Spin The Wheel › Guides › How many spins until everyone is picked?
If winners stay on the wheel, it takes about N × (1 + 1/2 + … + 1/N) spins on average before every name has come up. A table for 2 to 30 names.
This is the classic “coupon collector” problem. If names stay on the wheel, the expected number of spins until every one of N names has come up at least once is N × (1 + 1/2 + 1/3 + … + 1/N).
| Names (N) | Average spins to see everyone |
|---|---|
| 2 | 3.0 |
| 3 | 5.5 |
| 4 | 8.3 |
| 5 | 11.4 |
| 6 | 14.7 |
| 8 | 21.7 |
| 10 | 29.3 |
| 12 | 37.2 |
| 15 | 49.8 |
| 20 | 72.0 |
| 25 | 95.4 |
| 30 | 119.8 |
For a class of 30, that is about 120 spins. If you want everyone to get a turn, switch on removal of each picked name: then exactly N spins cover everyone, in a random order.
The last few names are hard to hit: with one name left out of 30, each spin has only a 1 in 30 chance of finding it.
Remove each name after it is picked. N spins then give a random order with no repeats.
Last checked: 29 October 2026.