TPiR's Check Game

[alfonzos]

How about this? The goal is to make $10,000, but the player wins if the total is anywhere between $9000 and $11,000, inclusive.

The spiel: "I want to give you ten thousand dollars in cash and prizes. The problem is that the prize I want to give you has a price of less than ten dollars thousand. Write the check for amount that will make total of the prize and the check for ten thousand dollars. If you think the prize is one thousand dollars then write the check for nine thousand. One thousand plus nine thousand is ten thousand and you would win! If you come with one thousand of ten thousand, high or low, you still win. Now, get writing!"

[TLEberle]

The problem is that the prize I want to give you has a price of less than ten dollars.

"$10,990, Drew!"

[Dbacksfan12]

Teaming up with the producer of the teen TPiR, I see.

[clemon79]

How about this? The goal is to make $10,000, but the player wins if the total is anywhere between $9000 and $11,000, inclusive.

"Let's double the stakes and slide the target back a little." How is that a revelation at all?

[Thunder]

Egads. A pricing puzzle!

[TLEberle]

Egads. A pricing puzzle!

Sounds more like a pricing stunt to me. I was about to say "hey, he sorta changed things by allowing the player to go over," but then realized that if you just move the bar to $11,000 and double the window, he really didn't.

And frankly, I don't think Check Game should be offering more than Grand Game.

[Jeremy Nelson]

Honestly, I never cared for Check Game in the first place. I really don't know why people were adamant about seeing it come back.

[TLEberle]

Honestly, I never cared for Check Game in the first place. I really don't know why people were adamant about seeing it come back.

Interesting. I like it because you have a quick game that actually tests a bit of pricing acument that also has a bit of math skills involved.

[BrandonFG]

That's a lot of work for a not-so-complicated game, and the proposal lost me. Imagine how confused Freddie Fratboy might get, as he says to hell with it and writes the check for $10,069 or $10,420.

I actually like Check Game, if nothing else for the big novelty checks given out. If you want to adjust for inflation, just make it so the total value falls b/w $9-10K. But keep it simple after that.

[WilliamPorygon]

I liked Check Game too.  But really, the biggest charm of the game (to me, at least) was how Bob would almost always get "the only person in the studio who didn't know the rules" playing the game.  And Bob was at least able to explain it in a way that most people understood once he told them what to do.  Once Drew took over, that whole bit went away and any contestants not understanding only became frustrating.

If today's Joe Plinkos are really too daft to understand the game as it was, it theoretically could be changed to a simpler "Write the check for what you think the prize is worth, and if you're within $(whatever) you win the prize and money in the amount of the check.

[WarioBarker]

If you want to adjust for inflation, just make it so the total value falls b/w $9-10K.

Which presents the same problem as it did when it increased from $5-6K to $7-8K -- you're offering more through the same amount of leeway as before.

[TLEberle]

If you want to adjust for inflation, just make it so the total value falls b/w $9-10K.

Which presents the same problem as it did when it increased from $5-6K to $7-8K -- you're offering more through the same amount of leeway as before.

Why's that a problem?

(Not that I like increasing prize values just on account of inflation but...so what?

[BrandonFG]

If you want to adjust for inflation, just make it so the total value falls b/w $9-10K.

Which presents the same problem as it did when it increased from $5-6K to $7-8K -- you're offering more through the same amount of leeway as before.

I actually thought about that, but you're offering a $9-10,000 prize package. It's not supposed to be a slam dunk. I think a $2K range creates an unnecessary dent for the prize budget.

[JasonA1]

When other games adjusted their figures due to inflation, the win conditions grew as well. Grocery Game went up to a $1 spread. Bullseye became a $2 spread. When they updated Check Game the second time, they increased the number of possible guesses, but did not increase the winning range along with it.  I understand the logic of why some people find that unfair. It went one season with those ranges and posted a win/loss of 3-7, which was a pretty similar result to at least the previous two years, which were 3-10 and 4-7.

-Jason

[clemon79]

When other games adjusted their figures due to inflation, the win conditions grew as well. Grocery Game went up to a $1 spread. Bullseye became a $2 spread.

As Brandon said, both were still playing for the same stakes.

When they updated Check Game the second time, they increased the number of possible guesses, but did not increase the winning range along with it.

Not appreciably.

It went one season with those ranges and posted a win/loss of 3-7, which was a pretty similar result to at least the previous two years, which were 3-10 and 4-7.

...and this proves that point.