I love Deal or No Deal, God knows I shouldn’t but there is just something about this harmlessly bonkers yet simple programme that I find so addictive. The premise of the show is that the contestants pick a numbered box at random and in those boxes are monetary amounts ranging from the dreaded 1p to the grand prize of £250,000. One of these contestants will then be selected to play the game. The contestant will then eliminate boxes of their choice once they select a box someone will open it and reveal what amount was inside it with the contestant hoping it was a small amount knowing that the smaller the amount they are eliminating the better the chance they have a big amount in their box and, usually after three boxes have been eliminated a banker will phone the contestant and, speaking through the host Noel Edmonds will make an offer for their box. This is another reason for getting rid of the smaller amounts as that increases the chance of getting a good offer from the banker. The contestant is then asked “deal or no deal?” If the contestant deals they will go away with the cash offered if they do not deal then they continue. This can continue until the only box left is the one the contestant selected at random earlier.
The game is simple and this is my theory on how to win it.
1) Be mad. The contestants, all of whom I am sure are lovely people, are mad as bicycle clips so the only way to just survive the show will be if you are just as bonkers.
2) Never, ever say how much you will be happy with winning. That just lets the banker know how you want and will immediately put the ball in his court. His offers will just be around teh amount you want without really giving you that magic number.
3) Remember the amounts are all placed in the boxes at random. So it doesn’t matter if you select all even numbers first or have lucky numbers or are suspicious of prime numbers you have the same chance of picking a box with a high figure as one with a low figure.
4) Ignore what the other contestants say when you ask them whether or not you should accept the banker’s offer. They will always tell you to reject the offer by banging on about how you could always get an increased offer. Don’t forget rule 3. In your next go you have just as good a chance of selecting the boxes with £250,000, £75,000 and £50,000 as you have of picking the boxes with 1p, 10p, and 50p.
5) Before you decide to reject an offer from the banker. Just think what would be a good deposit for a house. Therefore if you are offered £12,000 just think that is a lot of money.
6) When Deal or No Deal starts to play the sad piano music towards the end they are trying to make you think you are about to receive important advice from your fellow contestants. Remember. The advice you are about to receive is probably garbage.
7) Noel Edmonds’ groovy shirts are only there to distract you. Do not look at them.
8) The drink they give you when you commence the game is in the biggest cup known to man. Don’t forget to go to the toilet before you are on set.
9) It is a game of chance. Feelings about boxes mean nothing. Just because you get a positive aura around box 12 will not mean 1p will appear magically within it.
10) Finally, remember if you get on the show it is your one chance to be on there but that also means that this will be your one chance to get an awful lot of money without answering any awkward questions. So don’t go on regardless. When you are offered a lot of money it is okay to say “yes, thank-
