People predicted it would be close between Hillary Clinton and her opponent Bernie Sanders at the Iowa caucus - but not so close the winner would be decided by the flip of a coin.

This is, however, exactly what happened.

In at least six precincts across Iowa Monday, Democratic caucus votes ended in a tie, forcing a coin toss to decide which candidate would win a county delegate.

Mrs Clinton won all of these - securing her an incredibly narrow lead.

It seems quite ironic that the more socialist candidate lost because of cold hard cash.

@HillaryClinton won a delegate in the #IowaCaucus by a coin toss. They literally let money decide the election — Goose Duarte (@ImprovGoose) February 2, 2016

So how can a democracy choose a political candidate because of a coin flip?

It's actually in the rules to make things fairer - if two candidates are neck-and-neck, there is no other way to choose between them except by using chance.

The coin toss rule is on the #IowaCaucus guide for Democratic precinct chairs pic.twitter.com/KQXRXaiLrx — Fernando Peinado (@FernandoPeinado) February 2, 2016

How likely is it to win a coin toss six times in a row?

Hillary won a coin flip six times.

Is it time to put our tin foil hats on?

There were six different instances where a coin toss was used to determine the winner of a delegate in Iowa, and Hillary won all six. Wow. — Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) February 2, 2016

Each coin toss has a 50% chance of coming heads or tails.

So, to get that six times in a row, we have to multiply 0.5 by itself six times.

Which gives us a chance of around 1.6%.

It's definitely not implausible that she was just lucky!

This is probably more plausible than the belief she controlled the coins with her mind.

Coin toss is all in the wrist, say scientists

Tin foil hat time again?

According to one study, if the coin tosser was biased towards Hillary and had practised their tossing, they could influence which side lands face up.

Researchers at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, asked 13 medical students to flip a coin 300 times and try to influence the way it landed.

The top two winners were told they would receive a prize of $20 (£12.50) or $10 (£5.25) respectively.

They discovered that with just two minutes' practice, the students could make the coin land on the side they chose on average 54 per cent of the time.

Seven of the 13 came up with "significantly more heads" than tails. One of the participants achieved heads 68 per cent of the time.

The study, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, suggests a coin-flip can be manipulated to turn up heads or tails.

Spooky!

Order of operations to determining Iowa winners:

1. Tallied votes

2. Coin toss

3. Rock paper scissors

4. Staring contest — Aaron Levie (@levie) February 2, 2016

Did you know elections in the UK can be decided by a coin toss?

This isn't just another example of American politics being strange.

People looked at the coin toss and scoffed, blaming the weird people in charge of politics in the US.

ok but why are they deciding something important like this with a coin toss???? I don't understand American politics goodbye — jamie frost (@jaaaayseee) February 2, 2016

American politics = Hilary Clinton wins by a coin toss? Literally. Is this a joke? https://t.co/VDVldnqqOm — CJ Berina (@CJBerina) February 2, 2016

American politics at its best. All that money spent and decided by this. #cointoss — Paul Kennedy (@pkedit) February 2, 2016

...seriously?

A coin toss?

Are you kidding?

That's what they resort to in American politics to break ties? https://t.co/ukn15vUwju — ArthroSkeleton (@FiredKnight) February 2, 2016

This could actually happen in the UK, too.

Although there has never been a tie in a UK general election - the closest margin was two in 1997 in Winchester.

If recounts fail to separate two or more leading candidates, the returning officer is legally required to settle the matter immediately.

This person has to use a random method to separate the candidates.

This can be a coin toss, or any other random and fair method of their choice.

Coin tosses have decided results in local elections.

In 2000, in the Worksop North East seat of Bassetlaw District Council, three re-counts failed to separate the Labour and Conservative candidates, but Labour won on the toss of a coin.

Control of Stirling District Council has twice been decided by cutting a pack of cards, in 1988 and 1992.

And in 2007 n Lincolnshire Conservative councillor Christopher Underwood-Frost held his seat by the toss of a coin.