Powerball Instant Millionaire

Powerball Instant Millionaire is a lottery-based game show that aired from October 5, 2002 to September 2004 in some of the jurisdictions that offered the Powerball game. Todd Newton was the host.

The show was taped at the Venetian Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip

Format

Crazy Eights

A money line began at $4,444 and eighteen random cards were dealt. Each player began with $1,000. The object was to select a card (numbered 1-18) that raised one of the four suits (clubs, spades, diamonds, or hearts). Doing so added $100 to their score and gave them the option to pick another card or pass control to the player to their left. Whenever an 8 was selected, the suit would be locked off and could never come down. Selecting a card that did not raise a suit or a card from a locked off suit would incur a strike. Three strikes eliminated a player. The last player left in the game or the player who found the last "8" won the game and the amount in the money line, or their score, whichever was greater. All players kept what they won.

High Rollers

Twenty pairs of dice (one each of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12, as well as ten 7's) were hidden behind twenty numbered chips. Each player began with $1,000. The object was to select a chip (numbered 1-20) and "roll" a number other than a 7. A successful pick adds $1,000 and the value of the dice (if the total of the dice is 6, it added $1,006 to the pot) to a jackpot that started at $1,000, and gave the player the option to "roll" again or pass control to the player to their left. "Rolling" a seven incurred a strike. Three strikes eliminated a player. The last player left in the game or the player bringing the last two digits of the money line to 40 or higher won the game and the money (which could theoretically have grown to $9,051). All players kept what they won.

Quick Pick/Quick Draw

The remaining players were given spheres, one of which had a red Powerball in it. On the announcer's command, the players opened their spheres. Whoever possessed the red Powerball got to play the semifinal game against the winners of Crazy Eights and High Rollers.

In season 2, each of the eight players remaining selects two cards from an "electronic deck" (they are shown as images on the monitors in front of the players) to make a blackjack-type hand (this is done off-camera, during the commercial break that follows the "High Rollers" game). Then, before the show returns from the break, one card from each player's hand is revealed and the players are then re-seated in left-to-right order from lowest revealed card to highest revealed card.

The next segment of the show is started with the camera panning the row of seated players, each of which has one face-up and one face-down card. Then, starting with the player on the left, each player's face-down card is revealed and their card scores are announced. (Aces are worth 11, face cards are worth 10, and the other cards are worth their face value.)

The player getting the highest-valued hand wins. Should two or more of the players tie, they go to a single "tie-breaker" card that each player also selected during the commercial break, with the highest-ranked card winning here (thus, a King beats a Jack in this part of the game).

Unlike regular blackjack, if a player gets two Aces, it counts as 22 and automatically wins for the player unless another player ties him.

One For the Money

Five red Powerballs were randomly hidden behind one of thirteen balls (numbered 1-13). The player who won the most selected first. Each selection was either a Powerball or a strike. Selecting a Powerball gave the player the option of finding another Powerball or passing control to the player to their left. Selecting a strike incurred a strike. Three strikes eliminated a player. The last player left in the game or the player who found the last red Powerball won the game, $1,000, and advanced to the bonus round.

Bonus Round

The winning contestant played the bonus round, called "Instant Millionaire". Behind each of the letters in the word "POWERBALL" were seven dollar signs and two "X"s. The player selected one of the letters. Each time a letter revealed a dollar sign, their money doubled. Revealing all seven dollar signs before revealing an "X" would win $1,000,000, paid in a lump sum. If an "X" was uncovered, the $1,000,000 would be taken out of play, but the player could still win $128,000 by uncovering any remaining dollar signs. After a dollar sign was uncovered, the player had the option of quitting with what they had won, or risk half of their money by continuing, knowing that if they found the second "X", their winnings would be cut in half. If the player found the two "X"s on the first two picks, the player would be awarded $100,000. Four players won the $1,000,000 in the show's two seasons.

Cancellation

Due to slumping sales with the scratchcard and low ratings for the show, the show was canceled.

External links

• Official website of the Multi State Lottery Association