0% | 27.9% | 11.6% |
| 6 | 16.7% | 28.1% | 5.5% |
| 7 | 14.3% | 27.7% | 2.0% |
| 8 | 12.5% | 27.8% | 0.6% |
With 8 players a plain ladder sends the first player straight down 27.8% of the time instead of 12.5%. That is why this page also shuffles the order of the result slots every time it makes a ladder. With a shuffled order, every way of matching players to results is equally likely, whatever the ladder looks like: with n players, each player gets each result with probability 1/n. Randomness comes from your browser's crypto.getRandomValues.
What it's good for
- Deciding who buys coffee or the next round.
- Handing out chores: type dishes, groceries, driving… as results (10 characters per slot).
- Picking a speaking or playing order. For more than 8 people, use the random order in the team generator or spin the wheel.
What is amidakuji?
It's the Japanese name for this lottery, drawn on paper with vertical lines and random rungs; it's also known as the ghost leg, and in Korea as sadari-tagi. Names and results you type stay in this browser: the share button shares only the page address, and Copy results copies the text to your own clipboard.
Frequently asked questions
Is a ladder game fair?
A ladder on its own favours the slot straight below each player: with 8 players about 28% instead of 12.5%. This page also shuffles the result slots, so every outcome is equally likely.
What is amidakuji?
Amidakuji is the Japanese name for this ladder lottery: vertical lines joined by random rungs, followed from top to bottom. It's also called the ghost leg, and sadari-tagi in Korea.
How many players can join?
2 to 8. For a longer random order, use the random team generator's Random order mode (up to 100 names).
Can I make a new ladder with the same names?
Yes. New ladder keeps the names and results and draws a fresh ladder and slot order. Changing the number of players starts over.
Are names saved anywhere?
No. They stay on this page in your browser and are never put into share links.