# Law of Averages and Coin Tosses **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 27, 2001, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-of-averages-and-coin-tosses/84046 "2001-09-27T02:31:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2001, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-of-averages-and-coin-tosses/84046/61 "2001-10-04T23:19:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Another Primate \* > What? Why would I cheat to provide a result that would make my daughter cry? If I could have cheated, I would have succeeded in showing her that she was NOT unlucky in coin tosses, which is what I was aiming at? And, a coin toss is called in the air – what does one do, wait until it’s called and somehow wiggle the air or the ground? Gosh Primate! I wasn’t accusing you of anything! Just suggesting it was possible. In your position I would have kept doing it in an increasingly blatant fashion until it became glaringly obvious how I was cheating. Funnier that way (eventually) and more of a lesson. Half the trick is in knowing how you expect the coin to land and so adapt the way you catch it to get the result you want. Calling it in the air seems fairer, but of course that makes the whole cheat possible. Calling it once caught is harder to fix. If you weren’t cheating then it was just one of these things. If you had gone on to do another 200 tosses I’d happily bet that your daughter would have settled in around 50% right. ---
**Author:** ![Ooner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c67d28/32.png) [@Ooner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ooner)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2001, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-of-averages-and-coin-tosses/84046/62 "2001-10-05T01:23:19Z")
[slight hijack] > [@](#): > > Half the trick is in knowing how you expect the coin to land and so adapt the way you catch it to get the result you want. Calling it in the air seems fairer, but of course that makes the whole cheat possible. Calling it once caught is harder to fix. The best way to cheat at a coin-toss is to use a quarter, catch it in one hand and feel it as you move it to the back of your other hand. The easiest (and least sneaky-looking) way is to grab it sort of high in the air, with your palm facing downward, and feel one side with your thumb. If it’s relatively smooth, call tails. If it’s sort of rough, call heads. Very basic stuff, takes a little practice, and a lot of people might catch it, but it’s still a good way to win a bet every now and then. [hijack] ---
**Author:** ![Another\_Primate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Another\_Primate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Another_Primate)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2001, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-of-averages-and-coin-tosses/84046/63 "2001-10-05T04:01:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Futile Gesture \* > \*\*Half the trick is in knowing how you expect the coin to land and so adapt the way you catch it to get the result you want. Calling it in the air seems fairer, but of course that makes the whole cheat possible. Calling it once caught is harder to fix. > > If you weren’t cheating then it was just one of these things.\*\* Well, thanks to Zach Primate visiting from college for the weekend, I now understand how you think I would be able to cheat. He pointed out that you’re assuming that when I coss a toin, I catch it. But I don’t. I let it land on the ground, and then all involved look at it without touching it. I completely agree that it was just one of those things! Not paranormal, just interesting. – Sue [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-of-averages-and-coin-tosses/84046.md?page=3)