Contestants Without Strategies

[Jeremy Nelson]

A lot of shows, if you read the rules correctly, allow for some sort of strategy to be used to maximize dollar totals. Which one irks you the most when it's not used?

For me, it was during the Family Feud "one strike rule" days, when a family had a big enough bank to throw the last round and didn't- I recall a couple of years where the steal wasn't added to the bank.

[BrandonFG]

I think the most common one for me is on Wheel, when a contestant hits a larger space, but calls a letter that only appears once or twice. If they're clearly just guessing at letters, that's one thing, but it irks me a bit more when they know the puzzle and are just building the bank.

When Alex says there's less than a minute to go on Jeopardy! and the contestant in control trails, I always wonder why he or she doesn't start going for the higher dollar values, to close the gap. Sure you may give the leader a chance to pad his or her lead, but you also gotta play to win.

[Dbacksfan12]

A lot of shows, if you read the rules correctly, allow for some sort of strategy to be used to maximize dollar totals. Which one irks you the most when it's not used?

TPiR, in contestants row.  If the bids are, say, $1200, $1450, and $985; the last person bidding should bid either $1201, $1451, $986, or $1.  Bidding something like $1250 makes no sense at all.

[SamJ93]

In the almost 20 years since the game debuted, I don't think I've ever seen a single contestant use the "Cover Up strategy" on TPiR.  I don't watch the show as religiously as I used to, though, so feel free to prove me wrong.

[Jeremy Nelson]

In the almost 20 years since the game debuted, I don't think I've ever seen a single contestant use the "Cover Up strategy" on TPiR.  I don't watch the show as religiously as I used to, though, so feel free to prove me wrong.

I don't recall a strategy for Cover Up. Someone once told me that they'd throw the first number to guarantee a third chance, but then there's the off chance that they miss everything else and screw themselves out of a second chance, let alone a third. Is this the one, or do you have something better?

Since we're on the Price, the zero rule in Ten Chances. For a game that has been so constant with this strategy for so long, it's irritating to see very few people "get it".

[dscungio]

I don't think anyone on Lingo ever thought about doing this.  If you draw the ? Ball, do NOT pick the number that immediately gives you a Lingo because even though you get the points right away, you also pass control to your opponents.  If you're a good solver, keeping control gives you the chance to rack up the points and keep the game away from your opponents until you eventually hit that Lingo.  The exception for this would be late in the game.

And this is a solving strategy that some people don't take advantage of: Players are so focused on filling in the given letter pattern that they don't use a random word in order to possibly gain missing letters or information.  You see it all the time in Bonus Lingo when contestants freeze up.  Chuck and Bill always ask them to guess anything.




Dean

[Matt Ottinger]

Since Jeopardy contestants are generally regarded as among the brightest game show players, it's always disappointing to me when it's obvious that these bright people haven't taken the time to consider a few basic Final Jeopardy wagering strategies.  Amazingly, some used to turn up on Sony's Jeopardy board after their appearances and as much as admitted that they didn't care about any of that.  Most commonly, these folks can be identified as the ones who, when trailing, wager all but $1 of their total.

[Twentington]

I don't think anyone on Lingo ever thought about doing this.  If you draw the ? Ball, do NOT pick the number that immediately gives you a Lingo because even though you get the points right away, you also pass control to your opponents.  If you're a good solver, keeping control gives you the chance to rack up the points and keep the game away from your opponents until you eventually hit that Lingo.  The exception for this would be late in the game.

I saw this at least once. I think our very own Lobster (where's he been?) did it.

[clemon79]

Amazingly, some used to turn up on Sony's Jeopardy board after their appearances and as much as admitted that they didn't care about any of that.  Most commonly, these folks can be identified as the ones who, when trailing, wager all but $1 of their total.

My girlfriend, who passed the J! contestant test (and was then weeded out of the personality portion of the audition; their loss, I say is very adamant about disliking the reduction of FJ to a mathematical exercise, to the point where she gets seriously annoyed with me if I start figuring it out aloud during the break. Boggles the hell out of me, but it's easy enough to concede on and be quiet about it.

[Ian Wallis]

When Alex says there's less than a minute to go on Jeopardy! and the contestant in control trails, I always wonder why he or she doesn't start going for the higher dollar values, to close the gap. Sure you may give the leader a chance to pad his or her lead, but you also gotta play to win

Yeah, that bugs me too, especially if going for a higher value might prevent a runaway if contestant in control gets it right.

[Matt Ottinger]

My girlfriend, who passed the J! contestant test (and was then weeded out of the personality portion of the audition; their loss, I say is very adamant about disliking the reduction of FJ to a mathematical exercise, to the point where she gets seriously annoyed with me if I start figuring it out aloud during the break. Boggles the hell out of me, but it's easy enough to concede on and be quiet about it.

I'm sure she has many other lovely qualities that make up for this tragic flaw.

[Kevin Prather]

I think the most common one for me is on Wheel, when a contestant hits a larger space, but calls a letter that only appears once or twice. If they're clearly just guessing at letters, that's one thing, but it irks me a bit more when they know the puzzle and are just building the bank.

This, but what's more egregious is when a player calls a fiver on $300.

[SamJ93]

I don't recall a strategy for Cover Up. Someone once told me that they'd throw the first number to guarantee a third chance, but then there's the off chance that they miss everything else and screw themselves out of a second chance, let alone a third. Is this the one, or do you have something better?

Yeah, that's the one.  It's not a guaranteed winner, of course, but it will give you at least one more guess.  And I would argue that it may be better to intentionally miss the second number, particularly if it's a subcompact car and the choices are something like 4, 8, and 0.

Since we're on the Price, the zero rule in Ten Chances. For a game that has been so constant with this strategy for so long, it's irritating to see very few people "get it".

AFAIK Barker never explicitly mentioned it, which sometimes got on my nerves.  It's either a rule that contestants must follow, or it's not.  No reason to keep it like a nuclear secret.  Same goes for Drew, but my bigger complaint is that he so obviously hates hosting that game.

[SRIV94]

AFAIK Barker never explicitly mentioned it, which sometimes got on my nerves.  It's either a rule that contestants must follow, or it's not.  No reason to keep it like a nuclear secret.  Same goes for Drew, but my bigger complaint is that he so obviously hates hosting that game.

Was the "rule" in place from playing #1?

[clemon79]

Was the "rule" in place from playing #1?

Not that I recall.