Binary lot

A binary lot is an object that, when cast, comes to rest with one of two distinct faces uppermost. These can range from precisely machined objects like modern coins which produce balanced results (each side coming up half the time over many casts), to naturally occurring objects like cowrie shells which may produce a range of unbalanced results depending upon the species, individual, and even circumstances of the cast.

Binary lots may be used for divination, impartial decision-making, gambling, and game playing, the boundaries of which (as David Parlett suggests) can be quite blurred. They may be cast singly, yielding a single binary outcome (yes/no, win/lose, etc.), but often they are cast multiply, several in a single cast, yielding a range of possible outcomes.