Punch a Bunch

Punch a Bunch (also occasionally, if incorrectly, known as Punchboard) is a pricing game on the American television game show "The Price Is Right". Debuting on September 27, 1978, it is played for a cash prize of up to $25,900, and uses small prizes.

Though a technicality in the rules makes it possible to win as much as $25,900, it is very rare for the prize to exceed the announced top prize of $25,000 (see below).

Game play

The centerpiece of Punch a Bunch is a punchboard which conceals a slip with a dollar value in each of its 50 paper-covered holes. To begin the game, the contestant is shown four small prizes, one at a time, each tagged with an incorrect price. They must decide whether the correct price of each prize is higher or lower than the price shown. For each correct decision, the contestant wins that prize and earns one punch at the board.

After all four prizes are played, the contestant makes the number of punches won, leaving the slips inside the holes. The slip in the first hole punched is removed and shown to the contestant. They must then decide whether to keep the cash amount and quit, or give it back and look in the next hole. The game continues until the contestant accepts the money on a slip or has no more holes to look in, and wins the amount found in the final hole.

econd chance

There are four special slips on the board, one each of the lowest four values ($50, $100, $250, and $500), which also have "second chance" written on them. If one of these slips is found in a punched hole, the contestant immediately punches an additional hole. The amount found in this new hole is added to the amount on the second chance slip; If any original holes remain, the contestant may accept the total, or return both slips to look in the next of their original holes.

If a second chance punch reveals another second chance slip, the contestant makes an additional punch which is added to the previous total as well. As a result, the maximum prize available in the Punch a Bunch is $25,900, which is won by revealing a second chance slip, punching out each of the three remaining second chance slips in the resulting second chance punches, and finally punching out the $25,000 slip on the final second chance punch. Nevertheless, due to the unlikelihood of first revealing a second chance slip, and then the $25,000 slip on the second chance punch, the announced top prize for the game is simply $25,000, which is the most that can be won with one slip.

Wins of greater than $10,000 "have" occurred during the period in which $10,000 was the largest value on the board (see History below), although no contestant has ever chained more than one second chance slip with the top prize. Thus, the most ever won in Punch a Bunch during this period was the $500 second chance slip followed by the $10,000 slip for a total of $10,500.

Cash distribution

The distribution of prize slips has been altered at various times to adjust the top prize, including for prime time specials.

Daytime

The distribution of prize slips is currently:

* One each of $50, $100, $250 and $500 slips was marked "second chance" as described above.

Prime time specials (2001-2007)

For the prime time specials aired from Season 30 through 35, Punch a Bunch's top prize was $25,000 and no second chance slips were used. The prize distribution was as follows:

Presentation changes

The original punchboard, used until May 29, 1996clarifyme , had a yellow exterior flanked by blue curved lines. When the game debuted, the Punch a Bunch sign had a red and green color scheme; it was changed to yellow on September 15, 1980clarifyme. The original ten "punchboard" holes remained in place until the current set was unveiled, even though they were not used in the gameplay after the original rules were abandoned.

The introduction of the game initially took place on the turntable, and featured a model holding a $10,000 bill with the host's face on it; then the model would move to stand beside the punchboard. A green sign reading "$10,000" in a font resembling that of American currency was present on the wall of the turntable behind the model.

On September 10, 1996, the current punchboard and set debuted, and the staging was changed so that the Giant Price Tag rises to reveal the model holding the $10,000 bill while standing in front of the board.

Foreign versions

On the 80's UK version, the top prize was £500, and there were a few £0's on the board, while Italy's OK offered a new car.

On the Netherlands "Cash en Carlo", the distribution is as such:

References