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Hit Me

A pricing game played like Blackjack, with the contestant’s cards determined by their choice of grocery products.

The contestant cut a deck of cards, and drew two cards to form the “house” hand. The contestant formed their hand choosing cards hidden behind six grocery products. Each product was shown with a price that had been multiplied by a number from 1 to 10, which determined the card the contestant would receive if they picked it. The contestant picked as many as they wished trying to get close as they could to 21 without going over.

After the contestant formed their hand, the house’s hand would be revealed, with the house “hitting” an extra card from the deck on 16 and below but staying on 17 and above. If the contestant could get closer to 21 than the “house” by the end of the game, they would win a large prize.

Hit Me could be polarizing. The Price is Right and Blackjack must have seemed like a match made in heaven, since both games shared the same object of “be closest without going over”. Many fans loved Hit Me as a test of pricing and multiplication skills, and savvy contestants could win easily. However, it could be very complex to explain. Contestants or viewers who didn’t understand blackjack were baffled and needed Bob or the audience to walk them through the game.

Hit Me endured for over 25 years, but was retired in Bob’s final season.

Bob Barker explaining the rules to Hit Me on The Price is Right.
50th pricing game to debut
S9, November 7 1980 – S35, October 13 2006
Likely created by Andy Felsher
Stats
FAQ
S9, Nov 13 1980
A woman in a red dress poses next to a pool table in a game room setting, featuring a pinball machine and an old television displaying 'Gold Star'.

Judith is playing for a new game room, worth $3,856…

A television game show set featuring the 'Hit Me' game with two contestants. The set displays shelves holding grocery products with multiplied prices, while host Bob Barker engages with contestant Judith.

…playing “Hit Me”, a new game inspired by Blackjack!

A woman with long hair and a white dress stands at a game table, cutting an oversized deck of cards while Bob Barker with a microphone speaks beside her. The colorful backdrop features the logo of 'The Price is Right'.

Judith must beat the house to win the game room. She cuts the cards…

Game show host Bob Barker stands next to a large display board showing the house's hand in a Blackjack-inspired game. The board features visible cards, with a clear display indicating that the house hits on 16 and stays on 17.

…and Bob draws the top two cards for the house. The house starts with a two, and will draw cards from the deck.

Game board for 'Hit Me', displaying six grocery products with their respective prices.

Judith’s cards, however, will come from these products. She must get as close as she can to 21 without going over.

Each product price has been multiplied by a number 1-10, which provides a hint as to what card she will receive with each selection.

A contestant smiles while participating in the pricing game 'Hit Me' on The Price is Right, with a colorful background.

Judith needs a product to start her off, and she chooses the gum at $4.90.

A display featuring a package of Trident gum priced at 49 cents, emphasizing the price for the 'Hit Me' game.

It turns out the actual price has been multiplied by 10…

A hand holding a large card showing 10 of hearts from game show The Price is Right, with the Hit Me game board in the background.

…and she receives a 10.

A contestant and the host of 'The Price is Right' are engaged in a pricing game. Bob Barker is pointing while speaking to the contestant, who is smiling. The colorful game show set background is visible. An oversized deck of cards in the foreground.

Bob reminds her if she finds a product with the exact price (“multiplied by 1”), she’ll find an Ace. And in Blackjack, aces can be 1 or 11, so with a 10 on the board she’d get an automatic 21 and win.

A bottle of Brite cleaner for no-wax floors priced at .98, displayed on a game show set.

She hunts for the ace hoping $3.98 is the price of the mouthwash…

A hand showing a drawn card featuring a 2 of hearts next to a price tag displaying .99.

…no such luck.

A game show host reveals the house's hand in a pricing game reminiscent of Blackjack, showing the house's two cards on a board with the player's beneath.

Judith’s up to 12, and decides to “hit” another card. She wants to get as close as she can to 21, but going over will cause her to bust.

A hand holding an '8 of Spades' playing card displayed above a price tag showing 89 cents.

She finds an 8 behind the Ritz crackers…

The display screen from the game 'Hit Me' showing the current status of the house hand with a 2, and the player's hand with a 10, a 2, and an 8, indicating the house hits at 16 and stays on 17.

…and now she’s up to 20!

A female contestant expresses excitement while interacting with Bob Barker during a game show segment.

Judith stops with 20!

A contestant plays the 'Hit Me' game on The Price Is Right, standing beside a host. The game features a colorful backdrop with various products and prices, as the contestant prepares to make a choice.

Now it’s time to see what the house has. The only way she can lose is if the house gets 21.

The house hand in the game 'Hit Me' showing a 10 of clubs, and a 2 of spades. The player hand has 20.

This is looking pretty good! The house is up to 12. Since it has less than 16, it must “hit”…

Bob Barker points to a display of playing cards during a pricing game, featuring a 10 of clubs, a 2 of hearts, a 9 of hearts, a 6 of hearts, a 10 of hearts, a 2 of hearts, and an 8 of spades. The house has made 21 in the Hit Me game.

OH NO! Only one card would have won it for the house… and it found the one card we didn’t want to see.

Close-up of a contestant making a playful sour expression during a segment of Hit Me in The Price is Right.

The house has made 21, and beaten Judith. Sometimes that’s how it goes at the casino…

S9, Dec 18 1980
Close-up of an older man with white hair and a mustache, looking serious against a green background.

Rosario, on the other hand, has decided to stand with 15, after seeing the house has a 7.

Game show host points to the scoreboard showing the house's hand with a 9 and 7, while a contestant stands beside them, smiling. The sign indicates that the house hits at 16 and stays on 17.

The house has 16, and the buzzers sound… until somebody offstage points out that on The Price is Right, the house has to hit on 16.

Bob Barker presenting the 'Hit Me' game on The Price is Right, with a model standing beside him and grocery products displayed in the background.

“In Las Vegas, of course, they would not hit… do they have to hit on 16?” asks Bob as the crowd screams YES!

Bob Barker explaining the pricing game 'Hit Me' on the set of The Price is Right, with product prices displayed in the background.

“You all go to Las Vegas more than I do!”

A game show model stands beside a display showing card values in a 'Hit Me' game. The board indicates the house hits at 16 and stays on 17, with visible cards for both the house and the players.

It didn’t end up mattering. The house still ended up with 20, beating 15. Note, Dian has taken the card-handling duties from Bob.

S10, Sep 11 1981
Contestant playing 'Hit Me' on The Price is Right, with host speaking and another contestant observing.

Initially, face cards (worth 10) were not used in the deck. They were added after just a few months.

A game show host explaining the rules of 'Hit Me' to a contestant on stage, with bright multi-colored background.

“I’ll bet you’ve played Blackjack, have you not?”

“Uh… I don’t know!”

S11, Oct 12 1982
Game board for 'Hit Me', showing various grocery products with their prices and a colorful backdrop.

To keep things fair for the contestant, every game always included one 10 and one Ace hidden behind a product.

A Hershey's Krackel chocolate bar displayed above a price tag showing 79 cents.

This means all a contestant had to do was find the 10…

A hand holding an Ace of Diamonds card, displayed in a game show setting with a blue background and a bottle visible in the background.

…and find the Ace…

A model in a red outfit points at the house's hand in a game of 'Hit Me', showcasing a 10 of spades and a hole card. The house rules are displayed behind them.

and they’d make 21, instantly winning the game!

A model places an Ace of Diamonds and a 10 of Spades card on the board game 'Hit Me' on The Price is Right, showcasing that ties favor the contestant.

On The Price is Right, ties favor the contestant, unlike in Vegas.

S13, Oct 19 1984
A woman with short hair facing to the side, wearing earrings and a light-colored patterned shirt, with a vibrant orange background.

Anna’s up to 12 already, and she decides to take a fourth card.

A hand holding a price tag displaying .90 next to a decorative bottle featuring a cardinal bird design.

YIKES! That price looks suspect!

A bottle of Softsoap hand soap featuring a cardinal design, displayed with a price tag of .09.

Anna became one of very few Hit Me contestants to go over 21 and bust.

S12, Oct 14 1983
A display featuring six grocery products with their prices listed, used in the game 'Hit Me' from The Price is Right.

Vegas sure wouldn’t be the same without neon lighting… neither would Hit Me, apparently.

Three people seated at a table with large playing cards and a deck of cards, engaged in a card game.

The cards in the Hit Me house deck did, indeed, form a 52-card deck.

S11, Sep 23 1982
A game show contestant reveals the house's hand in a pricing game called 'Hit Me', featuring playing cards displayed on a board.

In fact, they even have two Queens of Clubs!

S25, April 4 1997
A box of Stresstabs vitamin supplements presented on a game show table, with a displayed price of .00.

If there was only one product ending in 0 on the board, loyal viewers could be sure that was the one multiplied by 10.

S11, Oct 28 1982
A model in a purple dress places an 8 of hearts card on a game board that shows the house's hand and scoring rules for a pricing game similar to Blackjack.

To balance out the “house” deck containing so many face cards, the prices were usually set up in a way that a contestant could still make 10 even after an incorrect guess. For instance, Elaine has found an 8 as her first card…

A hand holding a card displaying the number 2 of spades, next to a lotion bottle and a displayed price of .49.

…but it could be paired with a 2 to make 10…

A contestant presenting the house and player cards in the game 'Hit Me', showing the playher hand of an 8, a 2, and an Ace.

and adding the Ace would still make 21!

S33, Sep 23 2004
Contestant presenting the game 'Hit Me' with displayed cards: House has a 5, Ace, and 4, while the Player has a 3, 7, and Jack, with a backdrop of colorful stars.

It was always a little funny when the house got an Ace, since it could be used as either 1 or 11. There was no hard and fast rule how to handle it for the house, and it usually amounted to Bob making something up in the moment.

S30, Nov 15 2001
A model standing next to a card display showing the house's hand with an Ace, 4, and 3, while the player's hand shows a 2, Jack, and 8.

For example, at most casinos, the dealer would stay on a “soft” 18, the game would be over, and a contestant with 20 would win.

A model reveals cards for the house during the game 'Hit Me' on a pricing show, with the text 'HOUSE HITS AT 16 AND STAYS ON 17' visible.

However, Bob seemed unaware of this and called it “8”, and told Heather to keep drawing…

Amodel smiling near a game board displaying the house's cards, including a 6, Ace, 4, 3, and 7, against the player's cards showing a 2, Jack, and two 8s, while the rules for the house hitting at 16 and staying on 17 are visible.

…and the house wound up making 21 and the contestant lost.

S34, Jun 20 2006
A contestant and host standing in front of the 'Hit Me' pricing game display on a game show set, showcasing various grocery product items.

Another time, Bob assumed a contestant would freeze at 16 without actually asking her if she wanted to freeze. Although it’s extremely unlikely an unchosen card would have given her a win, he gave her the prize anyway.

S35, Oct 13 2006
Bob Barker holds a microphone while gesturing towards a colorful 'Hit Me' game display on the 35th season of The Price is Right.

After 26 years, Hit Me went bust during Bob’s final season in 2006.