25 pub quiz tie-breaker questions with answers (and how to settle a draw fairly)

Two teams level on points at 10pm, both convinced they've won. A good tie-breaker settles it in a minute. A bad one, a question with an answer nobody can agree on, starts a row.

The best tie-breakers have a single number for an answer, and the closest team wins. Here are 25, with the answers and where we checked them.

How to run a tie-break fairly

1. Decide the rule before the quiz starts. "Closest wins, one question" is the simplest. Put it on your rules card.
2. Read the question twice and give both teams a slip of paper.
3. Give them 30 seconds. No phones.
4. Collect both slips before you read the answer.
5. If it's still a tie, go to a second question, or split the prize.

Don't use a tie-breaker the regulars might have heard before. Keep a list and tick them off. Our guide on how to host a pub quiz shows where the tie-breaker fits in the night.

Local landmarks and big facts

1. How tall is Ben Nevis, in metres?

1,345 metres, as measured by Ordnance Survey.

2. How tall is the Angel of the North, in metres?

20 metres.

3. What is the wingspan of the Angel of the North, in metres?

54 metres.

4. How much does the Angel of the North weigh, in tonnes?

200 tonnes.

5. How much did the Angel of the North cost to make?

£800,000.

6. In which year did the Angel of the North first open its wings?

1998.

History and Christmas

7. How many barrels of gunpowder were found under Parliament in 1605?

36.

8. How many copies of the first commercial Christmas card were printed in 1843?

1,000.

9. In which year was the first royal Christmas broadcast?

1932.

10. Roughly how many people listened to that first broadcast?

About 20 million.

11. Since which year has Norway given London the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree?

1947.

12. In "The Twelve Days of Christmas", how many gifts are given in total?

364.

Sport and the pub

13. What is the highest score possible with three darts?

180.

14. Add up all the numbers around a dartboard, from 1 to 20. What's the total?

210.

15. What is the maximum break in snooker, without a free ball?

147.

16. How many balls are on a snooker table at the start of a frame, including the cue ball?

22. Fifteen reds, six colours and the cue ball.

17. How many spots are there on a full set of double-six dominoes?

168.

18. How many matches will be played at Euro 2028?

51.

19. Over how many days will Euro 2028 be played?

31.

Numbers you can work out

20. How many seconds are there in a day?

86,400.

21. How many minutes are there in a week?

10,080.

22. How many hours are there in a leap year?

8,784.

23. How many squares are on a chessboard?

64.

24. What do the numbers on a standard dice add up to?

21.

25. How many people took part in the first Dry January, in 2013?

4,000, according to Alcohol Change UK.

Write your own local tie-breakers

Local tie-breakers are the best ones, because your regulars care about them. Some ideas:

• The year your pub was built or opened.
• The capacity of the local football or rugby ground.
• The year the local club was founded.
• The height of a local landmark.
• The distance from your pub to the nearest city centre, in miles.

Check every answer against an official source, like the club's own website or the council's, and write the source next to it. If a regular challenges you, you can show them.

A few that aren't questions

If you want something lighter at the end of a long night:

• Closest to the time. Both teams write down the exact time (no phones), and the closest wins.
• Draw it. Both teams draw the same thing in 30 seconds, and the room votes by cheering.
• Sudden death. Alternate questions until one team gets one wrong.

Keep these for fun prizes. For a bar tab or a cash prize, stick to a number question so it's clearly decided by knowledge or judgement, not luck.

How StockTap TV helps

When teams answer on their phones, StockTap TV works out the scores for you, so you know straight away if it's a draw. For a hosted quiz night, the scores go up on every TV so everyone can see it's a draw before you read the tie-breaker. At our place in Washington the Tuesday quiz starts at 7:30pm. See quiz night on every TV, or join the founding pubs.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good pub quiz tie-breaker?

A question with a single number for an answer, where the closest team wins. It's quick, fair and easy to explain.

What happens if the tie-breaker answers are the same distance away?

Ask a second tie-breaker question. If that's level too, split the prize.

Should the tie-breaker be hard?

It should be something nobody knows exactly but everyone can have a sensible guess at. That way it's about judgement, not just luck.

Can I use these questions in my pub quiz?

Yes, use them in your pub. Please don't copy the whole page onto another website.

Sources

• GeoConnexion: Great Britain is officially taller (Ordnance Survey's measurement of Ben Nevis)
• Gateshead Council: Angel of the North
• Royal Museums Greenwich: What was the Gunpowder Plot?
• V&A: The first Christmas card
• The Royal Family: The Christmas Broadcast
• Mayor of London: Christmas at Trafalgar Square
• England Football: EURO 2028 match schedule released
• Alcohol Change UK: About Dry January

We checked every source on 24 October 2026. Rules change, so check the latest version before you act. Nothing here is legal advice.