# RRRRG! No! Shut up! It's irrelevant!! \[Deal or no Deal pet peeve\] **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 14, 2007, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rrrrg-no-shut-up-its-irrelevant-deal-or-no-deal-pet-peeve/422662 "2007-10-14T07:31:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![bbs2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e495f1/32.png) [@bbs2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bbs2k)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2007, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rrrrg-no-shut-up-its-irrelevant-deal-or-no-deal-pet-peeve/422662/21 "2007-10-15T19:30:44Z")
**DKW** owes me for one good weekday bump. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2007, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rrrrg-no-shut-up-its-irrelevant-deal-or-no-deal-pet-peeve/422662/22 "2007-10-15T19:30:50Z")
[QUOTE=Snarky\_Kong] Ouch why? It doesn’t matter what case it’s in. [/QUOTE] I’m assuming that since I had the million, the banker’s offers would necessarily keep getting higher as long as I refused them. I could be wrong; I’ve never seen the show for more than a minute or two. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2007, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rrrrg-no-shut-up-its-irrelevant-deal-or-no-deal-pet-peeve/422662/23 "2007-10-15T19:37:30Z")
That’s the trouble with all the nighttime game shows now, they’re SO GODDAMNED FULL OF FILLER. By agonizing over every little thing they turn 30 min of content into a 60 min show. I blame Who Wants to be a Millionaire for succeeding with the filler and DRAMA with all the scary music and spotlights. Can’t take it. ---
**Author:** ![Waenara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@Waenara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waenara)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2007, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rrrrg-no-shut-up-its-irrelevant-deal-or-no-deal-pet-peeve/422662/24 "2007-10-15T19:42:31Z")
I’ve never seen the tv show, but I just played the flash game and I won about $209,000, and “my” case had $5 in it. Whenever the banker made an offer, I calculated the average value of the remaining cases, and I didn’t accept an offer until it was pretty close to that average (the first few offers from the banker were much lower). I don’t if that strategy actually makes sense mathematically, but it was the only way I could think of to try to increase my chances. Are there really any strategies that work in real life? Or is it all just random and there’s no way to swing the odds in your favor? ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2007, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rrrrg-no-shut-up-its-irrelevant-deal-or-no-deal-pet-peeve/422662/25 "2007-10-15T19:44:56Z")
Alright, so it is a totally stupid show. Further, they were trumpeting the other day that NO ONE has ever won the million dollars on that show- never ever, hence their “Million Dollar Mission” (which ended with that lady on the video). My roommate and I always groan and go, “God, this show sucks!” And yet we watch it. Part of this is probably because we don’t have cable, but that’s only partially to blame. In the end, we’re screaming at the idiot to take the deal just like the crowd on the show. I mean, c’mon people! NO ONE HAS EVER WON A MILLION DOLLARS on that show! Take your $100+k and be fuckin’ happy. My roommate have a plan if we ever get on that show (yeah, we’re not going to try, but if they kidnap us and force us, we’ve got a plan ready. Always be prepared, y’all): if the first offer is more than $50k, take it. If the second offer is more than $30k, take it. Voila. Easy money. ---
**Author:** ![stolichnaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bcef8e/32.png) [@stolichnaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stolichnaya)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2007, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rrrrg-no-shut-up-its-irrelevant-deal-or-no-deal-pet-peeve/422662/26 "2007-10-15T19:50:55Z")
I don’t think the banker knows what case the million is in, or what’s in your case. They seem to offer you some amount less than the expected value of your case, based on what they know about the case that has been revealed. So the banker gesticulates in front of a lamp wth some props for a few seconds, and then a PA tells Howie the offer, and maybe some tidbits of color. “He says that he likes your blouse, and that your insistence on believing that your success is due to anything other than luck is charming. He offers 36,000 and use of his condo in Fort Lauderdale, and may God have mercy on your soul.” ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2007, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rrrrg-no-shut-up-its-irrelevant-deal-or-no-deal-pet-peeve/422662/27 "2007-10-15T19:50:55Z")
[QUOTE=Contrapuntal] I’m assuming that since I had the million, the banker’s offers would necessarily keep getting higher as long as I refused them. I could be wrong; I’ve never seen the show for more than a minute or two. [/QUOTE] The offer is generally a bit lower than the expected value if you kept playing. Sure the $1M is good to not have picked, but it doesn’t matter at all if it’s in your case of one of the other cases that hasn’t been picked. ---
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2007, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rrrrg-no-shut-up-its-irrelevant-deal-or-no-deal-pet-peeve/422662/28 "2007-10-15T20:08:17Z")
I don’t watch it anymore, but where I always saw people screwing up was when the had only one “big amount” left, and decided to try to take a chance to get twice as much cash as the current offer. I can’t tell you how many times I saw someone blow it by going for one more case, even though they had a nice, fat offer and amounts like $5, $50, and $400,000 left on the board. Even if you have _two_ big amounts, sometimes it’s stupid to go for it. I just played that online game, and was left with $200, $400,000, and $1 million. My offer was $465,000. I took it because the offer was higher than my second highest amount. If I picked a case with the million, my offer would have gone down by at least half. I swear, they must screen out people who are risk-averse (give them a psychological test, maybe?), because it amazes me how many people take chances like that and end up with something like $50. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2007, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rrrrg-no-shut-up-its-irrelevant-deal-or-no-deal-pet-peeve/422662/29 "2007-10-15T20:12:53Z")
[QUOTE=Snarky\_Kong] …it doesn’t matter at all if it’s in your case of one of the other cases that hasn’t been picked. [/QUOTE] Since the only way you can get the million\* is for it to be in the case you pick as your own, it does kinda matter, if only in a visceral, should-have-gone-all-the-way sort of way. \*: Theoretically with the million-dollar mission, with multiple million-dollar cases, you could be left with a case or two left, all having a million inside. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2007, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rrrrg-no-shut-up-its-irrelevant-deal-or-no-deal-pet-peeve/422662/30 "2007-10-15T20:19:35Z")
[QUOTE=garygnu] Since the only way you can get the million\* is for it to be in the case you pick as your own, it does kinda matter, if only in a visceral, should-have-gone-all-the-way sort of way. \*: Theoretically with the million-dollar mission, with multiple million-dollar cases, you could be left with a case or two left, all having a million inside. [/QUOTE] Don’t you eventually pick between your case and the one left? Is that choice made with more than one case left? ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2007, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rrrrg-no-shut-up-its-irrelevant-deal-or-no-deal-pet-peeve/422662/31 "2007-10-15T20:25:57Z")
[QUOTE=Snarky\_Kong] Don’t you eventually pick between your case and the one left? Is that choice made with more than one case left? [/QUOTE] Yeah, nevermind. I got it. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2007, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rrrrg-no-shut-up-its-irrelevant-deal-or-no-deal-pet-peeve/422662/32 "2007-10-15T21:12:38Z")
[QUOTE=Sarahfeena] I swear, they must screen out people who are risk-averse (give them a psychological test, maybe?), because it amazes me how many people take chances like that and end up with something like $50. [/QUOTE] I’m amused by the people who scream with joy when they end up with the higher of the two remaining **tiny prizes**. That said, I’ve only watched snippets of a few shows and may not understand just how amusing it could be. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2007, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rrrrg-no-shut-up-its-irrelevant-deal-or-no-deal-pet-peeve/422662/33 "2007-10-15T22:06:23Z")
[QUOTE=DiosaBellissima] My roommate have a plan if we ever get on that show (yeah, we’re not going to try, but if they kidnap us and force us, we’ve got a plan ready. Always be prepared, y’all): if the first offer is more than $50k, take it. If the second offer is more than $30k, take it. [/QUOTE] This is the key. As my wife put it, “It’s money you didn’t have yesterday.” The first serious money offered, I’m gonna take. ---
**Author:** ![percypercy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8baadc/32.png) [@percypercy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/percypercy)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2007, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rrrrg-no-shut-up-its-irrelevant-deal-or-no-deal-pet-peeve/422662/34 "2007-10-15T22:42:24Z")
My mother, a doctor, has bizarre taste in television. Years ago it was Baywatch and Mama’s Family(really not so bad) in reruns. Now she’s mostly retired, and she’s hooked on the Price is Right, Bold and the Beautiful, and for a time, Deal or No Deal. Since she’s got a Tivo now, she generally saves them until the night and fast forward the hell out of them. She’d just zap right to the end of each contestant’s run. My dad’s also reitred, and, poor man, if he’s not careful, she’ll catch him and update him on the lives of everyone on Bold and the Beautiful. -Lil ---
**Author:** ![Baracus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@Baracus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baracus)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2007, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rrrrg-no-shut-up-its-irrelevant-deal-or-no-deal-pet-peeve/422662/35 "2007-10-15T23:32:49Z")
What grates on me about that show is when a contestant gets offered some piddling amount, say $62,300, and Howie is like “Now $62,300 is a lot of money”. BS, you made that much during the commercial break you annoying twit! ---
**Author:** ![MelCthefirst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eada6e/32.png) [@MelCthefirst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MelCthefirst)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2007, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rrrrg-no-shut-up-its-irrelevant-deal-or-no-deal-pet-peeve/422662/36 "2007-10-16T00:09:30Z")
In the Aussie version, the top value is $200,000 and it has been won twice I think, definitely once. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2007, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rrrrg-no-shut-up-its-irrelevant-deal-or-no-deal-pet-peeve/422662/37 "2007-10-16T00:35:13Z")
[QUOTE=BobLibDem] I disagree with the probability part. More often than not, the offer is lower than the expected value. If $1,000,000 is in play with 5 cases left, the offer should be \>$200,000, yet it generally is not. [/QUOTE] In general I’ve noticed that the offers are consistently lower than what you think the odds would justify, but not by much. They always seem to be “in the ballpark” that you would expect, but definitely at the low end. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2007, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rrrrg-no-shut-up-its-irrelevant-deal-or-no-deal-pet-peeve/422662/38 "2007-10-16T01:54:43Z")
[QUOTE=DiosaBellissima] My roommate have a plan if we ever get on that show (yeah, we’re not going to try, but if they kidnap us and force us, we’ve got a plan ready. Always be prepared, y’all): if the first offer is more than $50k, take it. If the second offer is more than $30k, take it. [/QUOTE] You mean you don’t feel the need for greed? I prefer _Lingo_ by far. The cash prizes are piddly by comparison but the game is infinitely more interesting. ---
**Author:** ![DKW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dkw/32/3118_2.png) [@DKW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DKW)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2007, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rrrrg-no-shut-up-its-irrelevant-deal-or-no-deal-pet-peeve/422662/39 "2007-10-16T06:11:31Z")
All right…let’s try this again. I actually missed Friday’s episode, but I caught the ending on the website. Believe me, I’ve never been a big fan of this show and am _not_ a regular viewer by any stretch of the imagination (the only reason I tuned in Wednesday was I was tired of defaulting to ESPN, and that’s when I found out about this Million Dollar Mission). In summary: 1. The contestant only get to take a case when there’s one remaining other than the one set aside. 2. The contestant can choose _either_ case; he/she does not have to take the one set aside. In other words, whichever case the contestant chose at the beginning means **absolute jumping jack crap**. It affects nothing, it determines nothing, it decides nothing. Had the contestant not had to reserve a case, the game would run _exactly the same_. Taking the case is nothing more than a formality, the equivalent of singing the national anthem or breaking a bottle of wine on a maiden ship. Ridiculing a contestant for making a bad gamble, I can understand. For cheering winning $5, yeah, I encourage it. For being annoying, sure. Ridiculing a contestant for **nothing** …no. Bad. Inexcusable. And this isn’t the first time that’s happened, so no excuses. Otto - What do you want, man? I know the show is stupid. I still don’t think that gives it the right to dish out BS, and especially with the express purpose of making a contestant feel miserable. Is that too much to ask? ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2007, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rrrrg-no-shut-up-its-irrelevant-deal-or-no-deal-pet-peeve/422662/40 "2007-10-16T15:44:24Z")
[QUOTE=DKW] All right…let’s try this again… [snip] In summary: 1. The contestant only get to take a case when there’s one remaining other than the one set aside. 2. The contestant can choose _either_ case; he/she does not have to take the one set aside. In other words, whichever case the contestant chose at the beginning means **absolute jumping jack crap**. It affects nothing, it determines nothing, it decides nothing… [/QUOTE] I haven’t seen that before. That is lame. I knew the case picked at the beginning didn’t matter much, but jeeze. Why don’t they spin a wheel of fish, too? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rrrrg-no-shut-up-its-irrelevant-deal-or-no-deal-pet-peeve/422662.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rrrrg-no-shut-up-its-irrelevant-deal-or-no-deal-pet-peeve/422662.md?page=3)