Card Sharks

Broadcast History: April 24, 1978 to October 23, 1981, 10:00 A.M. - 10:30 A.M., 12:00 P.M. - 12:30 P.M., NBC Daytime; January 6, 1986 to March 31, 1989, 10:30 A.M. - 11:00 A.M., CBS Daytime; September 1986 to September 1987, Five-a-week Syndication

Main Game: Two players competed. In games one and two, five cards are dealt out. Four survey questions are asked. In the tie-breaker, there were three questions and three cards. The host reads a question (100 people: Are you married? How many people said yes?). (On the CBS run, ten people with something in common were selected to be in the audience and questions about them would be asked. After the reveal, Bob Eubanks would often ask which ones were involved or were not involved. As well, there was also an "Educated Guess" question that would usually be asked once every show.) The first person has to predict how many people said yes. The other player has to guess higher or lower. Whoever was right got control of the cards. They then got the first look at their cards. By winning the question, they can opt to change their base card. But they could only change the base card once. They then have to guess if the next card was higher or lower. If they were right, they continued. If they were wrong (either a double or going the wrong way), the other person got to look at their cards but could not change the card. If either player came on a bad card, they could "Freeze" and protect their position. First player to reach the end of the board won $100. Two games won the match. If a game goes to sudden death, whoever got control had the option to play or pass. If they pass, their opponent could not change the card. If a call was right, they continued. If they made one miss, the game was over and the other player won.

End Game: At the Money Cards, there were seven cards. Contestants started with $200 and three cards on the bottom level. At the second level, they got another $200 ($400 on CBS) and three more cards. Minimum bets were $50 except the "Big Bet" where they must risk half. They had the potential to win $28,800 in one play of the Money Cards. ($32,000 on CBS.) (NOTE: NBC had a prize limit of $100,000 in the late 1970s and early 1980s while CBS had a limit of $75,000 and later on $100,000.) Also on the CBS version during the time the first car game was played for a year and a half, the contestant earned one Joker for free and had to earn two more. If at any time a Joker turned up in the Money Cards, that card is exchanged for another one off the top of the deck. Earning a Joker gave the contestant at least another chance at winning a car. (On the Kids' Week specials, the contestant got two Jokers for free and had an opportunity to win one more. However, they did not play for a car; they played for a trip for four to Hawaii.)

Car Game: In the first incarnation of the car game, the contestant had to place a Joker (or Jokers) in front of one of seven numbered cards. Six of those cards had the word "No" and the other one had "Car". If the card with the Joker says "Car", he/she wins the car. If not, they did not win the car but keeps playing on unless he/she has played a maximum of five times.) In the second version, a board numbered from "0" to "10" was shown and a question is asked to the 10 people in the auidence who were selected for the show. The contestant has to position the "diamond" on a number from 0 to 10. If he/she is right on the nose, he/she wins a car. If he/she is off by one either way, he/she wins $500. But if he/she is off beyond one, he/she gets nothing but keeps the money and/or prizes won to that point. (On the Kids' specials, the word "Car" was replaced with either "Win!" or "Hawaii".)

INTERESTING FACTS AND TRIVIA

During the fall of 1980 and the spring of 1981, celebrities played three weeks of tournament play with a $25,000 top prize for their favorite charity.

Also during the fall of 1980, a $500 bonus was added in which a player could guess the poll question exactly right. Also, if they got a double in the money cards, it was considered a push and they did not lose any money. Also, in the spring of 1981, a $500 bonus was added in which a player could run the board without freezing. (NOTE: The run-the-board bonus was not used in the CBS version.)

Jim Perry hosted several Canadian game shows, one of which was Definition (CTV, 1974-89). Later, he hosted Sale of the Century (NBC/Syn., 1983-89). He's been retired since 1989 and has taken up writing books.

Bob Eubanks hosted several shows before Card Sharks. They include Dream House (NBC, 1983-84), The Newlywed Game (ABC/Syn., 1966-74, 1977-80, 1985-88, 1997-98), and Rhyme and Reason (ABC, 1975-76).

Card Sharks debuted on NBC on the same day as the second version of Heatter/Quigley's High Rollers with Alex Trebek who, oddly enough, played Card Sharks for charity in the fall of 1980, about three months after High Rollers was canceled.

Card Sharks was Jay Stewart's only Goodson/Todman announcing job. Previously, he helmed several Barry/Enright games as well as The Cross-Wits (Syn., 1975-80) and Let's Make a Deal (NBC/ABC/Syn., 1963-77) (On LMAD, he was often seen either with Monty Hall or in a zonk), and Sale of the Century (NBC/Syn. 1983-88), Scrabble (NBC, 1984-88), and Blackout (CBS, 1988) afterwards. He died in September 1989.

In the 1978 pilot, the tie-breaker had four cards and three questions as opposed to three cards and three questions in the entire NBC run and for two years on the CBS run. Starting in around June 1988 on the CBS run, the tie-breaker had three cards and one question.

Home Games: One. Go to the Game Show Home Game Home Page for details.

Episode Existence: All episodes exist. Currently, GSN is running Jim Perry's version at 2:00 P.M. ET/PT on weekdays, Bob Eubanks' version at 2:30 P.M. ET/PT on weekdays and Bill Rafferty's version every weekend at 9:00 and 9:30 A.M. ET/PT.

My Take: I think that on the CBS version, any contestant who retired undefeated should have automatically received a car as they did on Split Second.

If anyone has more information on Card Sharks, e-mail me here.

Card Sharks is ©1978-2002 Mark Goodson/Bill Todman Productions/Fremantle Media Television. No challenge to ownership is implied.