Opening spiel: "A fortune in fabulous prizes may go to these people tonight if they know when The Price Is Right...Come on down...you are the first four contestants on The Price Is Right!"


Probably one of the greatest game shows still on television, and probably the only game show remaining in which the shows are self-contained (running complete in one show, no returning champions).

The Price Is Right as we know it today premiered in 1972 on CBS as a half-hour show, then in 1975 expanded to its current hour format (although other half-hour incarnations have been shown in various syndication runs).

TPIR remains the longest continuous game show still in existence on television (having debuted in the early 1960's). One vestige of the original version remains in its current run...four players in "Contestant's Row" bid on one item, and the one who comes closer to the actual retail price without going over wins the item. But the contestant's quest doesn't end there.

The winning player gets a chance to play a "Pricing Game" for even bigger prizes. These "Pricing Games" are by far more interesting than the opening "Item Up For Bid".

In order to understand these "Pricing Games", you must know the strategies behind them. There have been over 80 pricing games during the current run of the show. But rather than waste time going through every one, we're going to look at the most popular games played. Beginning with...


MONEY GAME One of the easiest ways to win a car. This game is mostly played on Fridays. The game has six fill-in windows that contain double digits (two windows for the car and four for only money). The objective of the player is to fill in the two windows that contain the price of the car before filling in the four windows that contain money. If he/she does, the car is won. If the player fills the four windows with money before getting the price of the car, he/she wins only money. The current version of "Money Game" has five digits, so Bob Barker gives the player the middle number in the price of the car to make it easy for the player.
THE TRICK...the formation of the numbers are in three rows of 3 double digits. Watch out for three tricks that could win the car for you...El Cheapo, in which the last two numbers of the price of the car are zero-something (05, for example); Front and Back, in which the correct order of the winning numbers are side-by-side; and finally, Back and Front, in which the winning numbers are in reverse side-by-side order.


ANY NUMBER...This is where the real name of the game is money...under 10 bucks! It consists of three prizes...a middle-tier prize (like a lamp, coffee table, etc.), a car (yes, another car game), and money in the piggy bank. An oval-shaped board consisting of three rows of prices (in order: the car, middle tier-ed prize, and the money in the piggy bank) sets the game in motion...five digits (in the current version) in the price of the car, and three digits each in the middle-tier prize and the piggy bank. The object of the game is in...
THE TRICK...first off, each number is used once in play (from 0 to 9), and Bob Barker even gives you the first digit in the price of the car. BUT...here's what the producers won't tell you. The true nature of "Any Number" is to get all the digits in the price of the piggy bank BEFORE getting all the digits in the price of the car. You do that, and YOU LOSE. By the way, the numbers in the piggy bank are usually in descending order ($4.21, for example).


HIT ME!...this is one of several "card" games based on a deck of cards. This is a lot like playing Black Jack. The object is to get a good enough deck than the house without going broke. To win cards, you must be right about the prize. Which brings me to...
THE TRICK...the key to winning this game is to try and find a prize that is the actual retail price divided by ten. In other words, a prize may look extremely expensive than the actual price. Pick the two prizes that has its "face price" divided by ten, and you'll get the two cards you need to hit "21", which will beat the house and win you the prize. If you don't, you'll just have to win the "hard way"...


CREDIT CARD...here's where you can "go shopping" by using a credit card without going over your limit. The object here is this...you get a "credit limit" of money, and you must "buy" three of five prizes without going over your "limit". You do, and you win ALL five prizes.
THE TRICK...there's an old saying that "size isn't everything". By that I mean just because a prize is small in size does not mean it's cheaper than all the others. In every edition of the game there is always one of those prizes. Many of the players have a tendency to pick the smaller prize just so they can win the game. Well, they always fall into that trap...for they find that the smaller prize can be the MOST EXPENSIVE of the five prizes! Watch out! Don't put yourself in that position!!!


DICE GAME...here's another game that has a Las Vegas Casino edge. And yes, this is a car game. The contestant gets four die. By rolling each of the die at a time, he/she bids on a given number in the price of the car, keeping in mind there are no numbers higher then 6, and there are no 0's. If he/she rolls the die and the number is exactly right, of course he/she wins the number. If not, the player must bid if the number rolled is higher or lower than that number.
THE TRICK...comes at the very end of the game after the contestant has finished rolling all four die. There are five numbers in the price of the car, and Bob gives the player the first number. Usually the second and fifth numbers are a cinch for the player, but watch out! Sometimes the middle numbers can be either a 5 or a 6! Also, if the player rolls a middle number (3,4 or 5) as the third or fourth number in the price of the car and doesn't get it right the first time, he/she is playing against the odds no matter how high or low he/she bids. Much of the time a contestant bids lower than the 5 he/she got on the die and the actual number is a 6! Don't you dare fall for the "losing 6"!!!




Stay tuned!!! More to follow!!!