📖 Guides

Go deeper than the tools

In-depth, practical guides on running fair draws, understanding randomness, and getting the most out of Xrandom's tools.

How to Run a Fair Online Giveaway

Picking a winner is the easy part. Running a giveaway people actually trust is the hard part — here's how to get both right.

7 min read

Lottery Quick-Pick Guide: Formats, Odds, and How Quick Picks Actually Work

What a quick pick actually is, how the big lotteries differ, and why no number is ever 'due.'

8 min read

True Random vs. Pseudo-Random: What Actually Makes a Generator Random

Not all 'random' is created equal. Here's what's actually happening under the hood — and why it matters.

6 min read

How to Fairly Split Groups and Teams (For Teachers and Coaches)

Why 'captains pick teams' is the least fair method in the room — and three better ways to split any group.

6 min read

How Random Should Your Password Actually Be?

Password strength isn't about being clever — it's about entropy. Here's what that actually means in practice.

7 min read

The Complete Guide to Sudoku Difficulty and Solving Techniques

What actually makes a Sudoku puzzle 'hard' — and the core techniques that solve almost every puzzle you'll encounter.

7 min read

How to Run a Fair Poker or Card Game Night

Fair shuffling, fair dealing, and how hand rankings actually work — including the one rule that flips in 3-card poker.

6 min read

A Practical Guide to Splitting Bills Fairly

Even split, itemized split, or take turns treating — each is 'fair' in a different way. Here's how to pick.

5 min read

A Developer's Guide to Safe Test Data

Not all 'fake' test data is equally safe. Here's the actual difference, and why it matters.

6 min read

The 52-Week Savings Challenge, Explained

Why a simple deposit-a-bit-more-each-week challenge actually works — and why shuffling the order can help you finish it.

5 min read

How to Prep a Tabletop RPG Session with Random Generators

You don't need to hand-write every NPC and room. Here's a fast prep workflow built entirely from random generators.

6 min read