Magic 8 Ball
Ask a yes-or-no question and shake for the answer.
Ask the ball
Type a question, shake the ball, get an answer from the authentic set โ the same twenty responses the Mattel toy has floated up since 1950, from "It is certain" through "Ask again later" to "Very doubtful". Recent questions and their verdicts are kept on screen for the inevitable disputes.
The toy, and the odds
The real ball contains a 20-sided die floating in blue liquid. Its answer distribution is not neutral: ten answers are positive, five negative, five non-committal โ the classic ball says yes half the time. This one draws uniformly across the same twenty answers with the browser's cryptographic random source, so it is exactly as biased as the original and exactly as wise.
Its genuine use, as generations have discovered, is not the answer but your reaction to it: if the ball says no and you feel relieved, you have your answer. For decisions deserving honest odds, the coin flip is a true 50/50, dice give any odds you like, and the random picker chooses among several options without editorialising.
Frequently asked questions
What answers can the Magic 8 Ball give?
The authentic twenty: ten positive, five vague, five negative. This version uses the original Mattel wording, drawn uniformly at random.
Is the Magic 8 Ball really random?
This one is โ each answer is equally likely, drawn from the browser's cryptographic random source. The plastic original depends on how you shake it, but is close.
Why does it say 'Ask again later'?
Five of the twenty answers are non-committal by design. Tradition permits one re-shake; beyond that you are negotiating with a plastic ball.
Should I make real decisions with it?
Use it to surface your own preference: notice whether the answer pleases or disappoints you. For genuinely fair chance, flip the coin instead.