The Price is Right/Retired Pricing Games

This article contains all the histories and rules for all the pricing games no longer featured on The Price is Right.

When the 1972 version of the show premiered, many games did not have official names which were used on the air. Some of the names below are unofficial or assigned by the production staff.

Add 'em Up
The contestant was shown a car with a four-digit price, which contained no repeating digits. The sum of the digits in the price was shown to the contestant, who then selected one of the digits in the price to be revealed. That digit was subtracted from the total sum and the contestant attempted to guess the three remaining digits in the price. After each correct guess, the digit was revealed and the remaining total was provided to the contestant. The contestant won the car by guessing the remaining digits in the price before making two mistakes.

Balance Game (1)
Five small prizes were presented and the contestant was given five "Barker silver dollars". In order to win, the contestant attempted to balance a scale with the correct combination of small prizes and, if necessary, the silver dollars given to him or her. The contestant selected prizes one by one and placed them on either side of the scale. If the total value of the prizes placed on one side of the scale equaled the total value of the prizes placed on the other side, the contestant won a larger prize package. If the totals were within five dollars of each other, the contestant could use the silver dollars to balance the scale.

Regardless of the outcome, the contestant kept any small prizes used in the game and any unused silver dollars.

Bullseye (1)
The contestant was given seven chances to guess the actual price of a car; in response to each guess, the host told the contestant whether the actual price was higher or lower. In some appearances of the game, the contestant was given a $500 range into which the price fell.

Bump
The contestant was shown two prizes and a British-themed gameboard containing four "double decker" buses, each with a price on it. The first and last buses displayed the same price and the name of each prize was placed below the two middle buses. The contestant decided which way to bump the buses – knocking two of them off the board and resulting in either the first two or the last two buses being positioned over the names of the prizes. The contestant won both prizes if the prices displayed on the buses matched those of the prizes below them.

Buy or Sell
Three prizes were shown, each with an incorrect price. The contestant bought prizes he or she believed were under-priced and sold prizes he or she believed were overpriced. The actual prices were then revealed, one at a time. For each correct decision, the difference between the two prices was added to a bank; for each incorrect decision, the difference was subtracted from the bank. If the contestant had made $100 or more at the end of the game, he won all three prizes as well as any cash accumulated in the bank. The most money that could be accumulated was $1,900.

Prior to 1997, winning contestants did not receive any cash accumulated.

Clearance Sale
Three prizes were shown and the contestant was given three price tags, each of which bore a sale price lower than one of the items' actual retail price. The contestant placed a price tag on each prize and won all three prizes if each of the sale prices was below the actual price of its respective prize.

Double Bullseye
This was the only pricing game to ever feature two contestants, guaranteeing a winner. After one contestant was called on stage, a second One Bid round was immediately played and the second winner joined the first on stage. A car or boat was revealed and described, and the two contestants were given a $500 range in which the price fell. Bids were alternated between the two contestants, with the host responding that the actual price was higher or lower than the bid. The contestant who bid the exact price won the prize.

Double Digits
A car was shown along with four small prizes. For each small prize, the contestant was shown the second digit in that prize's price, and then two possibilities for the first digit. The contestant attempted to select the correct first digit in the price, which also corresponded to a digit in the car's price. If the four correct digits had been chosen, the contestant won the car and all four small prizes; if not, the contestant kept any small prizes from which he or she had used the correct digits.

Finish Line
Six small prizes were described in three pairs. For each pair, the contestant tried to pick the more expensive item. The sum of the prices of the rejected prizes made up a "finish line" that a miniature horse and jockey would have to cross. After all three choices were made, the horse moved one step for each dollar in the total value of the prizes the contestant had selected. If the horse passed the finish line, the contestant won a larger prize. Regardless of the outcome, the contestant kept the three chosen prizes.

Fortune Hunter
Fortune Hunter was played for four prizes and $5,000. It involved four boxes, one of which contained the cash prize. The host read three clues to help the contestant eliminate the prizes associated with them, based on their prices. The remaining box was then opened. If the cash was hidden inside, the contestant won all four prizes plus the $5,000. However, if the chosen box was empty, the contestant won nothing.

The contestant did not have to eliminate the prizes in the order the clues were read. The prizes could be eliminated in any order, as long as only the box that contained the money was left.

Gallery Game
A painting of the prize that the contestant was playing for was shown to the contestant. Below the painting was a price, which was missing part of one digit. To win the prize, the contestant had to paint the digit. The contestant won the prize if the price he or she painted matched its actual price.

Give or Keep
Six small prizes were presented in three pairs. From each pair, the contestant picked what he believed was the more expensive prize. If the sum of the prices of the prizes the contestant kept was equal to or greater than the sum of the prices of the prizes they gave away, the contestant won a larger prize. Regardless of the outcome, the contestant won the three prizes they chose to keep.

Hit Me
Before the game began, the contestant cut a deck of oversized playing cards, from which the house's hand was made. Like in blackjack, the object of the game was to come closer than the house to 21 without going over. The contestant was shown six grocery items; one always displayed the actual price of the item, another always showed the item marked at the actual price multiplied by 10; and the others were marked at an amount of a multiple of two through nine.

The contestant selected items to acquire cards until reaching 21, freezing, or exceeding 21. The contestant won the game regardless of the house's score if their score reached 21. If the contestant froze, the house's cards were revealed and additional cards were drawn from the deck and added to the house's hand until the total reached 17 or higher (at which point the house froze) or exceeded 21. The contestant won the game and a large prize if the house busted or if their total equaled or exceeded the house's score without busting.

Situations involving an ace in the house's hand — and whether it should be counted as a 1 or an 11 when one would end the game and the other would not — were handled inconsistently over the course of the game's time on the show.

Hurdles
A grocery item was described that served as the base price and six more products were shown to the contestant in three pairs. The objective was to choose the item of each pair that was priced below the base price, and a blue flag was placed for each choice. After the selections were made, a starter's pistol was fired and a hurdler moved across a gameboard. As the hurdler moved, the price of each of the selected products rose up the board. If the hurdle's price was lower than the base price, the hurdler continued to move across the board. If the hurdler successfully cleared all three hurdles, the contestant won the game and a large prize. However, if a hurdle's price was higher than the base price, the hurdler crashed and the contestant lost.

It's Optional
Two cars were shown, each of the same make and model. The contestant was informed that the second car was priced a set amount higher than the first. He then attempted to add features from a list of nine options that would increase the price of the first car to within $100 of the price of the second car without going over. The number of options a contestant was allowed to choose during the course of the game changed each time it was played but was generally between three and five.

Joker
The contestant was shown a hand of five cards, one of which was a joker. For each of four small prizes then shown, the contestant attempted to select the correct price among two prices provided. For each prize, the two price choices included the same digits (e.g., $37 or $73). The contestant won the prize by selecting the correct price and also discarded a card from the hand. The remaining cards in the hand were then revealed; if the contestant had discarded the joker, he or she won an additional larger prize.

Make Your Mark/Barker's Markers
Three prizes were shown along with four prices on a gameboard. The contestant was given $500 and attempted to mark what he believed were the three correct prices. Two random correct prices were then revealed and the contestant was given the choice to either hold onto the $500 and leave the third marker as it was or forfeit the money and switch the marker to the originally-unselected price. If the third price was correct, the contestant won all three prizes, plus the $500 if he had not given it back. However, if the third price was incorrect, the contestant lost everything.

The game was originally titled Barker's Markers in reference to former host Bob Barker, but was retitled Make Your Mark after Drew Carey took over as host and during the game's single appearance on the 1994 syndicated version hosted by Doug Davidson. During the only playing of Make Your Mark in Season 37, the contestant was allowed to keep the $500 regardless of whether or not they ultimately won the game, so as long as they did not change the last marker.

Mystery Price
A prize package was presented to the contestant and the price of the least expensive item in the package was dubbed the "mystery price". Four smaller prizes were shown individually and the contestant placed a bid on each of them. If their bid was equal to or lower than the item's actual price, the contestant won that prize and the amount of their bid was placed into a bank. If the contestant overbid on the prize, it was lost and no value was added to the bank.

After all four small prizes were played, the mystery price was revealed. The contestant won the larger prize package in addition to any small prizes they did not overbid on if the bank was equal to or greater than the mystery price.

On the Nose
In order to win a car, the contestant competed in one of five possible sporting events. The events varied each time the game was played and included throwing a baseball or football into a specified area, shooting a basketball into a hoop, hitting a tennis ball with a racket into a specified area or popping a balloon with a dart.

After being shown the car, the contestant was presented with four possible prices. The contestant selected the one they believed was the actual price of the car and, if correct, won a $1,000 bonus and four attempts at the sporting event preselected for that day. The further away the selected price was from the actual price, the fewer attempts at the sporting event the contestant received with no bonus. If the contestant succeeded in the sporting event, he or she won the car.

On the Spot
Six small prizes were described and the contestant was shown three paths, colored blue, yellow and pink, extending outward from a center black spot. Each path was marked with three prices. To win a car, the contestant attempted to match the three prices in any path to the six prizes in play. After choosing a path, the contestant had to correctly determine which prize was associated with each price along the path in turn. If the contestant made a mistake, they returned to the center spot and chose a new path. Making mistakes on all three paths ended the game.

Some of the prices on a path were repeated on other paths; the contestant could automatically step to the next price along the path if they had already correctly matched the associated prize.

Penny Ante
Two grocery items were described; for each item, four possible prices were presented. The contestant was given three oversized pennies and attempted to select the correct price for each of the two items. Each mistake the contestant made cost him or her a penny. The contestant won a larger prize if he or she was able to guess the actual price of both items before losing all three pennies.

The first five times the game was played, the board was not divided into halves for each grocery item; instead, the two correct prices were hidden among all eight choices. Whenever an incorrect price was guessed, one penny fell from the side of the gameboard into a bucket for each cent in the amount of the guess; a scoreboard was attached to the front of the gameboard, which kept track of the pennies accumulated. The contestant lost the game if the total of the incorrect guesses made before finding the two correct prices equaled 100 pennies or more.

The Phone Home Game
The contestant and a preselected home viewer competing via telephone teamed to attempt to win up to $15,000. Before the game began, the home viewer was given a list of the actual prices for each of seven grocery items. The items were then described to the contestant and the home viewer gave a price for one of the items. The contestant selected the item he or she believed matched that price. If the contestant was correct, the team shared a hidden cash award associated with that specific product. If the contestant was incorrect, both the guessed product and the correct product were removed from play and that particular cash award was lost. The contestant and home viewer attempted to make three matches and win three cash awards. If the home viewer read the name of a product at any time instead of a price, that turn was lost.

The cash awards for the matched products were revealed and the team split the total amount won. The cash awards hidden beside the seven products included one each of $10,000, $3,000, and $2,000, and two each of $1,000 and $200.

Poker Game
Four prizes were shown. The contestant selected two of the prizes and the digits in their prices were used to form a poker hand, with nines high and zeroes low. After the hand was revealed, the contestant chose either to keep their hand or to pass it to the house. The prices of the other two prizes were then revealed and if the contestant made a better hand than the house, they won all four prizes.

The hand rankings were similar to those of poker and included five of a kind, four of a kind, full house, three of a kind, two pair, one pair and high card; straights did not count and without suits, flushes were not possible.

In early playings, the contestant was allowed to make their hand with any five of the six digits of the prices of the two prizes they had chosen, but did not have the option to pass their chosen hand to the house.

Professor Price
The contestant attempted to answer general knowledge questions with numerical answers, such as "How many innings are there in a regulation baseball game?", in order to win a car. After answering the first question, the contestant was asked if the correct answer to that question, which was always a digit from zero to nine, was also contained in the price of the car. General knowledge and pricing questions were repeated in this manner until the contestant either gave three correct responses and won the car, or gave three incorrect responses and lost the game.

A large animatronic puppet dubbed Professor Price was central to the game. The contestant's progress was tracked by the professor's hands; correct answers were counted by upward-pointing fingers on the puppet's right hand and incorrect answers were counted by downward-pointing fingers on his left hand.

The game was played only twice, making it the shortest-lived game in the show's history. It was also the only game to have a perfect record, having been won both times.

Shower Game
The contestant was shown six shower stalls, each marked with a possible price for a car. Three stalls contained confetti, two contained $100 and the one with the actual price contained a key to the car. If the contestant chose the stall with the confetti, he or she continued to choose stalls until he or she found either of the two with $100, winning the cash; or the keys, winning the car.

Split Decision
A car and a medium prize were shown and a string of eight digits was displayed on a gameboard. The numbers in the prices of the prizes appeared in order but were not necessarily placed side by side. The contestant was given 20 seconds to pull down the three digits that made up the price of the smaller prize, leaving the five digits that made up the price of the car. To stop the clock, the contestant pushed a button on the gameboard. If the correct three-digit price for the smaller prize had been pulled down, the contestant won both prizes. If incorrect, the contestant continued guessing until a correct guess was made or time ran out.

A later variation in the rules did not feature a clock. Instead, the contestant was given only three chances to win.

Super Ball!!
Three large prizes were shown, each associated with a ball marked #1, #2 or #3. The contestant then attempted to correctly choose from among two possible prices for each of three small prizes. For each correct choice, he or she won that small prize and earned a ball, which he or she rolled up a skee ball ramp containing three rings marked $50, $100 and WIN! If the contestant rolled a ball into the WIN! ring, he or she won the associated large prize. If he or she rolled it into either cash ring, he or she won that amount of money.

A fourth small prize was then revealed, along with a "Super Ball". If the contestant won that small prize and earned the Super Ball and rolled it into the WIN! ring, he or she won any of the three large prizes not previously won. Otherwise, the contestant won triple the value of the cash ring in which the ball landed. In the rare event that the contestant had already won all three large prizes, rolling the Super Ball into the WIN! ring earned the contestant a $3,000 bonus.

Super Saver
The game used six grocery items; five were marked at various amounts lower than their actual prices and one of which was marked higher than its actual price. In order to win a larger prize, the contestant attempted to "purchase" four of the items and "save" at least $1 compared to those items' actual total value. It was mathematically possible to choose the item marked higher than its actual price but still win the game if the other three purchases saved enough.

Telephone Game
A car and two smaller prizes were shown, along with four grocery items. The contestant was given $1 to purchase two of the four grocery items, attempting to spend less than 90¢ so that he or she would have a dime left in order to use a pay telephone. If the contestant succeeded, he or she dialed one of three given sets of four-digit telephone numbers and won whatever prize's price was associated with that number. The number for the car represented its price in dollars, while the numbers for the two small prizes represented their prices in dollars and cents. The contestant won nothing if their grocery item purchase exceeded 90¢.

Time Is Money
In order to win a large prize, the contestant tried to place five grocery items in three separate price groups: less than $3, $3–$6 and more than $6. He or she had two chances to correctly group all of the items, with a 20 second time limit for each chance. If he or she was unsuccessful in the first attempt, he or she was told how many items were incorrectly placed, but not specifically which ones. If the contestant was incorrect on the second chance, the game ended and he or she won nothing.

The first two times the game was played, the contestant was given a 15 second time limit for each chance and a voucher for a $500 bonus. If the contestant was correct on the first chance, he or she won both the prize and the $500. If incorrect, he or she could either stop playing and keep the $500 or exchange it for another 15 seconds to regroup the items, without knowing which items were incorrectly placed or how many.

Trader Bob
A large prize was shown and the game used seven small prizes. The contestant started with one small prize, which served as the base and was shown, one at a time, six small prizes in three pairs that were rolled out on barrels. One prize of each pair was worth more than the base and the contestant attempted to choose that prize. If the contestant successfully arranged all three selected prizes in ascending order, they also won the large prize. However, if one mistake is made, they won only the last small prize whose price had been revealed.

Walk of Fame
Four prizes were shown and the contestant had to guess each price within a set range to win. The winning range increased with every subsequent prize. If the contestant made a mistake on any prize (except for the final prize, in which case the game ended), he or she was given a choice of two autograph books signed by the show's cast, one of which also contained the words "Second Chance" written in it. If the contestant selected the "Second Chance" book, the game continued, but the contestant did not win the prize with which he or she made the mistake. The contestant lost by either choosing the incorrect autograph book or making a second mistake on a subsequent prize.