History Main / HeadsTailsEdge

* Jimmy James of ''NewsRadio'' once tried to pick the new news director this way, between Dave and Lisa. The first time, it landed on its edge. The second time, he flips it into the air...and just stares straight up into the air saying "now that is just weird."

->--''LegacyOfKain''

-->--''LegacyOfKain''

* Done with an omikuji (fortune) to settle a bet in TenjhoTenge between Maya and [[spoiler:Mitsuomi]]. The call was "above average luck", he won; "below average luck", Maya won. They never agreed what would happen if they drew "average luck". [[spoiler:[[AvertedTrope Also, Maya sniped the fortune before Mitsuomi could open it, so they never settled the bet anyway.]]]]

* In one of the early Two-Face stories in the {{Batman}} comics, Two-Face tosses his coin to decide whether to reform or not. It lands on its edge, caught in the gap in the floor boards. He declares it's now up to fate to decide and puts the coin away in his vest pocket. He is later saved when a policeman tries to shoot him and the bullet [[PocketProtector deflects off the coin]]. As the bullet struck the scarred side, Two-Face decides this means he was meant to be a criminal. Talk about [[NiceJobBreakingItHero nice job breaking it officer]].

* ''[[Film/MouseHunt Mouse Hunt]]'' has this. The two brothers flip a coin to decide who gets the bed in the house they inherited. The coin rolls across the floor to a still vertical stop. They slowly turn to look at each other, amazed... cut to them both in bed together.

* {{Scrubs}}: JD and Kim flip a coin to decide on keeping their baby. It lands on its side so it remains undecided for the time being.

* This happened in the February 12, 1990 {{Garfield}} strip.

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<<|ProbabilityTropes|>>
<<|TruthInTelevision|>>

[[AC:VideoGames]]
* LegacyOfKain takes the metaphor of HeadsTailsEdge and uses it to depths previously unknown as it becomes the goal of the main character's existence: he can sacrifice himself and doom the vampire race to extinction but save the world, or rule the world as a vampire king but doom the land to corruption due to his continued existence. Kain decides to take a chance with his lieutenant Raziel who has the power to ScrewDestiny and thus, if Kain gets lucky, he'll get to TakeAThirdOption.\\
\\
Consider as well that [[spoiler:vampires were the original guardians of the Pillars and their encroaching extinction had led to the situation to begin with, what with their human successors rebelling against them and weakening the Circle of Nine. Cementing the extinction of the vampire race would have given the Hylden more biddable subjects; the devastation wrought by Kain's empire might not have gained them Nosgoth, but would largely have taken it from their enemies.]] The whole business was a XanatosGambit by [[spoiler:the Hylden]], making it all the more essential to TakeAThirdOption.

* In an episode of ''MalcolmInTheMiddle'', Malcolm flips a coin to decide whether to get rid of a store display that he can't decide is racist or not. Sure enough, the coin lands on edge. End of episode.

** This is yet to happen when Channel Five ''[[WallBanger started doing the show for real]]''.

[[AC:{{Film}}]]

** It is also up for most of the episode, at which Malcolm wants it to stay up while his mother wants to be taken down. His mother assumes he is just doing it to go against her (and it appears he at least subconsciously did), and so, says she doesn't care about it anymore, and it's his choice. Cue Malcolm's sudden confusion at what to do, followed by a look that makes it seem as though [[YourHeadAsplode his head explodes off-screen after the coin landed on its side.]]

* In ''TheWheelOfTime'', this happens around Mat all the time, because he's ''ta'veren''. At one point, he flips a coin to try to decide if he should follow Rand or not; the coin lands on edge, but then after a minute falls down on the side that says he shouldn't; it's implied that Rand tips it over by [[FunctionalMagic channelling]].
** Later on, Mat's luck powers can make ''dice'' balance on edge. Which is how he manages to [[BeyondTheImpossible roll two dice and get a sum of one]].

** Later on, Mat's luck powers can make ''dice'' balance on edge. Which is how he manages to [[BeyondTheImpossible roll a sum of one while rolling four dice]].

* In the Thanksgiving 2010 episode of ''HowIMetYourMother'', Barney inherits the "Blitz" curse which makes awesome things happen just as he's not there to see it. He leaves the room, and the original Blitz flips a coin and it lands on its edge. It falls over just as Barney comes back.

* In one of the early Two-Face stories in the {{Batman}} comics, Two-Face tosses his coin to decide whether to reform or not. It lands on its edge, caught in the gap in the floor boards. He declares it's now up to fate to decide and puts the coin away in his vest pocket. He is later saved when a policeman tries to shoot him and the bullet [[PocketProtector deflects off the coin]]. As the bullet struck the scarred side, Two-Face decides this means he was meant to be a criminal.

* LegacyOfKain takes the metaphor of HeadsTailsEdge and uses it to depths previously unknown as it becomes the goal of the main character's existence: he can sacrifice himself and doom the vampire race to extinction but save the world, or rule the world as a vampire king but doom the land to corruption due to his continued existence. Kain decides to take a chance with his lieutenant Raziel who has the power to ScrewDestiny and thus, if Kain gets lucky, he'll get to TakeAThirdOption.
** Consider as well that [[spoiler:vampires were the original guardians of the Pillars and their encroaching extinction had led to the situation to begin with, what with their human successors rebelling against them and weakening the Circle of Nine. Cementing the extinction of the vampire race would have given the Hylden more biddable subjects; the devastation wrought by Kain's empire might not have gained them Nosgoth, but would largely have taken it from their enemies.]] The whole business was a XanatosGambit by [[spoiler:the Hylden]], making it all the more essential to TakeAThirdOption.

* LegacyOfKain takes the metaphor of HeadsTailsEdge and uses it to depths previously unknown as it becomes the goal of the main character's existence: he can sacrifice himself and doom the vampire race to extinction but save the world, or rule the world as a vampire king but doom the land to corruption due to his continued existence. Kain decides to take a chance with his lieutenant Raziel who has the power to ScrewDestiny and thus, if Kain gets lucky, he'll get to TakeAThirdOption.

* LegacyOfKain takes the metaphor of HeadsTailsEdge and uses it to depths previously unknown as it becomes the goal of the main character's existence.

** I suppose simply rolling a standard six-sided die and dividing by two (round up) was just too easy.

** The same principle is used to make a [[http://www.google.com/patents/about?id=UA8UAAAAEBAJ&dq=6926275 five-sided die]] -- a triangular prism shaped to have a 2/5 chance of landing on one of its two triangular faces and a 3/5 chance of landing on one of its three rectangular ones, giving each a 1/5 chance.

** The same principle is used to make a [http://www.google.com/patents/about?id=UA8UAAAAEBAJ&dq=6926275 five-sided die] -- a triangular prism shaped to have a 2/5 chance of landing on one of its two triangular faces and a 3/5 chance of landing on one of its three rectangular ones, giving each a 1/5 chance.

** The same principle is used to make a [http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=3&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=6926275&OS=6926275&RS=6926275 five-sided die] -- a triangular prism shaped to have a 2/5 chance of landing on one of its two triangular faces and a 3/5 chance of landing on one of its three rectangular ones, giving each a 1/5 chance.

* In a LetsPlay by Proton Jon, he decided to choose which path he would take by flipping a [[strike:coin]] game cartridge.

* {{Dilbert}} once tried to debunk Ratbert's claim of psychic powers with 100 coin flips.

** In a variant, trolls (who aren't too bright, at least at room temperatures) have a gambling game where they bet on whether or not a coin will come down ''at all''.

**No, it's not. It's because Rand's ta'veren effects are so much stronger than Mat's. When Mat is around, coins land in his favor. When Rand is around, truly strange things happen, like a coin landing on its side and rolling down the hill.