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The Game Show Forum => The Big Board => Topic started by: rjaguar3 on August 28, 2018, 02:02:17 AM

Title: Card Sharks sudden death question
Post by: rjaguar3 on August 28, 2018, 02:02:17 AM
I'm programming an equity calculator for Card Sharks, and I was wondering if anyone knows what happened if, in the main game, sudden death was reached with one player never having touched his or her cards (because the other player won the first three questions, called one card correctly each time, and froze each time). Was the player's base card revealed before a decision on who would play the cards in sudden death was made?
Title: Re: Card Sharks sudden death question
Post by: DoorNumberFour on August 28, 2018, 05:07:31 AM
Yes—if either player’s base card was unrevealed by the time Sudden Death hit, it was revealed just before the decision was made.

“Your base card...is a Jack. Sylvia’s base card...is a seven. Now you have a decision to make...”
Title: Re: Card Sharks sudden death question
Post by: JasonA1 on August 28, 2018, 11:24:07 PM
Does anyone have a link to an episode where this happens?

-Jason
Title: Re: Card Sharks sudden death question
Post by: rjaguar3 on June 17, 2019, 02:58:54 AM
For posterity's sake, it appears that, in the 2019 version, a hidden base card is not revealed until it is determined who will play sudden death. (This at least holds for when the opponent of the player with the hidden base card wins control of sudden death.)

Granted, the discussion is likely to be academic in the 2019 version because the probability of running 9 cards is so low that the correct decision is to pass regardless of what the base cards are.
Title: Re: Card Sharks sudden death question
Post by: parliboy on June 17, 2019, 06:05:32 AM
Granted, the discussion is likely to be academic in the 2019 version because the probability of running 9 cards is so low that the correct decision is to pass regardless of what the base cards are.

Around 4 percent?
Title: Re: Card Sharks sudden death question
Post by: Chuck Sutton on June 17, 2019, 07:09:50 AM
In the original show to get to sudden death without a player's base being  turned, one player would have to win all three prior questions and then advance exactly one place and freeze each time. 

Did the unlikely scenario ever actually occur?  If it did they reveal the base card?
Title: Re: Card Sharks sudden death question
Post by: clemon79 on June 17, 2019, 12:04:16 PM
If it did they reveal the base card?
For some reason I want to say it did, and they did. And I couldn't even tell you why the back of my brain is saying that with enough confidence for me to post it.
Title: Re: Card Sharks sudden death question
Post by: SRIV94 on June 18, 2019, 12:04:02 PM
If it did they reveal the base card?
For some reason I want to say it did, and they did. And I couldn't even tell you why the back of my brain is saying that with enough confidence for me to post it.

It did indeed happen, though I too cannot specify which episodes it did.  I do remember Jim looking out toward the producer to verify whether he should reveal the other player's base card.
Title: Re: Card Sharks sudden death question
Post by: splinkynip on June 18, 2019, 08:39:01 PM
I’m pretty sure it happened on the Eubanks/Rafferty version and the first card was not revealed.
Title: Re: Card Sharks sudden death question
Post by: rjaguar3 on June 19, 2019, 12:05:59 AM
Granted, the discussion is likely to be academic in the 2019 version because the probability of running 9 cards is so low that the correct decision is to pass regardless of what the base cards are.

Around 4 percent?
My program has 3.323% from a random base card (infinite deck assumption). For known base cards, the chance of running nine cards ranges from 2.306% to 4.378%
Title: Re: Card Sharks sudden death question
Post by: Joe Mello on June 19, 2019, 08:34:50 AM
Granted, the discussion is likely to be academic in the 2019 version because the probability of running 9 cards is so low that the correct decision is to pass regardless of what the base cards are.
The correct decision, sure, but as already been demonstrated, not always the right one.
Title: Re: Card Sharks sudden death question
Post by: Neumms on June 19, 2019, 12:41:34 PM
Sudden death comes after too few questions so it was preposterous. A couple more would be an excellent excuse to quicken the pace of the Money Cards.

Barring that, I wonder if a better solution would be whomever is farther along wins. If the leader takes the last question, he wins right then. If the trailer gets it, it’s one last chance to move ahead.
Title: Re: Card Sharks sudden death question
Post by: Otm Shank on July 02, 2019, 03:30:20 AM
Not sure if this is an indication of how the base-card reveal was normally handled in a sudden-death situation, but the final episode of Perry's Card Sharks reverted to one-question sudden death to finish the match on time. In the second round, no cards had been revealed, so Jim flipped the base card of the player who won the question and then gave the option of play/pass with the other base card hidden.

https://youtu.be/LyQyPcWg1hs?t=1386

But, then, on the Rafferty version finale, Bill had two rounds that were one-question sudden death. Both base cards were revealed in what might be the only pre-2019 card turn by a dealer.

https://youtu.be/2W50yM1y2Oo?t=823

The Eubanks version ended with Peckerhead's girlfriend playing the Money Cards after a standard match.

As for video of the base card going unrevealed until sudden death in regular gameplay, it is still elusive. I suppose it is possible that each of these reveals could have been correct for the unmodified rules for each series.
Title: Re: Card Sharks sudden death question
Post by: Unrealtor on July 04, 2019, 01:01:18 PM
Sudden death comes after too few questions so it was preposterous. A couple more would be an excellent excuse to quicken the pace of the Money Cards.

Barring that, I wonder if a better solution would be whomever is farther along wins. If the leader takes the last question, he wins right then. If the trailer gets it, it’s one last chance to move ahead.

I like the idea of giving the game to whoever's further along, but I don't like the idea of having the game end on winning a question. If it was up to me, the winner of the question would play their cards more or less as normal. Make it to the end of the row for the win, freeze while level with or ahead of your opponent, or get a card wrong and get knocked back to your base card. The other player then has the chance to beat the mark set by the winner of the question. It works out to sudden death if the first player starts behind, or if the second player needs a turn.
Title: Re: Card Sharks sudden death question
Post by: Otm Shank on July 06, 2019, 02:39:05 PM
That wouldn't really work in the 5-card game, but in the 2019 version, that would certainly be an interesting twist. I would even keep the play/pass option for the first play at the cards for a Belichickian strategy element.
Title: Re: Card Sharks sudden death question
Post by: Neumms on July 10, 2019, 04:57:53 PM
That wouldn't really work in the 5-card game, but in the 2019 version, that would certainly be an interesting twist. I would even keep the play/pass option for the first play at the cards for a Belichickian strategy element.

Interesting. It struck me that whoever wins the question would definitely go second to see how far they'd have to go, but I suppose if the first one gets to the end, he'd win.
Title: Re: Card Sharks sudden death question
Post by: rjaguar3 on September 29, 2019, 11:32:14 PM
In the Kelly/Asa match on the Eubanks Card Sharks (that aired on Buzzr this weekend), this situation came up: Kelly won the first three questions and advanced one card and froze each time. When Kelly won the fourth (sudden death) question, she was given the option to play or pass before Asa's card was revealed; Asa's card was only revealed after Kelly decided to pass.