| Host | |
| Jim Peck | |
| Announcer | |
| Bill Wendell | |
| Broadcast | |
  | |
| Packagers | |
| Ron Greenberg Productions/MCA-TV Ltd. | |
“Ladies and gentlemen, the CBS Television Network presents: Smart Money! And here’s your host, Jim Peck!”
Smart Money was an unsold show where the players had the chance to buy prizes and answering questions using "The Fabulous Ticker".
Gameplay[]
The game was played with two contestants and five prizes which were shown at the start of the game.
The contestants started off with $250. To build their banks, contestants try to answer questions as letters of the answer scrolled by on the ticker. They can be initial letters or letters that are part of the answer, as the other letters were missing. The first player to buzz-in got first shot at answering the question. If a contestant got the question right, (s)he would add money to their banks, but if (s)he got it wrong, his/her opponent got a chance to steal. During the round, the five prizes were scrolled on the ticker with a price. If a player buzzed in on a prize, (s)he could either buy that prize or (if (s)he already has it) sell it. But they could make a mistake because the price may have not scrolled by. Each round lasted for 30 seconds, with the clock stopping when a contestant buzzed in and started again when a new question was asked. Should time run out during a question, they simply finished it.
Scoring[]
As the rounds go by, the amount for getting a question right increased.
| Round | Amount |
|---|---|
| 1 & 2 | $25 |
| 3 | $50 |
| 4 | $100 |
Prize Board[]
In between rounds, the contestant went up to the prize board with the five prizes listed and four circle attached to each. Behind the circle were prices of the prizes from $5 to $250. Starting with the leader, each player decided which prize to buy or which prize to sell. All in the hopes of uncovering a low cost or a big profit.
For the first two rounds, the choices were verbal, but before the final round, the choices were made in secret using the button on their podiums.
The player with the most money won the game, any prizes (s)he collected along the way and went on to play "The $15,000 Super Ticker Round". Both players do however get to keep their cash, but the loser also went home with a consolation prize.
The Super Ticker Round[]
In the beginning of the round, the winning player was shown four extravagant prizes. (S)he may or may not be able to take any of them home, because the object of the round was to make a profit of $1,000 or more in 60 seconds or less. To start, the winning player was given $500 to start. Then the 60 second clock started and the four prizes in random order start to appear on the ticker. This time, the prices ranged between $50 and $500. On each prize, (s)he could buy, sell or pass it by, but (s)he must buy at least one prize before selling anything. As in the game, each purchase deducted the price from his/her bank, while each sale added the price to his/her bank. If the player could reach $1,000 or more before time ran out, then their bonus winnings would be augmented to $15,000; also (s)he kept any bonus prizes they still had in their possession. But if the player failed, (s)he still kept the money in his/her bonus bank.
Trivia[]
This was one of the few game shows Jim Peck hosted that was not produced for ABC or syndication.
Production Slate[]
Links[]
Smart Money at The Game Show Pilot Light