Deal or No Deal
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Deal or No Deal is the name of several closely related television game shows, the first of which (launching the format) was produced by Dutch producer Endemol. It is played with up to 26 cases (or in some versions, boxes) with certain sums of money. The Player chooses a case or a box to knock an amount of money off the board.
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[edit] Gameplay
Deal or No Deal is played in many different ways around the world. Many different countries have their own version or versions of the show, each with version-specific twists on the same general format. The general format is described here.
In most versions, the cases/boxes are held by models. In others (notably the British version), the show begins with a row of potential contestants each holding a case/box, one of whom is randomly selected by a computer to become the contestant for the rest of the show. Remaining players assume the role of case/box-opener, and return for the next show until they make it to the central game.
The central game of Deal or No Deal involves a contestant, a banker (unseen in some versions of the show), and a host/presenter who acts as MC for the game. The game revolves around the opening of a set of numbered boxes each of which contains a different prize (cash or otherwise). The contents of all of the boxes are known at the start of the game, but the specific location of any prize is unknown. The value of each of the boxes is indicated by a label or card sealed within it.
The contestant claims (or is assigned) a box to begin the game. The box's value is not revealed until the conclusion of the game.
The contestant then begins choosing cases to be removed from play. The amount inside each choice is immediately revealed; by process of elimination, the amount revealed cannot be inside the player's chosen box. Throughout the game, after a predetermined number of boxes have been opened, the banker offers the contestant an amount of money and/or prizes to quit the game, the offer based roughly on the amounts remaining in play and the contestant's demeanor. The player then answers the titular question, choosing:
- "Deal", accepting the offer presented and ending the game, or
- "No Deal", rejecting the offer and continuing the game.
This process of removing boxes and receiving offers continues, until either the player accepts an offer to 'deal', or all offers have been rejected and the values of all unselected boxes are revealed. The player wins the value of the deal taken, or if no deal is taken, the contents of the player's box.
Should a player end the game by taking a deal, a pseudo-game is continued from that point to see how much the player could have won by remaining in the game. Depending on subsequent choices and offers, it is determined whether or not the contestant made a "good deal", i.e. won more than if the game were allowed to continue. Generally, early offers are low, in order to avoid an anti-climax to the show.
Since the range of possible values is known at the start of each game, how much the banker offers at any given point changes based on what values have been eliminated. To promote suspense and lengthen games, the banker's offer is usually less than the expected value dictated by probability theory, particularly early in the game[1]. Generally, the offers early in the game are very low relative to the values still in play, but near the end of the game approach (or even exceed) the average of the remaining values.
Only a few people have ever won the top prize on any version of the show (see table below). For a contestant to win the top prize the player would have to select the case containing the top prize and reject every offer the banker makes during the game. While the chances of a player selecting the top prize are reasonable (4-5% depending on how many amounts are in the game), the chances that a player will be able to turn down a number of inevitably large offers to win that top prize are much smaller.
[edit] International versions
Various versions of Deal or No Deal have between 20 and 26 prizes in the game; some versions have only cash values, others include prizes such as a car or booby prizes. For instance, there are 26 cases in the prime time U.S. version, containing cash values from 1 cent to $1,000,000. The daytime U.S. version only has 22 values, ranging from $.01 to $500,000. Alternately, the Australian version has 26 values from 50 cents to $200,000, but includes a car as one of its more valuable prizes. The British version has 22 boxes which contain anything from 1 penny to £250,000.
The stopping points at which the Banker places an offer vary wildly from format to format. In a small number of variants, the Banker knows the locations of the prizes.
In some versions, a player who rejects all offers is given the option to swap the initially selected case for the last unrevealed case before revealing the contestant's final prize. Some versions even allow the banker to offer the opportunity to swap in lieu of a cash offer during game play.
Some versions occasionally add side games, with or without impact to the central game.
There are also scores of variations in presentation otherwise having little or no effect on the central game.
Worldwide, the largest active-play offer made (after adjusting for exchange rates) is €1,495,000 on Dutch version Miljoenenjacht, offered on November 13, 2005. The offer was accepted, and stands as the biggest win in the history of the format, despite many versions (either occasionally or permanently) having higher top prizes.
[edit] Scientific research
Deal or No Deal has attracted attention from mathematicians, statisticians, and economists as a natural decision-making experiment. A team of economists has analyzed the decisions of people appearing in European and US episodes of Deal or No Deal and found, among other things, that contestants are less risk-averse or even risk-seeking when they have seen their expected winnings tumble.[2] In their follow-up article they find that contestants behave similarly in ten different versions of the show, despite large differences in the amounts at stake; amounts appear to be evaluated in relative terms, for example in proportion to the initial average, and not in terms of their absolute monetary value.[3] The research project received a great deal of media attention, appearing on the front page of The Wall Street Journal on January 12, 2006 as well as being featured on National Public Radio in the United States on March 3, 2006.[4]
[edit] International versions
The show has many versions that air around the world:
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Véronique Landry is the only model to appear on more than one version of the show, on both the French and English Canadian versions.[citation needed] Howie Mandel, Héctor Sandarti, and Linda de Mol each have hosted multiple versions of the show: Mandel, with the American English and English Canadian versions, Sandarti with both the American Spanish and Mexican Spanish versions, and de Mol with both the Netherlands Dutch and German (in 2004) versions of the show. In the UK version Deal or no Deal helped relaunch Noel Edmonds' career.
Other countries that have their own versions of the show include Albania, Armenia, Austria, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Portugal (SIC network), Puerto Rico, and Vietnam, according to the UK version's website.
[edit] Top prize winners on international versions
All amounts below the prizes are their equivalents in United States dollars, and those in USD at the time of their big win.
| Country | Name(s) | Amount won | Previous offer | Other amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Australia |
Dean Cartechini (June 17, 2004) |
A$200,000 ($178,659, then worth $136,986) |
A$102,500 ($91,563, then worth $74,818) |
A$5 ($4.47, then worth $3.65) |
| Anh Do (celebrity) (September 19, 2007) |
A$200,000 | A$125,000 ($111,662) |
A$75,000 ($66,997) |
|
 Brazil |
Paulo (April, 2007) |
R$1,000,000 ($557,678, then worth $492,611) |
R$444,000 ($247,609, then worth $218,719) |
R$100 ($55.77 then worth $49.26) |
 Bulgaria |
Veneta Raykova (celebrity) (February, 2006) |
75,000 BGN ($54,819) |
unknown | unknown |
 Chile |
Mauricio Hermosilla (May 4, 2007) |
CL$10,000,000 ($19,938) |
CL$6,500,000 ($12,960) |
CL$5,000,000 ($9,969) |
| Farándula (August 29, 2007) |
CL$10,000,000 | Change Box | CL$50,000 ($99.69) |
|
 France |
Sabrina (November 29, 2005) |
€500,000 ($714,750, then worth $588,235) |
€350,000 ($500,325, then worth $411,764) (the banker also offered €200,000 and €300,000 - it is rare for a contestant to have more than one offer after a single round) |
€75,000 ($107,213, then worth $88,235) |
| (Unknown) (January 23, 2009) |
€500,000 ($714,750, then worth $588,235) |
€210,000 | €$100,000 ($128,000) |
|
 Georgia |
Rezo and Archil Arveladze (February 3, 2009) |
50,000 lari ($29,904) |
25,000 lari ($14,952) |
50 lari ($29.90) |
 Greece |
Gogo | €200,000 ($285,900) |
€80,000 ($114,360) |
€1,000 ($1,430) |
 Italy |
Danilo (Umbria) (September 20, 2008) |
€500,000 ($714,750, then worth $714,286) |
€170,000 ($267,477, then worth $242,857) |
€30,000 ($47,215, then worth $42,857) |
| Francesca (October 22, 2008) |
€500,000 | €185,000 ($230,408) |
€30,000 | |
| Clarissa Meneghini (December 19, 2007) |
€500,000 | €170,000 | €30,000 | |
 Malta |
Maria (Doris) Abela (October 17, 2008 |
€25,000 ($31,149) |
€19,500 ($24,296) |
€15,000 ($18,689) |
 Mexico |
Paty (June 3, 2006) |
$1,000,000 ($92,379) (weekday) |
$550,000 ($51,500) |
$100,000 ($9,238) |
| Laura (March 2, 2006) |
$1,000,000 (weekday) | $700,000 ($64,665) |
$400,000 ($36,952) |
|
| Luis (December 6, 2005) |
$1,000,000 (weekday) | unknown | unknown | |
| Elena (June 11, 2005) |
$5,000,000 ($461,894) (Saturday) |
unknown | unknown | |
 Malaysia |
Timothy Shim (March 2, 2008) |
RM100,000 ($31,250) |
RM 50,800 ($15,875) |
RM 250 ($71.83) |
 Netherlands |
Arno Woesthoff (September 2, 2001) |
Fl10,000,000 ($6,600,000) |
unknown | unknown |
| Eelco Schumacher (April 2, 2009) |
€250,000 ($336,383) |
€170,000 ($228,741) |
€125,000 ($168,191) |
|
 Philippines |
Terry Lim Cua (December 29, 2006) |
P2,000,000 ($42,180, then $40,800) |
P1,400,000 ($29,526, then worth $28,560) |
P1,000,000 ($23,895, then $20,400) |
 Serbia |
Vidoje (October 19, 2007) |
RSD1,500,000 ($24,475) |
RSD615,000 ($10,035) |
RSD500,000 ($8,158) |
 Spain |
Gilbert de Tarragona (June, 2007) |
€600,000 ($857,700, then worth $800,000) |
€240,000 ($343,080, then worth $320,000) |
€1,500 ($2,144, then worth $2,000) |
 Tunisia |
(Unknown) (October 22, 2007) |
TND1,000,000 ($797,130) |
unknown | TND500,000 ($398,565) |
 United Kingdom |
Laura Pearce (January 7, 2007) |
£250,000 ($512,826, then worth $480,769) |
£45,000 ($92,309, then worth $86,538) |
£3,000 ($6154, then worth $5,769) |
| Alice Mundy (March 12, 2009) |
£250,000 |
£17,500 Alice initially dealt at £17,500 but was offered the Banker's Gamble when the 1p and £250,000 were remaining. She accepted the gamble, going back into live play. She was then offered the swap - she declined and won £250,000. |
1p | |
 United States (primetime version) |
Jessica Robinson (September 1, 2008) |
$1,000,000 | $561,000 | $200,000 |
| Tomorrow Rodriguez (October 29, 2008) |
$1,000,000 | $677,000 | $300 and 2x $1,000,000 | |
| US syndicated version |
[edit] Antecedents
- It's in the Bag, New Zealand radio game show begun in the 1950s and later adapted for television (1970s-90s), which had a similar format
- The Bong Game, created by Capital FM in the 1980s, also tested contestants by offering them increasing returns in tandem with increasing risk.
- Let's Make a Deal, a long-running game show involving contestants deciding whether or not take offers based on what may or may not be behind a curtain/door or inside a box.
- Treasure Hunt (US game show), a 1970s and 1980s Chuck Barris game show similar in concept to Deal or No Deal
- Take Your Pick offered contestants the choice of taking a money offer or risking opening a box.
- Win Ben Stein's Money pitted contestants against an in-house adversary.
- Trato Hecho an Argentine show featuring a similar format which predated Deal or no Deal by several years.
[edit] Variations
[edit] South Korea
A variation of "Deal or No Deal" was embedded in a variety show called Idol World. Super Junior-T played the game and there were only 10 cases, the prize goes from ₩10 (about 1¢ US and ¥1, less than €0.01, 1p, and 1¢ AU) to ₩1,000,000 (about US$1,073, €723, £521, AU$965, and ¥116,000). See Yes or No.
[edit] Taiwan
Taiwan Television Enterprise (TTV) has a variation of "Deal or No Deal" embedded within its Saturday night weekly variety show hosted by popular TV host and one time recording artist Jacky Wu. The portion involved 16 boxes wherein celebrity contestants will play for NT$1.5 million top prize (about US$46,000, €32,000, £22,000, AU$49,000 and ¥5,280,000), in denominations starting from NT$1.00 (about 3¢ US, €0.02, 1p, 3¢ AU and ¥3). In this game though, Wu the TV host, also acted as a banker. He would randomly come up with an amount when the choice of boxes become fewer. Contestants however have to win a talent portion of the show before playing this game.[citation needed]
Even when they don't make $100,000,000, the lucky ones usually get a $200,000 grant for making a record on the show.[citation needed]
[edit] Video games
- Innovative Concepts in Entertainment developed and currently sells an arcade redemption adaptation of the show, replacing prize money with redemption tickets. [5]
- The U.K. version of Deal or No Deal was converted into a mobile game by Gameloft and featured the same rules and format as the tv show. The game was so well-received that versions of it were developed for other countries as well.[6] Its international success landed it on the top-sellers list for some time.[7]
- Almost all major formats of the game were converted into games for various gaming consoles, the PC, Macromedia Flash, and even a dedicated handheld made in China.
[edit] See also
[edit] Online versions
- Officially licensed game of Deal or No Deal (UK Version)
- NBC game
- Official United Kingdom Deal Or No Deal website
- Official Quebec Le Banquier (Deal or No Deal) website
- Official Italy Affari Tuoi (Deal Or No Deal) Website
- Official German Deal Or No Deal website
[edit] References
- ^ . An example of this was in the Australian version, where a player selected the four top prizes in order for elimination (Case 1, 200k A$, case 2 100k, case 75k, case 4 50k) in his first round, and it was considered so unlucky that the banker offered him 10 cents (Which is below the 50 cent monkey in the Australian version) Formula for offers in the NBC online version of Deal or No Deal from the personal website of a former physics and finance student
- ^ Post, Van den Assem, Baltussen, and Thaler (March 2008). Deal or No Deal? Decision Making Under Risk in a Large-payoff Game Show. http://ssrn.com/abstract=636508.
- ^ Baltussen, Post, and Van den Assem (December 2007). Risky Choice and the Relative Size of Stakes. http://ssrn.com/abstract=989242.
- ^ Economists Learn from Game Show 'Deal or No Deal' from the NPR website
- ^ [1]
- ^ "Top 50 Mobile Game Downloads in the UK". 2007-1-27. Mobicritic.com. Retrieved 2008-11-06.
- ^ "Non-Stop International Success for Gameloft's 'Deal or No Deal'. 2008-4-07. FindLaw.com. Retrieved 2008-11-06.
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