Thinking about this and Brandon bringing up the idea of using the 2001 playoff-style format to keep the show self-contained, I'm wondering if this is a viable option to fit in 42 minutes of network airtime:
2 semifinal matches, each best-of-3, classic CS format.
Each semifinal winner plays the Money Cards, with base values of $500 and $1,000.
The two semi winners face off in a one-game final. Maybe you make it a 7-card board for each player to emphasize that this is the bigger game, and to lower the odds that someone runs the board off the first question, just for the sake of timing the show
Champion goes back to the Money Cards, now with base values of $1,000 and $2,000.
I doubt TPTB would go for this, because there's always going to be some time variances when you're playing best-of-3, and all of the reboots seem dedicated to getting their blocked timed out as consistently as possible. Just look at the lengths Match Game goes to to ensure two rounds, four questions, every single week. ABC also seems to prefer each hour show to be two self-contained half-hours, and my idea violates that. But Good Card Sharks was always a straddling show, and I don't know how you get around that without bending the structure of the game to the point of breaking it, or by padding the hell out of it, Bruce Forsyth-style.