History Series / Gambit

Martindale returned as host of the successor series, ''Las Vegas Gambit'', on Creator/{{NBC}} in 1980-81 (following a 1979 pilot). A decade later, Bob Eubanks was the host of a ''Gambit'' pilot for Creator/{{ABC}} in 1990, with solo contestants and a different question format; ABC rejected it in favor of a ''Series/MatchGame'' revival. GSN attempted a revival in 2002 with three solo players and Ron Pearson as host under the name ''[[http://www.usgameshows.net/x.php?show=Casino Casino]]'', but turned it down for ''Series/{{Cram}}'' and ''Series/FriendOrFoe''.

** Also applied to a period where "Half-Checks" were used: "$5", "$1,", "$2,5", "$5,", and "$10," spaces were on the board plus the relevant zeros. When two were paired together, the couple would win the money if they didn't bust. Non-zero spaces could also carry over to subsequent games if they didn't bust.

Creator/MerrillHeatter-Bob Quigley GameShow which premiered on Creator/{{CBS}} in 1972, on the same day as ''Series/TheJokersWild'' and ''Series/ThePriceIsRight''. Two couples played blackjack while answering knowledge questions asked by host Wink Martindale. Very few episodes are known to have survived.

With some slight tweaks, the essence of the ''Casino'' format finally made it to Creator/GameShowNetwork from 2008-11 as ''Catch 21''. The show was hosted by Creator/AlfonsoRibeiro and marked the return of not only ''Gambit'', but Heatter, who had not gotten a game on the air since ''The Last Word'' ended 18 years earlier. Game Show Network announced a 2019 revival, again hosted by Ribeiro with Whitney Carson as the dealer.

* HistoryRepeats: Alfonso later went onto host ''Series/AmericasFunniestHomeVideos''- the previous host, Creator/TomBergeron, had also hosted a revival of a Heatter-Quigley game show (''Series/TheHollywoodSquares'').

** Round 3 of ''Catch 21''. The first two rounds were played with ScoringPoints, at 100 per question and 500 for winning the hand. The third round wiped the scores of the last two players, and the winner of that hand (no ScoringPoints here) won the game. A player could get totally [[CurbStompBattle curb-stomped]] in the first two rounds, but as long as their other opponent got curb-stomped worse (100 points vs. no points at all, for example), the guy who barely survived to Round 3 could win with one correct answer at just the right time.

[[quoteright:160:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/DzlItem521.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:160:Doesn't that jack of hearts remind you of [[WesternAnimation/WackyRaces Dick Dastardly]]?]]

With some slight tweaks, the essence of the ''Casino'' format finally made it to Creator/{{GSN}} from 2008-11 as ''Catch 21''. The show was hosted by Creator/AlfonsoRibeiro and marked the return of not only ''Gambit'', but Heatter, who had not gotten a game on the air since ''The Last Word'' ended 18 years earlier. [=GSN=] announced a 2019 revival, again hosted by Ribeiro with Whitney Carson as the dealer.

!!GameShowTropes in use:

* Personnel:
** TheAnnouncer: [[Series/TheHollywoodSquares Kenny Williams]] on the CBS and NBC runs, and [[Series/{{Pyramid}} John]] [[Series/BrainSurge Cramer]] for the 1990 pilot; ''Casino'' and ''Catch 21'' didn't have one.
** GameShowHost: [[Series/TicTacDough Wink]] [[Series/{{Debt}} Martindale]] on the CBS and NBC runs, [[Series/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir Alfonso]] [[Series/AmericasFunniestHomeVideos Ribeiro]] for the GSN era. [[Series/TheNewlywedGame Bob]] [[Series/CardSharks Eubanks]] hosted the 1990 ABC pilot, and [[Series/ShoppingSpree Ron Pearson]] emceed the ''Casino'' attempt.
** LovelyAssistant: Elaine Stewart (Mrs. Merrill Heatter) on the CBS run, Beverly Malden and later [[Series/SaleOfTheCentury Lee Menning]] on the NBC run, Mikki Padilla on the original ''Catch 21'', Witney Carson (aka Alfonso's dance partner on Season 19 of ''Series/DancingWithTheStars'') in the 2019 revival. Susie Fawcett held the role in the 1990 pilot, and it was Tanya Memme for ''Casino''.
** StudioAudience
* ProgressiveJackpot:
** As stated, the Gambit Jackpot--get a 21 in the front game, get $500 plus $500 for every show (every match on ''Las Vegas'') not won. This was also picked up in the endgame when the Gambit Board was in use.
** For the Big Numbers/''High Rollers'' endgame, the ''Gambit Galaxy'' would be the top prize- $5,000 plus lots of prizes (growing every day).
* {{Whammy}}:
** Going over 21 meant you automatically lost the game/match, and at the Gambit Board, meant you forfeited whatever prizes you had picked up.
** In the "Gambit 6-Ball" endgame, there were two "Dead holes" that made you lose a ball.
** In the "Gambit Galaxy" endgame, making a bad roll without an insurance marker.
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!!Tropes:
* ActorAllusion: In one episode of ''Catch 21'', a contestant (a wedding planner) talks about an incident where she accidentally caused the bride and her father to trip down the aisle during a wedding. Alfonso jokes that it sounds like good material for "[[Series/AmericasFunniestHomeVideos [his] other show]]".
* CelebrityEdition: One episode of ''Catch 21'' featured a reunion of Alfonso's co-stars from ''Series/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir'' -- James Avery, Tatiana Ali, and Karyn Parsons -- as contestants.
* CheatersNeverProsper: The finale of ''Las Vegas Gambit'' had a couple who tried to take advantage of Wink failing to hear their answer to the question "From what direction do the east winds blow?" They initially responded "west to east", after which Wink asked them to repeat the answer; the couple, knowing they had given the wrong answer, tried to take advantage by changing their answer--however, the judge ''did'' hear the original response and signaled to Wink, who immediately ordered them — not too kindly — to "say what you said", to which the couple did. (Fortunately for this team, their mess-up came at the start of the game in which this occurred.)
* FailureIsTheOnlyOption: During an episode of the GSN era, one contestant was caught between a rock and a hard place in Round 2 — Player 3 froze with a 20, making 21 the winning score. The middle player had 19 and the first player had 16. The middle player drew a 5 and had two choices — bust himself, eliminating himself from the round and holding out a hope that Player 1 busted as well, or give the 5 to Player 1 so his 16 becomes 21. Player 2 busted himself and Player 1 wound up getting a 5 '''anyway''', getting 21 and eliminating Player 2 from the game. Poor guy had no chance.

* LargeHam: Alfonso Ribeiro was ridiculously hammy.

** Originally, Las Vegas Gambit started with an 18-square Gambit Board, where hitting 21 won $5,000 plus the prizes and jackpot. Around May or June 1981, this was changed to the ''Gambit Galaxy'' [[note]]a renamed Big Numbers, the ''Series/HighRollers'' bonus round[[/note]]. The objective was to, through rolls of two dice, remove the numbers 1-9 from a gameboard; successfully doing so won the Gambit Galaxy (an accruing prize package), while a bad roll — a number that couldn't be removed from the board — ended the game with [[ConsolationPrize $100/number]]. Rolling doubles awarded an insurance marker; if the couple hit a bad roll, they could turn it in and keep playing.

* HistoryRepeats: Alfonso later went onto host ''Series/AmericasFunniestHomeVideos''- the previous host, Tom Bergeron, had also hosted a revival of a Heatter-Quigley game show (''Series/TheHollywoodSquares'').

* ObviousRulePatch: On ''Gambit'', couples that had cards given to them could immediate freeze despite not winning the immediate question beforehand. On ''Catch 21'', barring hands of 21, players could only freeze after winning a question and taking the immediate next card.

With some slight tweaks, the essence of the ''Casino'' format finally made it to Creator/{{GSN}} from 2008-11 as ''Catch 21''. The show was hosted by [[Series/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir Alfonso Ribeiro]] and marked the return of not only ''Gambit'', but Heatter, who had not gotten a game on the air since ''The Last Word'' ended 18 years earlier. [=GSN=] announced a 2019 revival, again hosted by Ribeiro with Whitney Carson as the dealer.

** Also applied to a period where "Half-Checks" were used: "$5", "$1,", "$2,5", "$5,", and "$10," spaces were on the board plus the relevant zeros. When two were paired together, the couple would win the money if they didn't bust. Non-zero spaces could also carry over to subsiquent games if they didn't bust.

** LovelyAssistant: Elaine Stewart (Mrs. Merrill Heatter) on the CBS run, Beverly Malden and later [[Series/SaleOfTheCentury Lee Menning]] on the NBC run, Mikki Padilla on the original ''Catch 21'', Witney Carson in the 2019 revival. Susie Fawcett held the role in the 1990 pilot, and it was Tanya Memme for ''Casino''.

* LongRunner: The GSN era ran four seasons, a rarity for them — most of their games tend to stop at two seasons.

* VivaLasVegas: ''Las Vegas Gambit'' was taped at the Tropicana Hotel.

** LovelyAssistant: Elaine Stewart (Mrs. Merrill Heatter) on the CBS run, Beverly Malden and later [[Series/SaleOfTheCentury Lee Menning]] on the NBC run, Mikki Padilla on ''Catch 21''. Susie Fawcett held the role in the 1990 pilot, and it was Tanya Memme for ''Casino''.

** The front game of any version counts--since only the first card of each game was shown, winning a question meant having to choose between taking a card of random value or giving it to the opponent. Taking the card is only safe if the couple has a score of 11 or lower (12 or greater had a possibility of busting); giving the card away gave the opposing couple a chance at a good hand (which could immediately be frozen)

With some slight tweaks, the essence of the ''Casino'' format finally made it to Creator/{{GSN}} from 2008-11 as ''Catch 21''. The show was hosted by [[Series/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir Alfonso Ribeiro]] and marked the return of not only ''Gambit'', but Heatter, who had not gotten a game on the air since ''The Last Word'' ended 18 years earlier.

Martindale returned as host of the successor series, ''Las Vegas Gambit'', on Creator/{{NBC}} in 1980-81 (following a 1979 pilot). A decade later, Bob Eubanks was the host of a ''Gambit'' pilot for Creator/{{ABC}} in 1990, with solo contestants and a different question format; ABC rejected it in favor of a ''Series/MatchGame'' revival. GSN attempted a revival in 2002 with three solo players and Ron Pearson as host under the name ''[[http://www.usgameshows.net/x.php?show=Casino Casino]]'', but turned it down for ''Series/{{Cram}}'' and ''Series/FriendOrFoe?''

Also applied to a period where "Half-Checks" were used: "$5", "$1,", "$2,5", "$5,", and "$10," spaces were on the board plus the relevant zeros. When two were paired together, the couple would win the money if they didn't bust. Non-zero spaces could also carry over to subsiquent games if they didn't bust.

** The Gambit Board, where the winning couple picked numbers for prizes or cash, and was given a card after each pick. The couple could stop whenever they wished, as going over 21 would forfeit the prizes they had uncovered, but hitting 21 in any way won a growing cash jackpot plus a new car (on the original series) or $5,000 cash (on ''Las Vegas Gambit''). This format was used for the entire CBS run and the first five months or so of the ''Las Vegas Gambit'' version (though for that version, the board had three numbers eliminated).

** Around May or June 1981, this was changed to the ''Gambit Galaxy'' [[note]]a renamed Big Numbers, the ''Series/HighRollers'' bonus round[[/note]]. The objective was to, through rolls of two dice, remove the numbers 1-9 from a gameboard; successfully doing so won the Gambit Galaxy (an accruing prize package), while a bad roll — a number that couldn't be removed from the board — ended the game with [[ConsolationPrize $100 given for each number that had been eliminated]]. Rolling doubles awarded an insurance marker; if the couple hit a bad roll, they could turn it in and keep playing.

** The Gambit Board often included hidden spaces that gave the players a chance to win extra money in different ways, as long as they didn't bust.
** Beginning in Summer 1975, the show instituted a special rule where any couple who hit a two-card 21 at any time won a $10,000 bonus.

** A score of 21 was an instant win, awarding the Gambit Jackpot (see below)

** For the Big Numbers/''High Rollers'' endgame, the ''Gambit Galaxy'' would be the top prize- $5,000 in cash, plus lots of prizes (growing every day).

* ProgressiveJackpot: As stated, the Gambit Jackpot- get a 21 in the front game, get $500 plus $500 for every show (every game on ''Las Vegas'') not won. This was also picked up in the endgame when the Gambit Board was in use.

* {{Whammy}}: Going over 21 meant you automatically lost the game/match, and at the Gambit Board, meant you forfeited whatever prizes you had picked up. In the "Gambit 6-Ball" endgame, there were two "Dead holes" that made you lose a ball; for the "Gambit Galaxy" endgame, making a bad roll without an insurance marker.