How to get even teams
The wheel starts with 12 slices: 4 teams, 3 places on each. That is set up for 12 people in 4 teams of 3.
- Make one slice for every person playing. 20 people in 4 teams of 5 means each team goes on the wheel 5 times.
- The first person spins and joins the team it lands on.
- Press Remove Winner from List. Only the slice that won comes off, so that team now has one fewer place left.
- Keep going until the wheel is empty. Every team ends up the same size.
Changing the number of teams
Two teams? Clear the list and paste Red team and Blue team as many times as you need places. Six teams work the same way. Rename the teams to anything you like, such as house names, table numbers or Team A and Team B. Odd numbers are fine too: for 13 people in 2 teams, put one team on 7 times and the other on 6.
The other way: spin for people
If you would rather pick people than places, put everyone's name on the wheel of names, spin, and give the winners to each team in turn: first to Red, second to Blue, and so on, removing each name as it comes up. This is the better choice when captains want to see who they get, one by one.
Questions
Will the teams always be even?
Yes, as long as each team is on the wheel the same number of times and you remove every result. The wheel runs out of places on a full team, so nobody can be sent there.
Does Remove Winner take off every copy of a team?
No. It removes only the slice the wheel landed on, so the other places for that team stay on the wheel.
Can I use it with a class on a projector?
Yes. Put it on the board and let each student press spin. Everyone sees where they land, which saves arguments.
More ready-made wheels
More in Names, teams and draws