PIR Game That's Easiest to Win

[Craig Karlberg]

For me, it's Hit Me.  It's really a larger scaled version of blackjack.  First, try to pick a product whose price is multiplied by 10.  Best way to tell is look at the last digit.  If it's the only product there, bingo!  That's your 10.  However, as a recent playing indicates that there's more than 1 product in this category & that can create confusion if s/he doesn't lose sight of finding a 10 first.  Next, look for the product whose price is EXACTLY right.  That's the Ace.  Best way to tell is look at the price & see if it's divisible by any other whole number other than 1.  If it isn't, bingo!  That's your Ace.  Game over right there no matter what the house had.

[Steve Gavazzi]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Jun 23 2004, 01:54 AM\'] [quote name=\'Gromit\' date=\'Jun 22 2004, 10:50 PM\'] Money Game was also my first thought. Pretty much a guaranteed 100% win. I haven't missed one in well over a year.

The reason folks miss so much is that there's this inexplicable draw to the high numbers. They get the front, then start the "95", "83", "75" path to hell.

Get your front of the car, then take the lowest number on the board that ends in 5 or 0 for the rear*. That's probably 75% success ratio right there. If that's not the right one, take the next lowest number ending in 0 or 5. That's around 99% right there.

If that's still not right, then I'd consider the lowest number not ending in 0 or 5, depending on what the next lowest 0 or 5 number is. I've seen it be this oddball number once or twice.

*Note the special case "15". It's almost always a sucker bet. It looks like a great choice, could be the front, could be the back, almost never is either. Pick your 14, 16, 17 first, and only go to it if none of them were correct for the front. Ignore 15 when looking for the rear as I described above, if 15 was one of the potential front numbers. [/quote]
Why do I have a feeling that the actual stats don't even come close to bearing this out?

I would love to see the boards for the last 15 or so playings of Money Game to tell definitively whether this theory holds any water at all. [/quote]
 I don't know if those specific stats are right, but just off the top of my head, the last two numbers haven't been higher than 65 more than six times in the last year and a half.

[gameshowguy2000]

I think the Easiest to win is Double Prices. Come on, pick one of 2 prices correctly and win. Not hard, is it? Well, there have been more wins than losses.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'Craig Karlberg\' date=\'Jun 23 2004, 02:00 AM\'] However, as a recent playing indicates that there's more than 1 product in this category & that can create confusion if s/he doesn't lose sight of finding a 10 first. [/quote]
 That said, if you're torn between which of $29.90 and $23.70 conceals the Ace, you're an idiot who doesn't deserve to win a thing besides an official Mah-Rone Du Jour.

Next, look for the product whose price is EXACTLY right.  That's the Ace.

No way. I refuse to believe it. Can't be.

Game over right there no matter what the house had.

Your mastery of Hit Me strategy is truly mind-numbing.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'gameshowguy2000\' date=\'Jun 23 2004, 08:31 AM\'] I think the Easiest to win is Double Prices. Come on, pick one of 2 prices correctly and win. Not hard, is it? Well, there have been more wins than losses. [/quote]
 Do you know that? They're been playing DP since before you were born. When did you get a look at the record book?

Besides, we've proven here just recently (in the Let 'Em Roll discussion) that games exist with a higher-than-50% win probability, assuming even the playing skill of the average college fratboy.

[Frank15]

[quote name=\'gameshowguy2000\' date=\'Jun 23 2004, 10:31 AM\'] I think the Easiest to win is Double Prices. Come on, pick one of 2 prices correctly and win. Not hard, is it? Well, there have been more wins than losses. [/quote]
 How is a 50/50 random guess easier than a practically guaranteed win in several other games?

[JasonA1]

Maybe not the easiest to win, but anybody playing "Bullseye" could say 1 or 2 for each product and they get a shot at the hidden bullseye with each of their three items. When I read the old rules (only chance at the hidden bullseye was with your closest target mark) I wished they would reinstate them.

-Jason

[Frank15]

[quote name=\'JasonA1\' date=\'Jun 23 2004, 01:27 PM\'] Maybe not the easiest to win, but anybody playing "Bullseye" could say 1 or 2 for each product and they get a shot at the hidden bullseye with each of their three items. When I read the old rules (only chance at the hidden bullseye was with your closest target mark) I wished they would reinstate them. [/quote]
 It should be noted that the total must be at least $2.00 for a marker to go on the board for the product.

[ClockGameJohn]

While considering "easiest," Clock Game is the ONLY pricing game that the contesant has FULL control of.  With that in mind, it should most often be won.  Unfortunately, just like everyone says when they're in the Hot Seat on WWTBAM, it's alot different sitting at home.

In my situation, from the time I walked into the studio (for the very first time) to the time I was standing on the turntable with Bob was literally no more than 10 minutes.  The rush of being in the studio, then the show starting, getting actually CALLED as one of the first four and winning the first item up for bids can be quite overwhelming.  I was confident I could win almost any game on the show, but I'm surprised I was as calm as I was.  After I left the stage, it was still in shock.  It didn't sink in until 1/2 way back to the hotel.  For others, it may hit right away.

Having been in under that pressure, I won't ever criticize others.

P.S.  Bullseye is pretty easy    (As is Now....or Then/Hit Me/and some others)

[BrandonFG]

-Hit Me (moron contestants make it much more difficult that it really is)
-Ten Chances (the first two prizes are damn near gimmes, if you can get a decent price range for the car, you've got it made, esp. since you have the zero rule)
-Grand Game (almost common sense)
-Grocery Game (another common sense game, you should be able to pretty much form a price range for each item, say, +/- $0.50)
-Bullseye (see Grocery Game)
-It's In the Bag (same as Grand Game)

[uncamark]

[quote name=\'STYDfan\' date=\'Jun 22 2004, 08:22 PM\'][quote name=\'Frank15\' date=\'Jun 22 2004, 07:39 PM\']Aside from possibly Ten Chances, Money Game is certainly the easiest car game on the show.  I'll never understand how that game could possibly have a losing record....[/quote]
It still cracks me up how hard it is for people to find their back ends. [/quote]
Are you saying that they don't know their back end from a hole in the ground?  

[GS Warehouse]

[quote name=\'fostergray82\' date=\'Jun 23 2004, 03:50 PM\'] -Hit Me (moron contestants make it much more difficult that it really is)
-Ten Chances (the first two prizes are damn near gimmes, if you can get a decent price range for the car, you've got it made, esp. since you have the zero rule)
-Grand Game (almost common sense)
-Grocery Game (another common sense game, you should be able to pretty much form a price range for each item, say, +/- $0.50)
-Bullseye (see Grocery Game)
-It's In the Bag (same as Grand Game) [/quote]
 - Cliff Hangers (25-35-45 almost always keeps Hans safe)

[Gromit]

I prefer 20, 30, 40 for Cliffhangers. Don't remember it failing, whereas 25, 35, 45 has once or twice. But yeah, another dead easy game if you watch the show.

Chris, I don't see every single show, so there certainly may be one or two times when my Money Game strategy doesn't work, but it's *extremely* rare. Checking Golden-road.net, I find the last time they played on June 7, they had this interesting grid:

13   32   14
41   15   53
80   67   95

Theory states: take the 13 and 14, both of which are wrong. Theory states avoid the sucker bet 15, unless it's the only thing left for the front. So, next is the 15 which is the front of the car. Theory states take the lowest number left ending in 0 or 5, which is 80, incorrect for guess 3. Next lowest 0 or 5 is 95, which is the back of the car for the win.

Even when they do high numbers, theory still wins.

June 2:
16  75   90
17  63   15
25  50   44

First two choices are 16, 17, both incorrect. Next choice 15, front of car. Lowest 0 or 5 is 25, back of car. WIN.

May 26:
85   70   19
17   18   90
65   05   50

17, 18 incorrect. 19 front of car. 05 back of car. WIN.

May 22, Million Dollar Spectacular:
52   80    38
27   71    63
24   29    46

Tougher game, but logic says the front is one of 24, 27, 29. It's 27, we'll assume worst case and say we have two misses. Lowest 0 or 5 is 80, back of car. WIN.

May 17:
45   90    16
17   18    22
85   71    60

Front is 16. Theory says 45, 60... for the back. Both are incorrect. Continuing on to 85, 90 would be a loss. 22, the lowest number on the board is the correct back.

This is a tough board, must be "adjust the budget night". To win, you need to get that 16 right away, and not waste two picks on the 17, 18. Personally, if 45, and 60 were not correct, I don't follow it up with 85, 90. I'm getting too high, and it's more likely to be a low number than a high number.

This is a good contrast to the June 7 board I posted. Since there were only two potential 0 or 5 backs, I feel comfortable trying them for that board even though they're high. Here, with four potential 0 or 5 backs, it makes sense to try the oddball 22 when TPIR is being nasty.

May 12:
85   40   90
73   60   16
15   35   14

16, 14 front of car. Avoid the sucker 15, lowest 0 or 5 is 35, back of car. WIN.

May 5:
50   17   65
19   18   70
35   99   85

17, 18 miss. 19 front. 35 back of car. WIN.

So, I'll back off my 100%, and say 99% instead.

[Gromit]

Continuing on:

May 5:
50   17   65
19   18   70
35   99   85

17, 18 miss. 19 front. 35 back. WIN.

Apr 29:
05   16   17
80   18   35
75   60   44

18, 17 miss. 16 front. 05 miss. 35 back. WIN.

Apr 21:
65   18   95
16   17   71
47   80   55

17 miss. 16 front. 55 miss. 65 miss. "Budget night" rule kicks in. 47 back. WIN. Possible loss if you take three shots to get the front, but hey, this is a Ford Focus. Much more likely to be 16 than 18. 17, 16 is what the actual contestant chose.

Apr 7:
60   20   70
85   21   22
50   90   35

Higher car than usual. 20 seems an obvious sucker to me again, like the 15 as a possible front. 21 miss, 22 front. 35 back. WIN.

Mar 31:
15  45  90
35  16  85
60  18  77

16, 18 miss. 15 front. 35 back. WIN.

Mar 22:
55   18   71
60   17   16
85   90   22

17 miss. 16 front. 55, 60 miss. "Budget night" says 22, back of car. WIN. Again the Ford Focus, can't afford three shots at front.

Mar. 10:
90   85   19
18   70   17
65   50   35

17, 18 miss. 19 front. 35 back, WIN.

Mar 4:
45   18   90
35   16   17
62   85   70

18, 17 miss. 16 front. 35 back. WIN.

That's 15 for 15 Chris. If you're smart enough to go off the 0 or 5 ending after two incorrect shots at the back of the car, and you didn't take 3 shots to get the front.

[Steve Gavazzi]

There's a way around that "Budget Night" thing, too.  Paint sealant and/or fabric protectant has a weird price and makes cars end in 2 or 7 instead of 0 or 5.  If you hear that in the plug, just alter the strategy accordingly.

(And lest anyone question this, I've been watching some old tapes recently, and it holds true at least as far back as spring of 2000.)