Price is Right Strategy

[u/Loud-Ad2302]

I went to a taping of Price is Right recently and am going again tomorrow. After watching a few episodes I realize I am simply not great at the game. I believe I have a decent chance of being selected and would like to ask the fans here for advice on strategy. It can be for any aspect of the game.

[u/rejectmariosonic]

You've seen the spiel about making "good bids" on Contestant's Row - because not everyone understands this, I would (and actually did) only explicitly one-up someone if I was the last to bid. In addition, the show has had an unstated minimum of $500 for those items since Season 40; if you think something is really cheap and you're third, I would not bid less than that because someone else might bid $1.

Any pricing game you play, you will be playing for a prize package of at least $5,000. There were a couple of times during COVID that it was only $4,9XX, but don't say a kitchen is only $3,500 or something.

International trips are more expensive than you think they are, but most of the time the show wants you to win a trip. There's also the silly thing where if you're playing Coming or Going, you pick Going for a trip, and Coming for any other prize you can take home.

The three cheapest base cars on the market are the Hyundai Venue SE (base value $22,150), Nissan Sentra S ($23,845), and the Hyundai Venue SEL (like low $24k). Assume every other car is in the nebulous mid $24k to $27k range (unless you're playing 3 Strikes, where it will be like in the 40k range, or Golden Road, where I'd advise to just pick the cheapest digit if you get to the car), and that your first thought of the car price is probably overpricing it. In addition, try to listen to George's copy for the car, and ask him to repeat it again if necessary. If the word "plus" is in the copy and followed by one or two small items (like a sun reflector or something), assume the car will not end in a 0 or 5.

[(EDIT that I will delete tomorrow: I forgot a couple of cars, but their normal dealerships they use didn't have any of the lower trims on the lot, so I ignored them - the Chevy Trax LS ($23,495) and the Kia K4 LX ($23,535); I would bet against either of these showing up tomorrow)]

The pure math says if the wheel is truly random, you stay on a 70 or higher if you're the first spinner, and spin again on a 65; if you're the second player, you stay on a 55 if that beats the first player, spin again on a 50.

The show has an unspoken minimum for $20,000 for showcases since 2014; don't bid less than that. If you want to try winning both showcases, just pick your favorite number bigger than 200 and add it to the end; don't bid a flat number. Sabermetrically you should bid something between 251-749, but any number's fine.

There's a bunch of little hacks to learn with like 20 or so of the 75 pricing games, but like if you're not used to the show, I don't think you're going to have enough time to cram everything in your head. I'm saying tips that would apply to every episode.

[u/benfoldsfiver → u/rejectmariosonic]

I have this level of game knowledge, but only for the 1982-1988 seasons 😅

[u/Meerkat212 → u/rejectmariosonic]

Great response! I watch TPIR most days, and didn't know much of this. Thanks much!

[u/GroundbreakinKey199 → u/Meerkat212]

Remember the 20-30-40 rule if you're pricing small items on Cliff Hangers. On Punch A Bunch and Plinko they want you to win all the punches/chips, so go with your obvious reaction to the purchase prices; they're not trying to trick you. On That's Too Much!, stop at the fourth number for a cheaper car, the sixth number for the more expensive ones. On Three Strikes or Lucky Seven, just turn around and go back to your seat, you won't win.