I miss quality daytime game shows. I know the nature of the beast now for the major tv networks (CBS, NBC, ABC and FOX) is to have talk shows and/or court shows all the livelong day.
One of my favorites growing up was Card Sharks. I had an idea to revive it, adding some different games in the mix, while still keeping the gameplay of the original as much as possible.
Two things about the original show that I didn't necessarily like were the straddling of games/matches, and the sometimes long, drawn-out pontificating by the contestants opinions on the various survey questions. My idea resolves both.
During the first segment of the show, the two players, one a returning champion, begin playing. Red deck up top for champs, blue deck on the bottom line for challengers.
The first segment of the show is called "HIGH/LOW SHOWDOWN". The top 5 cards from each deck are dealt face down. There is no freezing in this round, no questions in this round, and both players are required to play the 5 cards dealt to them, no changing of cards.
Starting with the returning champion, or the red deck in the event that it's 2 new players, the base card is revealed. Each one of the other 4 cards has a dollar value, $50, $100, $150 and $200 for the 5th and final card. The champ predicts if the 2nd card is higher or lower. If they are right, they score $50, if wrong, they score nothing. Then the blue player does the same thing. Then back to red again for the center card worth $100 if right, and so on. The player who is trailing before the final card is called gets to go first. The winner of the showdown is the player who scores the most money. The high scorer wins a $500 bonus, thus making $1,000 the possible maximum payout in this round. The winner of this round also receives a joker, and that joker can be used anytime during match play to change a card. I will explain more about that joker as we go along. If the High Low Showdown ends in a tie, neither player wins the $500 or the joker, but both players get to keep any money won in the round, regardless, whether it ends in a tie or not either.
Segment 2 is called "CLASSIC CARD SHARKS". This is played like the regular game from the 70s and 80s with the exception being, rather than asking long, drawn-out survey questions, regular standard trivia questions are asked, and lock out buzzers are used. The first player to ring in has 3 seconds to answer. If the correct answer is given, they win control, if they are wrong or take too long, the other player wins control automatically. Winning the question allows the player to keep or change the base card. Freezing on a bad card is allowed in this round. If a player has a joker from the High Low Showdown, they can turn that joker in for changing a card. A player can do this at any time, even if they did not win the question, but it can only be changed on a base card. If the base card is an 8, and the change is made and it's another 8 for example, they can use the joker to re-change it again. If the joker is not used at all and the player with the joker wins the match, they can take it to the Money Cards round to use there, I'll explain more of that later. If the player with the joker loses the match, they win $500 consolation for the joker. The winner of each game in match play during "CLASSIC CARD SHARKS" wins $500. As with the classic show, 4 toss up questions are played, the 4th & final being the SUDDEN DEATH question, and the pass or play option would apply. Again, if one player passes to the other, and that other player has the joker, they CAN use it to change the base card, even though they did not win the question. This would require a bit more strategy for the player in control to consider whether passing or playing would be wiser.
Also, during this segment, the winner of this 1st game of the match gets to play a special mini-game called "HIGH CARD". The next 3 cards from game one winner's deck are dealt out face down. To win a $1,000 bonus, they must predict which of the 3 cards is the highest ranking card. A correct guess wins the $1,000, an incorrect guess means no bonus money is won. If 2 of the 3 cards are both highest and the player selects either of those, they still win the $1,000. The reveal of the 3 cards would be done similar to how it's done on Price is Right's "Most Expensive" game, saving the chosen card to be revealed last, to build up suspense.
Segment 3 begins with game 2 of the best 2 out of 3 "CLASSIC CARD SHARKS" match. If after this game, the match is tied, a 1 question, 3 card sudden death tiebreaking game is played, like what was done during the latter part of the Eubanks run.
Segment 4 is the MONEY CARD$ round. One other difference for this show, if I were producer, would be to make the backs of the Money Cards GREEN. To me, money is green, and the backs of the MONEY Cards should be green too. I never liked that another red deck was used for the bonus game.
The cards would be dealt out similar to how it was done during Jim Perry's version. 3 cards on the bottom line, $500 of new money to bet, then 3 more cards on line 2, another $500. Minimum bets are $100, and players must be in $100 increments until the BIG BET, where at least 1/2 the money must be wagered. A $72,000 payoff is possible here. The base card on each line can be changed, but only the base card. Since $72,000 is far more than the $32,000 possible on Eubanks version, there is no changing one card per line anywhere you please. Also, because the stakes are so high, the original NBC rules would apply for a double, if you bet $3,000 lower than a king and another king turns up, too bad, you lose!
If the champion has the joker carried over from the match, they can use it to re-change one of the base cards if they wish.
After the Money Cards ends, win or lose, the day's champion is given a joker. If they did not use the other joker carried over, then they'd have 2. A board of 7 numbered cards is shown, one of which has a dollar sign, the other 6 say "NO". If the day's champion covers up the dollar sign card with the joker(s), they win a $25,000 bonus.
Returning champions can play for up to 5 shows, winning 5 matches, and a possible $500,000 total payout.
$1,000 for the High Low Showdown
$1,000 for winning 2 games of the match
$1,000 for the High Card mini-game
$72,000 maximum Money Cards payout
$25,000 Joker Jackpot game
$100,000 per day could be won x 5 days = $500,000. All shows would be self-contained too.
I'd be interested in hearing your remarks. I know the absence of the survey questions would be the biggest change to the game, and that many would be upset by this.
