Line #66 Series/CardSharks


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/card_sharks_2019_logo.png]]
2
3	->"Ace is high, deuce is low, call it right, and win the dough, on... ''Card Sharks''!"
4	-->General opening spiel for the NBC version, as read by '''Gene Wood'''
5
6	''Change it! Higher! Lower! Freeze!''
7
8	A popular GameShow from the 1970s and 1980s. ''Card Sharks'', yet another game from the minds of Creator/MarkGoodson and Bill Todman, was played with two contestants and two decks of cards.
9
10	Alternating each round, one player answers a survey question asked of 100 people (think ''Series/FamilyFeud'') by guessing how many people actually gave a particular answer. The other contestant guesses whether the actual number is higher or lower than the first contestant's response. Whoever is right gets first crack at their deck of cards.
11
12	When controlling their cards, the player must successfully predict whether the next card is higher or lower (aces are high). Whoever gets four cards called correctly first wins the round: the first player to win two rounds wins the game. If the prediction is wrong ([[LuckBasedMission or it's the same card value]]), all progress is lost and the opponent has a chance to play their deck. Players can also freeze after any correct guess, keeping their progress and preventing their opponents from playing themselves. One last option is to replace their starting card with the top one from their deck, but only if the player hasn't called higher or lower yet and only if they were right on the survey question.
13
14	If neither player has won after three questions, the fourth question, called [[TiebreakerRound Sudden Death]], changes the rules: Whoever wins the question can choose who plays, for whoever fails on predicting automatically loses, and freezing is disallowed.
15
16	The first version ran from 1978 to 1981 on Creator/{{NBC}} hosted by [[Series/SaleOfTheCentury Jim Perry]] and directed by Creator/PaulAlter, followed by a Creator/{{CBS}} revival from 1986 to 1989 hosted by [[Series/TheNewlywedGame Bob Eubanks]] (with a syndicated nighttime version running concurrently in the 1986-87 season, hosted by [[Series/{{Blockbusters}} Bill Rafferty]]). [[Series/LoveConnection Pat Bullard]] helmed a 2001 revival which lasted only 13 weeks.
17
18	Served as the fifth episode, and the first part of the semifinals, on ''Game$how Marathon'' in 2006, hosted by Ricki Lake. Though the series aired on CBS (where Bob Eubanks' version had aired 20 years prior), the focus was on the 1978-81 NBC edition. A higher-stakes primetime revival aired on Creator/{{ABC}} from 2019 to 2021 with Joel [=McHale=] as host, being modeled primarily upon the original Jim Perry version in terms of format.
19
20	Brits got several years' worth of a TransatlanticEquivalent titled ''Play Your Cards Right'' on Creator/{{ITV}}, which had Creator/BruceForsyth at the helm. Among other changes, this edition saw couples playing against each other.
21	----
22
23	!!This show provides examples of:
24	* AllOrNothing: The bonus round allows players to invoke this trope at any time to double their winnings or go broke. Very high or low cards will usually have this trope in play.
25	* TheAnnouncer: Gene Wood, mostly. Johnny Olson (who announced the pilots) filled in at times on the Perry version, as did Jay Stewart (which was his only work for Goodson-Todman); Bob Hilton was the main sub on the Eubanks and Rafferty versions (and also briefly filled in on the Perry version in 1980), and Gary Kroeger handled announcing duties on the 2001 version. The ''Game$how Marathon'' edition was voiced by Rich Fields. Donna Jay Fulks announces the ABC revival.
26	* BigWinSirens: The Eubanks and Rafferty versions used the ones from ''Series/ThePriceIsRight'' whenever a car was won...sped up to about twice as fast.
27	* BonusRound: The Money Cards takes the same premise as the card portion of the main game, but adds an element of gambling. Starting with $200, the player faces three rows of cards, three on the bottom and middle, one on the top. They must wager at least $50 per card until either the final bet, the Big Bet, is played (the player must wager at least half of their total), or the contestant loses all of their money. The Perry run had $200 on each row for a maximum of $28,800, and the player could only change the first card in each row. The Eubanks/Rafferty run doubled the middle row for a maximum of $32,000. Originally, the player could change any card they wanted, later changed to once per row; in either case, three spare cards were provided. In the 2001 version, the middle row only had two cards (turning it into a pyramid), and each row had $700 tagged to it; the Big Bet was also renamed the Major Wager for this version, and the maximum was $51,800. The 2019 revival instead has the Money Cards as a single row of seven cards, allowing one card change, with no additional money added. The player bets using the $10,000 they won in the main game, and once they reach the final card, they can either walk away with their winnings or go for the Big Bet, with a potential maximum of $640,000.
28	** Starting in September 1986, the winning contestant had an opportunity to win a car after playing the Money Cards. For winning the match, a contestant had a joker which he could place among seven cards, one being the winner. Three additional Jokers were hidden in the deck, meaning a contestant can have up to four chances to win the car. Late in the run, it was changed to a 10-person survey, and the contestant had to guess the exact number to win the car. Being off by one gave the contestant $500.
29	*** For Young Peoples' Weeks, the car game instead offered a trip to Hawaii (or for the '87 Christmas week a prize package including a trip to Hawaii), and players were given two Jokers; when it switched to the 10-person poll, being one away from the number selected also won.
30	* BonusSpace:
31	** Prize cards on the Rafferty version.
32	** Beginning in the later days of the NBC run, a $500 bonus was added for an exact guess on any question or running the board.
33	** The CBS version kept the $500 bonus for an exact guess on a normal or educated guess question, though eliminated the bonus for running the board. An exact guess on an audience poll group question was worth $100 to the player and the group of 10 earned $10 each.
34	* CardGames: It's basically Acey-Deucey; each player has his or her own deck to use (except in the 2001 revival).
35	* CatchPhrase: From the British version, with the standard Creator/BruceForsyth call and response:
36	** "It's nice to see you, to see you... ''nice!''"
37	** "What do points make?" ''Prizes!''
38	*** "What do pounds make?" ''Rich people!''
39	** "You don't get anything for a pair - ''not in this game!''"
40	** "It's not too late, it could still be a big night if you Play Your Cards Right."
41	* ColorCodedMultiplayer:
42	** The champion played the red cards while his/her challenger played the blue cards.
43	** The 2019 version, which didn't have returning champions, seemed to subtly play this trope in a different way. Players seemed to get matched with the deck of cards that better resembled the color of the top of their outfit.
44	* CompanionCube: The sliding holder that held the question cards on the Perry version was often called "[=G2-T2=]", as a double ShoutOut to '''G'''oodson-'''T'''odman and [[Franchise/StarWars R2-D2]]. It was actually ''called'' R2-D2 in the first few episodes before Perry decided to change its name.
45	* CouchGag: The random two-liner poems which made up the OpeningNarration, which were sent in by viewers.
46	* {{Crossover}}: Ray Combs [[https://youtu.be/xKcD7AJflzA appeared]] on the June 6, 1988 episode of the Eubanks run to promote his then-upcoming revival of ''Series/FamilyFeud''.
47	* DistractedByTheSexy: Terry, a male contestant on Eubanks' version, fell into this watching the hostesses deal the cards just before a tiebreaker.
48	-->'''Eubanks:''' What you saw was three cards and four legs.
49	* DownerEnding: Any time a contestant goes all-in on [[NonstandardGameOver the second row]] or the Big Bet, and loses. Even worse during the "doubles lose" era.
50	* EarlyBirdCameo: Bob Eubanks [[https://youtu.be/yXnxtCrsYCs appeared]] on the January 5, 1979 episode of the Perry run to promote his then-upcoming show ''All Star Secrets''.
51	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness:
52	** '''NBC version''': Jim Perry explaining that the champion played "the top cards, the red cards," and the challenger played "the lower cards, the blue cards." It wasn't until almost the end of 1978 that this was dropped, and Perry would only use it again when two new players (following the retirement of an undefeated champion) played or it was a celebrity or Teen Week (when new players played each game). Additionally, the opening spiel was standard ("Ace is high/deuce is low/play them right/and win the dough"), but before long viewers were invited to send in their own poems (for which Perry would acknowledge in the opening). In the Money Cards bonus round, during the first season, the contestant could only change the very first card on the first $200 line, and whatever card was at the end of the first $200 line (provided the contestant didn't bust before reaching the end) and moved up to the start of the second $200 line couldn't be changed, nor could they change their Big Bet card. If the following card was identical to the previous one (e.g., a contestant had an ace and wagered that the next card was lower, but it turned out to be another ace), a "push" situation was counted as a loss. This changed with the October 20, 1980 episode where a "push" situation in the Money Cards resulted in the contestant not losing their wager.
53	** '''CBS version''': For the earliest weeks in 1986, Gene Wood's introduction was very simple: "From Television City in Hollywood, it's CAAARRRDDD SHARKS!!!" right before introducing the host. Also, the absence of the car game and the "10 studio audience members"/educated guess questions. Indeed, during the very earliest weeks, questions were very much along the same lines of the NBC version.
54	** '''Play Your Cards Right''': In the first series, Bruce carried a microphone and individual people played instead of couples.
55	* EpicFail:
56	** One poor contestant in the Perry era uncovered all four Jacks in the Money Cards, all of which went against the odds: The first was followed by a King, the second by an Ace, and the third by the fourth. She took the fourth Jack to the Big Bet and, now considering the Jacks bad luck, swapped it... for a 9. It was followed by ''another'' King, so she still would've lost money on it even if she hadn't swapped it out.
57	** From the British "Play Your Cards Right", just rotten luck all around for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVEIxOSfBAw this couple.]]
58	** Aziz from the series premiere of Joel's version changes a card into an eight, and bets low that the card will be lower. It's an ace, but that seems worth losing a low bet after using your ONE change in this version. However, he bets big on the Ace...and gets a Second Ace. He goes all-in on the second ace...and busts out when a THIRD STRAIGHT ACE comes out.
59	* FanRemake:
60	** A [=YouTube=] user by the name of [[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog Sonic]][[Series/PressYourLuck Whammy]] does one that he takes to various anime conventions. And he has three decks of custom physical cards for the game itself (no, sadly, you can't buy your own.)
61	** More recently, Creator/{{Greggo}} has begun his own remake of ''Play Your Cards Right'' (as to not step on [=SonicWhammy=]'s toes), beginning at [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mRre8iuc88 Zenkaikon 2017]].
62	* GameShowHost: Jim Perry hosted the original NBC version, followed by Bob Eubanks on CBS and Bill Rafferty on a concurrent syndicated run. Tom Green (no, not the comedian) hosted a very failed 1996 pilot, and Pat Bullard hosted the 2001 version. Joel [=McHale=] hosts the ABC revival.
63	* GameShowWinningsCap:
64	** The NBC version had a limit of seven matches with no cap on winnings, for a theoretical maximum of $203,000 (excluding the $500 bonuses added later in the run, detailed in BonusSpace above).
65	** The CBS version originally had a limit of five matches and $50,000, but the latter increased to $75,000 in the fall of 1986.
66	** The British ''Play Your Cards Right'', meanwhile, varied over the years- during the 1980s run, it was hamstrung (as many other game shows were) by the £6,000 winnings cap imposed by the IBA (ITV's regulatory body at the time); this was why they used points in the endgame as opposed to money (with a conversion system to allow couples to play for a car). When the show came back in the mid-90s, the IBA and their cap had been eliminated, so they were able to offer cash; the mid-90s run had a theoretical max of £17,600, which was never won (the closest was £9,500), and the 2002-03 version had a max amount of £136,000.
67	** The ABC version had a limit of $640,000, with no returning champions.
68	* GoldenSnitch: The 2001 revival used a single row of cards for both players; as such, it was possible to dump victory into the lap of an opponent who had been sitting on his hands all game, all off ''one'' bad card call.
69	* GrandFinale: The last Rafferty episode gave the final champion all four Jokers at the start of the Money Cards. After he placed the cards, Bill stated that he would reveal them right-to-left, noting he had never done this before and if production didn't like that, [[EndOfSeriesAwareness "It's the last show; fire me."]] [[note]](Throughout the episode, they had almost constantly called it the last of the ''season''. Although Rafferty slipped up near the start of the Money Cards, he evidently decided to go, "Ah, screw it.")[[/note]] [[spoiler:The car was won, hence why Bill went right to left.]]
70	* HomeGame:
71	** Softie and [=GameTek=] produced ''Card Sharks'' computer games in the late 1980s. The MS-DOS version used the same contestant sprites as ''Classic {{Series/Concentration}}''.
72	*** Not to be confused with the Platform/{{Commodore 64}} game in which one could play TabletopGame/{{poker}}, hearts, or TabletopGame/{{blackjack}} against UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan, UsefulNotes/MikhailGorbachev, or UsefulNotes/MargaretThatcher.
73	** Endless Games produced a board game in 2002 which, despite using the logo of the 2001 revival, had the CBS-era rules. A new edition, based on the 2019 revival, was released in 2020.
74	** Kevin [=DeVizia=] wrote and distributed a shareware ''Card Sharks'' game for [[Platform/AppleMacintosh Mac OS 8 and 9]], with general knowledge questions similar to Eubanks' Educated Guess questions.
75	* LosingHorns: The same mock fanfare ''Price'' used, truncated in the 1970s, but played in full in the 1980s.
76	* LovelyAssistant: The card models.
77	** The 2019 revival saw the debut of the first ever male dealer, Jerry Wolf (a Native American actor, son of actor Larry Sellers) along with Alexis Gaube (who later debuted as part of the 50th anniversary specials of ''Series/ThePriceIsRight''.)
78	* LuckBasedMission: The whole game, although counting cards is allowed (and encouraged).
79	** Getting the same card value on predicting means a loss. In the Money Cards, this was particularly painful when you got two deuces or two Aces in a row. One contestant during the NBC run got [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzmQC-l8O0I all four treys in succession.]] This eventually led to a "push" rule where getting the same card twice in a row in Money Cards resulted in no loss or gain.
80	* MythologyGag: The 2019 version's Money Cards setup is a single row of seven cards that are each loaded into frames that turn them automatically -- a ''very'' similar setup to the main game's cards on the 2001 revival. Also, chips are used in this version's Money Cards, calling to mind the "Clip Chips" from said 2001 revival.
81	* ObviousRulePatch: The "push" rule in Money Cards, as noted above. The 2001 version reverted to having a push be a loss and they've gone back-and-forth on this rule since.[[note]](The ''Game$how Marathon'' version had the push rule, the first season of the [=McHale=] revival didn't, while the second season reinstated it.)[[/note]]
82	* OpeningNarration: Quoted at the top of this page. Shortly into the NBC run, this was changed to random two-line poems submitted by viewers.
83	* {{Pilot}}:
84	** Three were taped in 1978, with a few differences from the series (different contestant podium, Johnny Olson announcing, etc.); the third was allegedly shot as a normal episode. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yAiHamteXE NBC actually used a shot from the second pilot as the show's tel-op slide]] (which would show up during technical issues).
85	** Two were taped on May 6, 1985. These featured different nametags, a different microphone for Eubanks, different main game desk, a printed-in Money Cards sign instead of popped out, and one of the dealers was Laurie Dureau instead of Lacey Pemberton.
86	** At least two were taped in 1996 for a potential syndicated revival. Every question used the Audience Poll format from the Eubanks/Rafferty versions, only one row of 10 cards was used (arranged in a pyramid fashion, for some reason), and had a shell game style bonus round with a top prize of $5,000. It failed to sell.
87	** The Bullard version also had one. It still had the Chip Clips, but had two different rounds prior to the third round, which was the NBC/CBS main game (though it still used the same Clip Chip-esque "dilemmas" in lieu of survey questions).
88	* PlayerNudge: After the “push” rule was implemented, the hosts encouraged players to bet it all for lower than an ace or higher on a deuce during the Money Cards.
89	* RecycledSoundtrack:
90	** The NBC version took its theme from the 1976 quiz show ''[[Series/DoubleDare1976 Double Dare]]'' (no relation to [[Series/DoubleDare1986 the kids' game show]]).
91	** For the 80s versions, the theme from ''Series/TheMatchGameHollywoodSquaresHour'' was recycled as a car cue, much like on ''The Price is Right'' during the era.
92	* ShoutOut: The prop that housed the question cards in the Perry run was nicknamed [[Franchise/StarWars G2-T2]].
93	* StockFootage: The opening titles for the NBC run, showing a different tiebreaker board and Money Cards logo, was lifted directly from the two March 17, 1978 pilots.
94	* StudioAudience: A group of ten people, all with something in common, were involved in certain questions during the Eubanks/Rafferty runs.
95	* TakeThat:
96	** On one episode, Bob Eubanks asked a contestant how many Catholics have gained sainthood and added, "Everyone should know this." The contestant said "Everyone but me", and Bob added "...and everyone at Goodson-Todman."
97	** On another episode, he said that ''The Diamond Head Game'' was the "biggest piece of [[SayingSoundEffectsOutLoud boop-boop]]" he'd ever done.
98	* TiebreakerRound:
99	** If neither contestant finished their row of cards before the last question, whoever got that last question right could either choose to play (and can change his/her card) or pass (the opponent must play and can't change cards); whoever plays must complete their row and one mis-guess means the opponent automatically wins.
100	** The later part of the Eubanks era had it if both contestants won one game each, the "tiebreaker round" went from three questions to just one Sudden Death one; both contestants then got to see their base card, but only the one who won the question got to determine who would play. The same above rules applied.
101	* TitleDrop: "Let's meet today's card sharks!"'
102	** Also, during the Eubanks/Rafferty versions when Gene Wood says "If you [[TransatlanticEquivalent play your cards right]], you could win a new car!"
103	* TransatlanticEquivalent: ''Play Your Cards Right'', which itself had a ForeignRemake in Australia (though outside of the name, it was mainly a clone of the Perry version). Versions have also been made in Germany, Belgium, and Brazil, among other countries.
104	* UnexpectedGameplayChange: Educated Guess questions in the Eubanks/Rafferty era.
105	* ViewerGenderConfusion: Invoked on one episode of the Rafferty run. When asked how many men said Madonna was sexy, one contestant thought she was male.
106	* WinsByDoingAbsolutelyNothing: The 2001 revival had two players calling one row of seven cards. One player could sweep the first six and get an incorrect call on the last card, giving their opponent the win.

Context Series / CardSharks