How to draw a random card
- Fill the deck. Type or paste names, questions or prompts into the list, one per line. Each line becomes a face-down card.
- Draw. Press Draw a card, tap the deck or press the Space bar.
- Watch the shuffle. The deck is riffled, then fanned out while a highlight runs across the cards and slows down.
- Flip the winner. The chosen card slides out of the fan, flips face up and grows to the middle of the table.
Why a card draw?
Drawing from a deck feels familiar and fair: everyone has seen a card picked from a fan. It is calmer than a race and quicker than a tournament, and because the text wraps over several lines, it is the best game on the site for anything longer than a name: discussion questions, writing prompts, dares, chores or quiz topics.
Ideas for the card draw
- Discussion cards: load a question deck, draw one per round and let the table answer in turn.
- Who presents next: put the class list in the deck. No repeats until everyone is picked is on from the start, so the whole class gets a card before anyone is drawn twice.
- Story building: make one deck of characters and one of places, and draw a card from each to start a story.
- Game night: draw who deals first, which game you play, or which forfeit the loser takes.
- A dealt hand: set Winners to 5 to deal five cards at once, numbered in the order they came out of the deck.
Like every game here, the card draw works with the same list as the wheel and the hat, and with tournaments, best of 3 and team battles under the big button.
Questions people ask
How does the random card draw work?
Every name in your list becomes a card in the deck. When you press Draw a card, your browser's secure random generator chooses the card first; then the deck is shuffled, fanned out, and that card slides out and flips over. The shuffle is a show: it never changes which card wins.
How many cards can the deck hold?
Up to 200. The fan shows a neat selection of them while it deals, so even a big class or a long question deck stays easy to watch. Bigger lists switch to Quick pick or the slot machine, which handle any size.
Can I put questions or prompts on the cards instead of names?
Yes, and it works especially well. Long text wraps over several lines and shrinks to fit the card, which is why our deep questions, journal prompts and other question decks open on the card draw.
Can I draw several cards at once?
Yes. Set Winners in Settings, or tick Rank everyone. The cards are dealt into a hand in the order they were drawn, each with its number, and the first card is the biggest.
Is a card I have drawn put back in the deck?
Not straight away. No repeats until everyone is picked is on from the start, so you work through the whole deck before any card comes up twice, and a new round never begins with the card drawn last. Choose Keep the name to put every card straight back, or Remove the winner to take it out for good.
Can I show a photo or emoji on a card?
Yes. Start a name with an emoji, such as 🎸 Leo, or add a photo under Photos, and it appears above the name on the card face. Photos stay on your device.