Let's Make a Deal

60s Spiel: ''Would you make a deal to trade up to (insert amount) in cash for one of those three doors? Knowing that behind one of them is (insert amount) worth of (cash or) valuable merchandise? Several people will to have to make that decision during the next half hour/few minutes, as we bring you the marketplace of America, LET'S MAKE A DEAL. And now here's America's top trader & TV's big dealer, MONTY HALL!''

70s Spiel: ''These people dressed as they are came from all over the United States to make deals here at the marketplace of America, LET'S MAKE A DEAL. And now here's America's top trader & TV's big dealer, MONTY HALL!''

Las Vegas Hilton Spiel: ''From the playground of America, the entertainment capital of the world. From the showroom of the world famous Las Vegas Hilton in Las Vegas, Nevada. We bring you the marketplace of America, LET'S MAKE A DEAL, starring MONTY HALL!''

70s & 80s Spiel: It's time for (The All New) Let's Make a Deal, starring TV's big dealer, MONTY HALL!

1990-1991 Spiel (A): ''Behind these everchanging doors awaits a spectacular array of cash, merchandise, fun, and surprises! Today, from the Disney/MGM Studios in Florida, it's time to play America's favorite game! It's big! It's bold! It's the one and only LET'S MAKE A DEAL! And now here's our host, the guy with the deals in his pockets and a twinkle in his eye, Bob Hilton!''

1990-1991 Spiel (B): ''Behind these everchanging doors awaits a spectacular array of cash, merchandise, fun, and surprises! Today, from the Disney/MGM Studios in Florida, stage one is packed with people from all over the world ready to play America's favorite game, LET'S MAKE A DEAL! And now here's our special guest host, ladies and gentlemen, the big dealer himself, MONTY HALL!''

2003 Spiel: ''These people, dressed as they are, have come to the trading floor of America to play LET'S MAKE A DEAL! And now, here's TV's big dealer, BILLY BUSH!''

Current Revival Spiel (2009-2011): ''These people have dressed up to win cars, cash, and amazing prizes (and they're doing it here at the Tropicana in Las Vegas, Nevada). It's time for LET'S MAKE A DEAL! And now here's TV's big dealer, WAYNE BRADY!''

Current Revival Spiel (2011-present): "It's time for LET'S MAKE A DEAL! Now, here's [TV's big dealer,] WAYNE BRADY!

The long-running game show also dubbed "The Marketplace of America".

Format
Each episode of Let's Make a Deal (which was billed by Jay Stewart, who served as the show's announcer from 1964 until 1977, as "The Marketplace of America") consisted of several "deals" between the host and a member or members of the audience as contestants. Audience members were picked at the host's whim as the show went along, and couples were often selected to play as "one" contestant. The "deals" were mini-games within the show that took several formats.

In the simplest format, a contestant was given a prize of medium value (such as a television set), and the host offered them the opportunity to trade for another prize. However, the offered prize was unknown. It might be concealed on the stage behind one of three curtains, or behind "boxes" onstage (large panels painted to look like boxes), within smaller boxes brought out to the audience, or occasionally in other formats. The initial prize given to the contestant might also be concealed, such as in a box, wallet or purse, or the player might be initially given a box or curtain. The format varied widely.

Technically, contestants were supposed to bring something to trade in, but this rule was seldom enforced. On several occasions, a contestant would actually be asked to trade in an item such as his or her shoes or purse, only to receive the item back at the end of the deal as a "prize". On at least one occasion, the purse was taken backstage and a high-valued prize was placed inside it.

Prizes generally were either a legitimate prize, cash, or a "zonk". Legitimate prizes ran the gamut of what was given away on game shows during the era (trips, fur coats, electronics, furniture, appliances, and cars). Zonks were unwanted booby prizes which could be anything from animals to large amounts of food to something outlandish like a giant article of clothing, a room full of junked furniture, or a junked car. Sometimes zonks were legitimate prizes but of a low value such as "Matchbox" cars, wheelbarrows, T-shirts, small food or non-food grocery prizes, etc. Zonks are often demonstrated by the announcer, and legitimate prizes were modeled by the model (On the original series, Merrill would often help model the zonks). On rare occasions, a contestant would appear to get zonked, but the zonk would be a cover-up for a legitimate prize.

Though usually considered joke prizes, contestants legally won the zonks. However, after the taping of the show, any trader who had been zonked would be offered a consolation prize instead of having to take home the actual zonk. This is partly because some of the zonks were intrinsically impossible to receive or deliver to the contestants. For example, if a contestant won an animal, he or she could legally insist that it be awarded to him or her, but chances are that the contestant did not have the means to care for it. In fact, a disclaimer at the end of the credits of later 1970s episodes said, "Some traders accept reasonable duplicates of zonk prizes."

On some episodes, the first contestant(s) offered an unknown prize kept it for much of the show, not trading it in until the Big Deal.

In addition, as the end credits of the show rolled, it was typical for Hall to ask random members of the studio audience to participate in fast deals (Wayne Brady refers to these as "quickie deals"). The deals were usually in the form of the following:
 * Offering cash to one person in the audience who had a certain item on them
 * Offering a small cash amount for each item of a certain quantity
 * Offering cash for each instance of a particular digit as it occurred in the serial number on a dollar bill, driver's license, etc.
 * Offering to pay the last check in the person's checkbook (up to a certain limit, usually $500 or $1,000) if they had one

One memorable incident from a series of fast deals involved Hall offering a woman $100 for every dime she had; she produced a roll of dimes. After that, there were limits placed on how much a trader could get.

Other deal formats
Deals were often more complicated than the basic format described above. Additionally, some deals took the form of games of chance, and others in the form of pricing games, similar to those used on The Price is Right:

Trading deals

 * Choosing an envelope, purse, wallet, etc., which concealed dollar bills. One of them concealed a pre-announced value (usually $1 or $5), which awarded a car or trip. The other envelopes contained a larger amount of money as a consolation prize. The player had to decide whether to keep his/her choice or trade. In some playings it was possible for more than one player to win the grand prize.
 * Acting as a team with two or three unrelated traders. Sometimes, only one trader was allowed to speak for the team without consultation of the others. Other times, a "majority rules" format was used. Usually after a series of deals, the host breaks up the team and each contestant could individually decide on one or more options on a final deal.
 * Related: A contestant acted as an "adviser" to another unrelated trader, being offered a cash amount or an unknown prize, with the contestants acting on their own on a final deal.
 * Being presented with a large grocery item (e.g., a box of candy bars)—almost always containing a cash amount—or a "claim check" at the start of the show. Throughout the show, the trader was given several chances to trade the item and/or give it to another trader in exchange for a different box or curtain. The final trader in possession of the item prior to the Big Deal of the Day was usually offered first choice of the three doors in exchange for giving up the item. The contents of the item was only revealed after the Big Deal of the Day was awarded (or prior to the Big Deal if the last trader with the item elected to choose one of the three doors).

Games of chance

 * Seven Envelopes - Choosing four of seven envelopes, each containing $1 and $2 bills, whose contents they hoped added up to at least $7 for a grand prize. At various points, the host would stop and offer a buy-out.
 * Monty's Cash Register - wherein a couple had to punch keys on a 15-key register. Exactly 13 buttons hid amounts of either $50 or $100 and 2 were marked "no sale", and getting to a stated amount (usually $500–$1,000) won a grand prize. Stewart marked off any buttons hit so they could not be used again. The couple could stop at any time and keep what they have (always then being tempted with a follow-up keep-or-trade deal), but hitting "no sale" at any time ended the game and cost the couple any and all cash accumulated up to that point. If a couple chose a "no sale" button on the first try, hitting the second "no sale" button the very next time also won the grand prize. Otherwise, Hall allowed the couple to take home whatever dollar amount they hit with the next key punch; sometimes he would double the cash they got (if they hit $50, they got $100; if they hit $100, they got $200).
 * Monty's Money Machine - which contained several bills connected end to end in one long strip. The machine dispensed one bill at a time, and the player had to decide after each one whether to cut the strip and stop (keeping all money won to that point), or risk it and keep playing. If the machine dispensed a blank card, the player lost everything. This format was updated in the 2003 and 2009 versions using an ATM motif, involving an ATM card, and "WITHDRAWN" on the screen meant the player lost everything.
 * Three Keys - A contestant or a married couple was presented with a choice of three keys, one of which unlocked anything from boxes (containing money, trip tickets, etc.) to cars. The host usually offers a sure-thing buyout consisting of a smaller prize package, which was offered once one of the "dud" keys was demonstrated. A variation of this game involved more than one contestant selecting a key (sometimes from four instead of three). In this case, more than one key could (and often did) open the item, and contestants could trade in their key for an unknown behind a curtain/box or a cash amount. This probability game gave rise to the Monty Hall problem.
 * Deciding whether an announced prize was real or imitation, and choosing a cash amount or a box/curtain as a substitute.
 * Beat the Dealer - Three contestants chose envelopes to start the game. Two of them contained $1,000, the other $100 (or $500 and $50 in earlier versions). The two dealers who chose the $1,000/$500 continued on to try to win an additional prize by picking the higher-suited card out of nine off a game board. The trader who won could then risk the prize and the cash by picking two more cards, one for themselves and one for the host, winner take all. If the player picked the higher card for themselves, they added a new car (or another big prize); otherwise, they lost everything. In the 2009 version, the trader must give back all previous winnings for a shot at the big prize.
 * The Egg Game - Deciding whether an egg given to a contestant was raw or hard boiled and choosing a cash amount or box/curtain as a substitute. A raw egg was typically worth $500 to $1,000.
 * Putting a bill of a certain denomination through a magic trick device in the hope that the denomination is increased.

CBS version games

 * Panic Button: A contestant or couple can win any or all of three prizes, of which the most expensive is sometimes a car. After being shown the three prizes behind each curtain, the player(s) are asked to press three of six buttons on a control panel. However, three buttons close one of the three curtains (which eliminates the prize), and the other three have no effect. After pressing the buttons, the player(s) can either take the prizes still remaining, or press one of two additional buttons revealed for a 50/50 chance at either opening all three curtains again and winning a cash bonus, or losing everything.
 * Race to the Finish: A contestant can win any or all of three prizes, of which the most expensive is usually a car. The contestant is given a standard deck of cards with three suits representing one of the prizes (most expensive is given hearts, the next is given spades, the least expensive is given diamonds), and the remaining suit (clubs), representing Zonks. He/she/they draws until either one of the prizes or the Zonk crosses the finish line (five hearts, four spades, three diamonds, three clubs). In the event a prize crosses the finish line first, the contestant is given an offer to continue on or keep the prizes they have earned so far, knowing that if the Zonk suit crosses the finish line, all prize(s) earned are forfeited. A cash buy-out may be offered to stop if the contestant is one away from the Zonk and no prizes have crossed the finish line. Prior to December 2011, the game was called "Finish Line". On one episode, six hearts, five spades, and four diamonds or clubs were necessary. On March 1, 2012, a contestant won the car by drawing five hearts in only five cards drawn.
 * Three of a Kind: A contestant is shown six cards, all are either of two different ranks (either four of one rank and two of the other or three of each rank). To win a car (or other prize), they must pick three matching cards. Two of their three cards (that do match) are shown and the contestant is given a bailout. If the bailout isn't taken, other cards not chosen may be shown and the contestant(s) is offered an increased bailout.
 * Tic Tac Deal: A contestant (or couple) is shown seven cards with each saying "X", "O", or "Wild Card", which can be used as either. Contestant(s) pick four of the seven cards. To win a car (or other big prize), they must get three X's or three O's. If chosen earlier in the game, the contestant(s) must state which symbol the wild card will represent (X or O) prior to continuing. Contestant(s) are offered a bailout before the last card is revealed. After Season 3, the contestants get only three cards with either "X" or "O" as their letter.
 * Moving On Up: Two versions of this game exist. In the first version, contestants choose one card from each of five rows and attempt to avoid choosing a card that says "Zonk". The first (bottom) row has six cards, the second five cards, up to two cards in the last (top) row, with one Zonk card in each row. The-non Zonk cards in the first four rows contain money, any money revealed accumulates which the contestant can quit and take after selecting a money card. If a contestant chooses the Win card in the top row, they win all the money previously banked and the grand prize (usually a car). In the second version of the game, the number chosen in each row is decided by the roll of a single die, and all the cards in each row contain money. If the contestant risks their money to play the next row and rolls a number that does not show up on that row (i.e. rolling a 6 on the second row when the cards are only numbered 1 through 5), it is considered a Zonk and the contestant loses. If the contestant successfully clears all five rows (rolling a 1 or a 2 on the top line), the grand prize and all money previously banked are won.
 * Smash For Cash: A contestant/couple chooses a Piggy Bank containing an amount of cash. Contestants choose from Piggy Banks numbered 1 through 10. Eight contain an amount of cash ranging from $1 to $3, while the other two contain a "Zonk" card. Five money plateaus can be reached by collecting all of the money in the piggy banks - $1,000 for $3, $2,000 for $5, $3,000 for $8, $5,000 for $11 and $20,000 for $15. The contestant(s) have the option to quit if they find one of the Zonk cards. If both Zonk cards are found, the contestant loses all their winnings. Prior to Season 3, the maximum value is $10,000.
 * Spell Me a Deal: The name of a mystery prize is hidden behind a chalkboard. One at a time, a letter is revealed. Then a contestant will decide if they want to go for the chalkboard, or take a prize hidden behind a box or a curtain. If the contestant goes for the chalkboard, the prize is automatically given to another player. The game continues until the first three letters of the word is revealed.
 * Rap Me a Deal: Brady and Mangum rap a contestant a clue to a curtain.
 * Hi-Lo: A contestant (or a couple) is asked to cut a standard deck of cards. The first nine cards are dealt and the first card is revealed. Ala Card Sharks, the contestant(s) must guess whether the next card is higher or lower than the previous, with aces counting high and deuces counting low, with ties an automatic loss. He/she/they can make one mistake in the first five guesses (up to card #6) and keep playing but a second mistake ends the game and the contestant(s) wins nothing. The Contestant(s) can quit after card #3 for $1,000 or attempt to guess the next three cards (up to card #6) for $2,500. He/she/they can either quit after $2,500 or attempt to guess the last three cards for the car with the condition that they cannot make a mistake even if they hadn't made one up to that point.
 * Let's Make a Deal Lotto: Three contestants are called down and are given a colored lottery ticket. Two award $100 each, and the third awards $1,000; the $1,000 winner gets to play the game. The contestant faces a board of eight numbers that resemble a scratch-off lottery ticket, and then is given a giant coin with which to "rub off" the spots. They must pick three, with the idea to match pictures of either the on-air talent, or two car symbols. In the first season, matching anything but the car won $3,000. In Season 2, matching two "Wayne's" won $1,000; two "Tiffany's" $5,000; and two "Jonathan's" a "joke" cash prize of less than $200. In Season 3, two Waynes are worth $5,000 and two Tiffanys are worth $3,000 (two Jonathans still are worth the joke prize).
 * Dice Derby: A contestant rolls a single die, hoping to roll odd numbers four times to win a trip; rolling even numbers four times wins nothing.
 * Cash Board: An update of "Monty's Cash Register". A board of 15 cards is presented (8 "$100"'s, 5 "$200"s, 2 "ZONK's") to a couple. The goal is to accumulate $1,000 or more before choosing a "ZONK" card. If they do, they win a car. If they pick a "ZONK", they lose everything. If it happens on the first pick, the couple picks another number, and wins double the money as a consolation prize. If they choose the other "ZONK", they still win the car.
 * Keep on Rollin': A contestant/couple is given a single die and collect 100 points times the number rolled (e.g., rolling a 3 is worth 300 points). He/she/they can win certain prizes by rolling a set number of points within a predetermined number of rolls. After winning a prize, contestants can quit and take the prize or risk the prize in hopes of winning a better prize.
 * No Duplicates : A contestant rolls a single die. After the first roll, he/she/they win a certain amount of cash. He/she/they can stop and take that money or continue rolling to collect more cash but if they roll the number previously rolled they lose everything and the game ends. The contestant can quit after each roll and will lose everything accumulated if they duplicate a roll at any point. If the contestant rolls all six numbers from 1 to 6 without duplication, they win a grand prize (either $20,000 or a car).
 * Time is Money: A contestant can win up to $15,000. There are four clocks ranging from :00 to :15. One clock at a time, each second deducts $1,000. A contestant can take a sure thing after the first clock is chosen which increases per every clock. If the contestant reaches :00, the game ends and the contestant wins nothing.
 * The Piñata: Contestants try to hit a piñata for $5,000 or a car. Each contestant is given an piñata, then he/she has the option to break the piñata or go for a prize hidden behind a curtain or box. At least one of the piñatas contains $5,000 or car keys, while the rest contain candy as a consolation prize.
 * Let's Make A Deal Head 2 Head for a Car: Two contestants face off each other, with one contestant's curtain carrying a new car and the other a Zonk (typically a junk automobile). Brady offers them cash, increasing as the game progresses. The first contestant to hit the buzzer will win the cash. The other contestant wins their curtain.
 * Blank Check: A contestant is given a check. He/she chooses four colors to fill in the check. Once the contestant locks in the colors, the numbers are revealed one at a time. Before the last two numbers are revealed, Brady offers them a deal to give up the check for a prize hidden behind a curtain.
 * Rock Paper Scissors: Two contestants select one of three boxes which contains a rock, a pair of scissors and some paper. Using standard roshambo rules, the winner gets $1,000 and the loser receives $100. The winner can continue and win a car (giving up the $1,000 he/she won) by selecting what item has the word "CAR" hidden on a card. The other two contain $100 (was a Zonk in the first season). If that is selected, they win the consolation prize ($100).
 * Who Wants to Answer Multiple-Choice Questions for Cash and Prizes?: Similar to Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, contestants answered three general knowledge multiple-choice questions for cash. Each question contained three answers. When contestants were to confirm their response, Wayne would ask them "Is that your definitive response?" (similar to "Is that your final answer?" on Millionaire). Each correct answer is worth $500. Choosing a wrong answer at any time automatically ends the question round. Afterwards, contestants could risk their cash on one of 2 curtains, in hopes of winning a big prize.
 * Let's Make a Deal Casino: The game is played in three rounds. Three Card Tiffany, Four Card Jonathan, and Five Card Wayne. In the first round, the contestant chooses one of three cards (two with Tiffany's picture, one with cash). If the contestant picks a Tiffany card, he/she wins a small prize, otherwise he/she wins the cash (most likely less than the value of the prize). In the second round, there are four cards (two with Jonathan's picture, two with cash). Picking a Jonathan card wins a prize, otherwise they get the cash. In the final round, there are five cards: one card with Wayne's picture (worth a new car), two cash cards, and two Zonk cards. The contestant can leave with the money and/or prizes from the first two rounds or risk it all on the final round. If the contestant picks a Zonk card in the final round, he/she loses everything and leaves with nothing. Otherwise, they keep the cash and/or prizes from all three rounds.
 * A or B: The game is played in three rounds. In the first two rounds, a contestant is shown two prizes. There are two letters, A and B, both hiding an arrow that points to one of the prizes. The contestant wins the prize that the arrow points to in each of those rounds. In the final round, the contestant can win a better prize (usually not a car but a trip or a motorcycle) but has to risk the two prizes won previously. If he/she plays, he/she once again chooses A or B, one points to the grand prize (they win all three prizes) and the other points to a Zonk prize (they lose all prizes).
 * Dr. Wayne: The game is played with a couple. The couple is shown two prizes and must separately choose what prize they want (or what they think their partner wants). If the couple match, they win that prize, otherwise they win neither prize. They repeat the process with two different prizes. After two rounds, they can risk what they've won for an unknown. During the game, Brady impersonates Dr. Phil.
 * Gold Rush: A contestant or couple plays for a car. They choose from eight numbered boxes, six containing pieces of gold and two containing dynamite (representing Zonks). If a contestant picks a piece of gold, they move closer to the car (Level 1: $500, Level 2: $1000, Level 3: $2000, Level 4: $4000, Level 5: Car). If a contestant chooses a dynamite, they lose all their progress and have to start from the bottom again. If both dynamites are chosen, the game ends and any money accumulated is lost.
 * Dice Duel: Two contestants battle each other, taking turns rolling a pair of dice. If the specific number (between 2 and 12) has been rolled, the contestant wins the amount of cash behind the number. Once a number is rolled, neither contestant can roll that number again. The first time the contestant rolls a duplicate number, they are allowed to use a free pass to roll again. If a contestant rolls a duplicate number without having a free pass, the contestant is eliminated and loses all money accumulated. The other player can keep the cash or trade it in for an unknown.
 * Go For a Spin: A revial of the Dealer Wheel seen in the '84-'86 revival. A contestant plays for a car. They spin a wheel which initially contains 16 spaces (one car space, five Zonk spaces, $100, $200, $300, $400, $500, $1,000, $2,000, $3,000, $4,000, and $5,000). Before spinning, the contestant is asked three pop culture questions. For every question answered correctly, one of the Zonks is replaced with a car (for a maximum of four car spaces and a minimum of two Zonk spaces) before the contestant spins. After the Zonks are replaced by cars (if applicable), the contestant gets one spin and gets what he or she lands on.
 * Strike a Match: A contestant can win cash and/or prizes. It is not clear whether or not the contestant can win a car. On a board is 24 numbered squares each containing either a cash value, a deal (box, envelope, or curtain), or a Zonk. The board contains two squares each of the following dollar values: $500, $1000, $1500, and $2000, two squares each of the following deals: Curtain 1, Curtain 3, Small Box, and Small Envelope, and eight Zonk squares. The contestant is shown what is behind which number for five seconds and then must match cash values or deals to win them. Contestants can keep whatever they earn unless they match two Zonk squares in which they lose everything.
 * Go Big or Go Home: A contestant can win a car and/or cash and prizes. On a board is 16 squares. One of them says "Go Big". Initially, two squares say "Go Home". The contestant starts at "Go Big" and rolls a single sided die to determine how many spaces the contestant moves. The contestant wins any cash and/or deals he/she lands on. If a contestant lands on "Go Home", the contestant loses everything and the game ends. If a contestant lands on "Go Big", the contestant wins the car. Every time a contestant lands on a square, the space is then replaced with an extra "Go Home" space. If a contestant makes it around the board completely without landing on either a Go Big or a Go Home, he/she must avoid the additional Go Home spaces as well.
 * Car Pong: A contestant can win a car and/or cash by throwing a ball into cups. Contestants starts with 5 seconds. He/she can earn up to 15 more seconds by answering three pop culture questions (similar to Go for a Spin). Later, the eight outer cups each earned cash. Four cups earned $500 per ball, two were worth $250 per ball, and two worth $1,000 per ball.
 * The Great Escape: A contestant is offered $1500 and a chance to win a car by unlocking a box containing the car key using the right key out of 15 keys in 15 seconds. The contestant can choose to buy up to 15 extra seconds by paying $100 per second. He/she must choose one key at a time from the 15 keys and must run back and choose another key if the key doesn't open the box. If the contestant chooses the right key, he/she wins the car and any money left over.
 * Cash Train: A contestant can win cash by filling in a train with five money bags. Each car represents a different color (red, orange, yellow, blue, and green). One color at a time, a contestant chooses one of three cards representing cash. After each successful pick, Wayne offers the contestant a sure thing to stop playing. Choosing a Zonk at anytime automatically ends the game and the contestant leaves nothing.
 * Four Keys: A contestant or couple chooses one of four keys that opens the door to a car. Once the contestant chooses a key, Wayne offers a contestant a sure thing to stop playing.
 * The Zonk and Winding Road: Wayne and a contestant takes a journey around the set towards one of two curtains. Before the game begins, a contestant chooses a path which contains a clue.
 * Money in the Bank: Wayne and the contestant play a game that involves 4 questions and 4 answers. The player must match the answers to the questions, and for each one they get right, they win $500 in cash. In the second half of the game, they can opt to keep whatever cash they've won or put it into one of 5 safes. One safe doubles the cash, one cuts the cash in half, one multiplies the cash by 5, and two are Zonks which cost the player everything.

Skill-based games
The following games were played for a grand prize, such as a car or trip, and almost always involved grocery items. At certain stages of these games, Hall often offered a sure-thing deal (a prize or cash) to quit before the result was revealed. If all of Hall's offers were turned down and the grand prize lost, Hall would usually give the grocery items to the contestant as a consolation prize along with $50 or $100 in cash.


 * Arranging small prizes (usually $5–50) in order of dollar value.
 * Determining which item out of several was appearing on the show for the first time, or which item was first to debut.
 * Choosing which item was a pre-announced price, or which items' prices totaled a certain amount.
 * Recalling which grocery items were concealed beneath the letters in the name of a car model or trip destination.
 * Pricing successive items within a predetermined amount from the MSRP (manufacturer's suggested retail price) on the West Coast. The first item was always easy while the last item was always more difficult.
 * Pricing successive items with the difference between the contestant's guess and the actual MSRP of each item being deducted from an initial sum (usually $5.00) placed in an account. If there was any money remaining after the last item was priced, even as little as one cent, the contestant won the grand prize. The last item was always more difficult, so the object was to come as close as possible to the MSRP of each of the previous items in order to have a greater chance of winning the grand prize.
 * Pricing items with the total of all guesses within a predetermined range from the actual total of the suggested retail prices. A similar concept is used in the game Check-Out on The Price Is Right.
 * Competing against another trader or married couple to price a series of items closer to the suggested retail price and win increasing cash awards (usually $100, $200, $300 and $400, but sometimes $200-$200-$200-$300 or $100-$100-$200-$200-$300). The first trader (or couple) to collect a pre-announced amount (usually $700) won a grand prize, such as a car or a trip (and kept any leftover money). The losing trader/couple was offered a regular take-it-or-leave-it deal in exchange for any cash accumulated. The consolation deal was also played for both teams if both obtained less than the required amount.

Door #4 (1984-1986 only)
Played every few days, and announced with siren and quick-zoom fanfare, a contestant was chosen by a computer at random based on a number which now appeared on the contestant's tag (1 to 36). A contestant who had previously been chosen for a deal earlier in the show had their number called on a few occasions. This contestant was chosen to play a special deal, which had four incarnations:
 * Version 1: The contestant was offered a prize in exchange for a mystery cash amount ranging from $1 to $5,000, which was concealed behind "Door #4" (in actuality another curtain).
 * Version 2: A 20-space carnival wheel was brought out from behind Door #4, which contained cash amounts from $100 to $5,000. The contestant spun the wheel and could keep the amount won, or spin again in hopes of winning a higher amount. If a lesser amount was spun, all winnings were lost. One space on the wheel read Double Deal, and if it was hit on either spin, doubled the winnings up to a maximum of $10,000. Hitting Double Deal on both spins also earned the top $10,000 prize.
 * Wheel configuration: $5,000, $750, $600, $200, $3,000, $350, $700, $150, $1,000, Double Deal, $500, $2,000, $400, $250, $800, $4,000, $300, $450, $900, $100.
 * Version 3: The contestant could keep $750 or risk it by spinning the wheel, which now contained spaces that earned $1,500 (by landing on a space marked "double") $2,250 (landing on "triple"), $3,000, a new car, or win less ($100 to $500, or perhaps even a zonk). The zonk was a white T-shirt that read "I was ZONKED by Monty Hall". If the contestant kept the money, Hall would let the player spin the wheel to see what would have been passed up. In this format of Door #4 the car was always a Chevy Chevette. Also, instead of the car being displayed behind one of the doors, a film clip was shown.
 * Wheel configuration: Car, $200, Double, $100, $1,000, $250, $200, Zonk, $500, $100, Car, $250, $300, Double, $400, $300, Triple, $500, $400, $3,000 (the $400 and $3,000 spaces were swapped after a few playings).
 * Version 4: Played the same as Version 3, except the contestant was given $1,000 to start and fewer money possibilities were on the wheel. The spaces on this wheel were modified after a few playings of this version to include more Double spaces.
 * Wheel configuration #1: Car, $100, Triple, $200, Zonk, Double, $100, $4,000, $200, $100, Car, $200, Triple, $100, Zonk, Double, $200, Triple, $100, $200.
 * Wheel configuration #2: Car, $100, Triple, $200, Zonk, Double, $100, $4,000, $200, Double, Car, $200, Triple, $100, Zonk, Double, $200, Triple, $100, Double.

This fall, the current revival will bring back the wheel under a new name which is "Go For a Spin".(see above)

Big Deal of the Day
Each show ends with the Big Deal of the Day. Beginning with the day's biggest winner, and moving in order to the winner of the lowest prize value, the host would ask each contestant if they wanted to trade their winnings for a spot in the Big Deal (whose value was usually revealed at that point). He would continue asking until two contestants agreed to participate. In the CBS version, only one player participates in the Big Deal.

The Big Deal involves three doors, famously known as "Door #1", "Door #2", and "Door #3", each of which contained a prize or prize package. The top winner of the two was offered the first choice of a door, and the second contestant was then offered a choice of the two remaining doors. One door hid the day's Big Deal, which was usually more than the top prize offered to that point. It often included the day's most expensive prize (a luxury or sports car, a trip, furniture/appliances, a fur, cash, or a combination of two or more of said items). The other two doors concealed prizes or prize packages of lesser value. Zonks were never included in the Big Deal, although there was always the possibility that a contestant could wind up with less than his or her original winnings. All three doors were normally opened, going in order of increasing value. In the CBS version, the other two doors are referred to as the "Small Deal" (worth $1,000+) and the "Medium Deal" ($3,000+).

Sometimes one of the doors contains a cash prize, contained within a container such as "Monty's Cookie Jar", "Monty's Piggy Bank", a "LMaD Claim Check", or in the CBS version, the "Let's Make a Deal Vault". In some cases these cash prizes have been the Big Deal, but often they are not.

Value
The Big Deal values shown in the table are to give a general idea of the average value of said prize package. On occasion, Big Deals were worth considerably more than the highest stated value in a particular version.

Super Deal
During the 1975-1976 syndicated season, a new "Super Deal" was offered for Big Deal winners. At this point, Big Deals were limited to a range of $8,000 to $10,000. The contestant could risk their Big Deal winnings on a 1-in-3 shot at adding a $20,000 cash prize. The other two doors caused the player to lose the "Big Deal", but he/she took home a $1,000 or $2,000 consolation cash prize. Given this scenario, a Super Deal winner could win as much as $30,000 in cash and prizes (in fact, the first-ever Super Deal won the $30,000 maximum). Later, the consolation cash prize was changed to $2,000 and a mystery amount (between $1,000 and $9,000).

The Super Deal was discontinued when the show permanently moved to Las Vegas for the final season (1976-1977), and Big Deal values returned to their previous range of $10,000 to $15,000.

The Super Deal returned on the CBS version's 500th episode on March 26, 2012. The winner of the Big Deal would be presented with 3 envelopes, ruby, sapphire and emerald. The envelopes hid cash amounts worth $1,000, $2,000, and $50,000; with $50,000 being added to the Big Deal if chosen.

Audience attire
When the series began, studio audience members wore suits and ties or dresses. Over time the show gradually evolved into the costume-wearing menagerie it became. In 2003, GSN presented the May 25, 1963 pilot with commentary from host Hall. In the special, Hall mentioned that two weeks into the series (January 1964), an audience member had brought in a small placard that read "Roses are red, violets are blue, I came here to deal with you!" The placard caught Hall's attention, and he chose the player to be a contestant. On later tapings, more people began bringing signs. Again to get Hall's attention, another audience member showed up at a taping wearing a crazy hat, which also eventually caught on with others. The costumes and signs became a part of the show itself and got crazier and crazier as the show went on.

The most frequently-asked question was if the show provided the zany costumes for the studio audience. The standard response was that all contestants came to the studio "dressed as they are", in the words of Jay Stewart.

Reception
Upon the original Let's Make a Deal's debut, journalist Charles Witbeck was skeptical of the show's chances of success, noting that the previous four NBC programs to compete with CBS' Password had failed. Some critics described the show as "mindless" and "demeaning to contestants and audiences alike."

By 1974, however, the show had spent more than a decade at or near the top of daytime ratings, and became the highest-rated syndicated primetime program. At the time, the show held the world's record for the longest waiting list for tickets in show-business history – there were 350 seats available for each show, and a wait time of two-to-three years after requesting a ticket.

In 2001, Let's Make a Deal was ranked as #18 on TV Guide's list of "The 50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time." In 2006, GSN aired a series of specials counting down its own list of the "50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time", on which Let's Make a Deal was #7.

Episode status
Many of the show's estimated 4,700 episodes exist:
 * NBC Daytime/Nighttime: Status is unknown, though it is very likely that the original tapes were wiped as they were recorded over by NBC with new programming in an era when videotape was expensive. The 1963 pilot exists, with Wendell Niles as announcer, contestants in normal business attire (typical of its first season), and a Zonk behind one of the doors in the Big Deal (worth $2,005). Zonks have never been in the big deal since. The 1967 nighttime finale exists in the Library of Congress, along with a few scattered daytime episodes. Three daytime episodes are at the Paley Center for Media.
 * ABC Daytime: More than 500 episodes exist. A clip from the ABC daytime premiere was used on Monty Hall's "Biography", which aired during Game Show Week on A&E. Another episode from 1969 was found, which features a gaffe that Hall himself rated as his most embarrassing moment on Let's Make a Deal – at the end of the show, he attempted to make a deal with a woman carrying a baby's bottle. Noting that it had a removable rubber nipple, he offered the woman $100 if she could show him another nipple (she didn't). This clip was restored utilizing the LiveFeed Video Imaging kinescope restoration process, and was re-aired in 2008 as part of NBC's Most Outrageous Moments series.
 * ABC Nighttime/1971-1977 Syndicated: Exist almost in their entirety and have been seen on GSN in the past. The Family Channel reran the syndicated series from June 7, 1993 to March 29, 1996.
 * (NOTE: All episodes exist from 1980 onward.)


 * The 1980-1981 Canadian version was seen in reruns on the Global Television Network for much of the 1980s.
 * The 1984-1986 syndicated version has been seen on GSN in the past. Reruns previously aired on the USA Network from December 29, 1986 to December 30, 1988 and The Family Channel from August 30, 1993 to March 29, 1996.
 * The 1990s NBC version has not been seen since its cancellation.
 * The 2003 NBC prime time version only aired three of the five episodes produced, with no rebroadcasts since. One episode is viewable on YouTube.

International
RTL Group holds international (and as of February 2009, American) rights to the show, and has licensed the show to 14 countries.
 * An Australian version aired from 1976-1977 on Channel Nine. A new Australian version of Let's Make a Deal has had its pilot taped and is expected to air on the Nine Network once again.
 * The French version was called Le Bigdil and aired weeknights from 1998-2004 on TF1. Although the framing concept of the show is similar to the American version of Let's Make a Deal, stunts similar to those seen on Beat the Clock are played throughout the show as well.
 * A German version called Geh aufs Ganze! ran from 1992-2003. The show began on Sat.1 and later moved to kabel 1. The show was initially hosted Jörg Draeger, who was later succeeded by Elmar Hörig. The German version of the Zonk was an always a red and black plush mouse the trader got to take home.
 * The show is scheduled to air on Alpha TV in Greece as an hour-long series. 140 episodes have been ordered.
 * A Spanish-language American version called Trato Hecho aired on Univision in 2005. Guillermo Huesca was the host.
 * The Turkish version is Seç Bakalim, hosted by Erhan Yazicioglu with Spice Girl Geri Halliwell as a model.
 * An Indonesian version debuted on the Antv network April 2006, as Superdeal 2 Milyar (The 2 Billion Rupiah Superdeal).
 * An Indian version was aired on Star Plus for two seasons and was called Khul Ja Sim Sim.
 * The Polish version is called Idz na calosc! and has aired since 1997.

Home games
In 1964, Milton Bradley released a home version of Let's Make a Deal featuring gameplay similar to the television show. In 1974, Ideal Toys released an updated version of the game featuring Hall on the box cover. An electronic tabletop version by Tiger Electronics was released in 1998. In the late summer of 2006, an interactive DVD version of Let's Make a Deal was released by Imagination Games, which also features classic clips from the Monty Hall years of the show. Pressman released a home game based on the CBS version in 2010.

Various U.S. lotteries have included instant lottery tickets based on Let's Make a Deal.

2009 version
On July 8, 2009 a non-airing pilot was taped at CBS Television City in Hollywood, California. Hosted by Wayne Brady, the show put out a casting call. Components featured the same "zonks" behind one of the three curtains and Wayne choosing contestants in the audience based upon their attention-grabbing creative costuming. With the show now owned by FremantleMedia North America, the staff of fellow Fremantle game show The Price is Right assisted in production of the pilot, with executive producer Michael G. Richards, and model Rachel Reynolds participating in their respective roles. Let's Make a Deal was one of three games the network auditioned, along with Pyramid and The Dating Game, to fill the time slot vacated by the cancellation of the soap opera Guiding Light. Monty Hall returns to this version as a creative consultant.

This version premiered on October 5, 2009 in the time slot vacated by Guiding Light - 9 AM, 10 AM or 3 PM ET (9 AM or 2 PM in all other time zones), by the local station's choice, dependent on local commitments to syndicated programming. Prior to April 2010, the current version taped at the Tropicana Resort in Las Vegas. When the Tropicana underwent a construction project during 2010, the show moved to Los Angeles. Mangum, a longtime Brady associate from his former self-titled daytime talk show and his current "Making It Up" live stage show at The Venetian Hotel casino, joins Brady as the show's announcer and former Deal or No Deal model Alison Fiori serves as the show's model. On February 15, 2010, Tiffany Coyne became the new model replacing Fiori. Hatos-Hall Productions, along with FremantleMedia North America, is credited as co-production company.

Unlike previous versions, only one contestant plays for the Big Deal of the Day.

Deal in Popular Culture

 * Let's Make a Deal and its host Monty Hall paid homage on an episode of Wait 'Til Your Father Gets Home which aired on November 20, 1973. In this episode called "Mama Loves Monty", Irma appeared on The Monty Hall Show as a contestant; she was hoping for a big prize but got zonked with a bowling ball. Here's where everything goes north: Irma & Monty got their fingers stuck in the holes of the ball, causing her husband Harry Boyle (voiced by the late Tom Bosley) into thinking that Irma is leaving him for Monty; it was when Harry spotted them in a restaurant that he discovered the truth. Irma eventually got her fingers out of the bowling ball and reconciled with Harry, but when the episode ended, it was Harry's next door neighbor Ralph Kane whose fingers got stuck with Monty.
 * Monty Hall appeared in a commercial for Dentu-Creme toothpaste where he tried to make a deal for the man using that toothpaste into trading for something else, but the man continually refused. This bore similarities to Chuck McCann's Right Guard commercials.
 * Monty Hall also appeared in the "Science of the Rich and Famous" segment of an episode of the PBS science show Newton's Apple, where he talked about the science of probability. Towards the end of the segment, he does the usual "keep the prize or go for what's behind any one of the doors" spiel, but the doors all lead to one thing only: the exit.

Music
1963 - Sheldon Allman & Ivan Ditmars (Live)

1976 - Sheldon Allman & Stan Worth

1980 - Sheldon Allman & Stan Worth

Prize Cue 1976, 1980 - "Pop Trumpets" by Keith Mansfield (KPM Music)

Prize Cue 1980 - "Sexy" by Mother Father Sister Brother

Prize Cue 1980 - "Biyo" by Earth, Wind and Fire

1984 - Michel Camilo (Other cues by Sheldon Allman, Stan Worth & Todd Thicke)

1990 - Jerry Ray

2003 - Alan Ett & Scott Liggett

2006 - Unknown

2009 - Unknown

Keyboardist (2009 Version) - Cat Grey 2011-present

The 2009 main was also used on The Price is Right as a showcase cue. The Price is Right's main theme (1st version) was heard in an episode with Drew Carey making a special apperarance, as well as one episode of the second season; this was due to the fact that the contestant wore a Price is Right T-Shirt and dressed up like one of the Showcase podiums.

Music cues from other Hatos-Hall game shows that were recycled into Let's Make A Deal '76, '80, and '84 include Split Second, 3 for the Money, It Pays to Be Ignorant, It's Anybody's Guess, High Rollers, and Masquerade Party.

Inventor
Stefan Hatos & Monty Hall

Merchandise
A DVD game was released with Monty Hall hosting.

Spin-Offs
Big Deal - A show with only 6 episodes aired in 1996

Trato Hecho - A Spanish language version aired on Univision in 2005

Gameshow Marathon - This show was the second of this marathon's seven show series.

Taglines
“Until next time this is Monty Hall saying like the old salesman said, ‘Caveat emptor or let the buyer beware!’ Happy dealing and see you tomorrow.” - Monty Hall, Let's Make a Deal Pilot, (1963)

"From Alison Fiori/Tiffany Coyne, from Jonathan Mangum, and Cat Gray, I'm Wayne Brady. See ya next time on Let's Make a Deal. Keep on dealing." - Wayne Brady (2009-present)

Links
The Official Let's Make A Deal Website

The Official CBS Website for Let's Make a Deal

Rules for Let's Make a Deal @ Loogslair.net

Josh Rebich's Let's Make A Deal Rule Sheet