Pocket ¢hange
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Pocket ¢hange is a pricing game on the American television game show The Price Is Right. It debuted on January 10, 2005 and is played for a car.
[edit] Gameplay
The contestant is given 25 cents, which is given as the "selling" price of the car. The contestant is also shown the game board, which has spaces for the five digits in the actual price of the car, and six digits lit up in circles above.
The first digit in the price is revealed for the contestant and removed from the six above. The contestant is asked to select one of the remaining digits as the second digit in the price of the car. If they are correct, the digit is revealed in the price and removed from the six above. The contestant also receives their choice of one of 20 pouches attached to the game board, which contain various amount of change. If their guess is incorrect, however, the selling price of the car is increased by 25 cents, and they must guess again with the same consequences.
Play continues this way for each of the remaining digits in the actual price. Once the price of the car has been guessed, the contents of the contestant's pouches are revealed one at a time to see if the contestant has earned enough money to buy the car at the final selling price. If the contestant has guessed all five digits correctly without a mistake, the selling price will have remained at the initial 25 cents, and the game is automatically won.
The distribution chart for the different amounts of change, which is displayed at the bottom of the game board, is as follows:
| Amount | Frequency |
|---|---|
| .00 | 2 |
| .05 | 4 |
| .10 | 5 |
| .25 | 4 |
| .50 | 3 |
| .75 | 1 |
| 2.00 | 1 |
The highest possible selling price for the car would be $2.75, with four incorrect guesses allowed on the second number, three on the third, two on the fourth, and one on the last.
[edit] History
Pocket ¢hange was created by producer Roger Dobkowitz. [1]
In the first playing of Pocket ¢hange, the first digit was not given at the outset; the contestant had to select it from the board, just like the other four digits in the car's price. However, the contestant received an additional pouch when they guessed that first digit correctly.
The change distribution was also slightly different, as shown below:
| Amount | Frequency |
|---|---|
| .00 | 3 |
| .05 | 5 |
| .10 | 5 |
| .25 | 4 |
| .50 | 2 |
| 2.00 | 1 |
From January 17, 2005 through an unknown point before February 7, 2007, the distribution was as follows:
| Amount | Frequency |
|---|---|
| .00 | 3 |
| .05 | 3 |
| .10 | 6 |
| .25 | 4 |
| .50 | 2 |
| .75 | 1 |
| 2.00 | 1 |
