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Poker Game

The second game to be played for four prizes, after Race Game.

The contestant makes a poker “hand” using numbers in two of the prices, with the goal of making a better hand than they left for the house.

Four prizes worth $100-$999 are shown, with prices concealed. The contestant chooses two prizes, and their prices are revealed; of the six digits between the two prices, the five that would form the best poker hand are used.

The contestant must choose whether to keep this hand, or pass it to the house and form their hand from the other two prizes. If their hand beats the house, they win all four prizes!

Poker Game was long-lived and played frequently until the 1990s, after which its playing count plummeted to just a few playings per season. Although Poker Game had its fans, it wasn’t terribly strong as a pricing game, and by the 2000s its offerings were usually cheap-looking relative to other prizes. It was retired when Bob left the show in 2007.

A scene from the game show 'The Price is Right,' featuring the 'Poker Game' setup. A host in a gray suit talks to a contestant, with a colorful game board displaying two categories labeled 'HOUSE' and 'PLAYER' and several covered cards.
23rd pricing game to debut
S4, September 9 1975 – S35, May 10 2007
Likely created by Frank Wayne
Stats
FAQ
S4, Oct 27 1975
A game show model stands confidently beside a poker table, a yellow refrigerator, two lamps, and a vintage television set, set against a brown wall with framed artwork.

Judy can win FOUR prizes! A game table, a refrigerator/freezer, lamps, and a color TV!

A colorful set design for the Poker Game, featuring a clown graphic, with sections labeled 'PLAYER' and 'HOUSE,' and empty slots for card reveals.

What’s the most you’ve won in a game of poker? If Judy can get a better poker hand than the house, she’ll win all four!

A model stands next to prize displays labeled 'TABLE', 'REF/FREEZ', 'LAMPS', and 'COLOR TV' during a game show segment.

Rather than cards, Judy will make her poker hand from two of the prices Janice is wheeling out.

A tense moment between host Bob Barker and a contestant on a game show, with colorful backgrounds in the scene.

Bob rehearses the hierarchy of poker hands. Two pair is beat by three of a kind, which is beat by a full house, which is beat by four of a kind, etc. Straights and flushes were not used.

A contestant named Judy on a game show, looking thoughtfully while preparing to play the poker game, wearing a green sweater with a floral collared shirt.

Judy wants to start with the color TV…

0 prize displayed on a blue sign in a game show setting.

…which contains a pair of zeroes! A decent start.

A game show contestant stands in front of prize displays, which include a table, refrigerator/freezer, and lamps, with a dollar amount of 0 visible.

Another zero would give her three of a kind. Judy chooses the table for her second pick…

9 price tag displayed during the Poker Game on The Price is Right.

…well, no zeroes, but she has a pair of nines.

A game show host points at a board displaying a poker game setup with numbers and cards, while a contestant stands beside him.

Judy has two pair, nines and zeroes. She can keep it, or pass it to the house and try her luck with the other two prizes.

A contestant discusses strategy with the host during the Poker Game segment, displaying a focused expression and gesturing with hands as they talk.

Judy thinks her hand is lucky enough to win! She keeps her hand. Let’s see what she’s left for the house…

Contestant revealing a price of 0 during the Poker Game segment, wearing a colorful floral shirt.

Nothing there… her pair of nines should beat that easily…

5 price display shown during the Poker Game segment.

UH OH! The terrible twos!

Contestant selects prices on the Poker Game board, revealing numbers to form a poker hand.

Full house beats two pair! What a bad beat.

S4, Nov 3 1975
A scene from the game show 'The Price is Right' featuring the Poker Game setup, with three contestants, a display board showing numbers and hidden cards, and prize labels including prices.

That white background didn’t last long! This is MUCH easier to read on camera.

A colorful stage display for the Poker Game, featuring the numbers 59330 for the House and 33005 for the Player, with game hosts and a female contestant visible.

Both Alberto and the house have two pair… but Alberto’s pair of 5’s beats the house’s pair of 3’s, so he wins!

S9, Feb 12 1981
A humorous scene from a game show featuring Ox Baker in a 'Bigger is Ugly' t-shirt and a suited Bob Barker looking nervous.

Wrestling aficionados may recognize former pro wrestler “Ox” Baker, who was called as a contestant and is trying his hand at Poker Game. Bob is praying that this ends well…

A game show host explains the Poker Game setup, with a contestant standing nearby. The board displays two poker hands: one for the house with the price 99007 and another for the player.

Ox has passed on two pair. With nines high, he’ll need at least three of a kind to win.

0 displayed on a blue background, held by a hand with red nail polish.

Price of the fireplace, $400… an extra zero will win it for him…

0 prize displayed on a blue board held by a contestant

…price of the desk… ALSO $400!

A contestant celebrates while standing beside the Poker Game board, displaying the player and house scores.

What better gift for a pro wrestler than a fireplace, range, stereo, and desk?

S12, Nov 17 1983
A contestant named Kyle is smiling while holding a flower bouquet, interacting with a host in a formal suit on a colorful game show set.

Future TPIR model Kyle Aletter also played Poker Game! It’s the Celebrity Poker Tour!

A game show set featuring the Poker Game board with a clown graphic. A host speaks with a contestant, while the displayed numbers suggest a poker hand.

Kyle knows better than to pass on four of a kind! She’s keeping it.

S14, Feb 27 1985
A host points while standing next to a contestant on a game show set, with colorful background elements.

To speed the game up, Bob stopped explaining which hands beat which and simply said “try to pick a price with nines in it”. For most contestants, this wasn’t a realistic task; there’s no way to predict which prizes will have nines short of memorizing their prices.

S18, Mar 3 1989
A contestant smiling while interacting with a host on stage during a game show, with colorful game elements in the background.

Other contestants had never seen poker before, and had no idea how to evaluate the strength of a poker hand. In those cases they usually just picked at random and outsourced their decision to play or pass to the audience.

S10, Sep 21 1982
A host points at a large game board featuring the 'Poker Game' title with numbers displayed for a player and house comparison, while a contestant watches.

Cheryl Ann has a full house! Keeping this is probably a great decision…

A game show host stands beside the 'Poker Game' board displaying two poker hands; the player's hand shows '00066' while the house's hand shows '99999'.

YIKES! She left the house a perfect hand, with prizes worth $999 and $599. The worst of bad beats!

S23, Sep 29 1995
A model stands with outstretched arms in front of a colorful game board featuring four prize labels: 'CLOCK', 'DINETTE', 'LUGGAGE', and 'VACUUM'.

Although the main Poker Game board lasted over 30 years without any changes, the prize stands eventually had a dollar sign added to spruce it up.

S9, Dec 14 1981; S24, Jan 3 1995; S24, Jun 1 1995; S30, Mar 1 2002

Four contestants are known to have gotten perfect hands! Deborah in 1981, Virginia and Christina in 1995, and Debra in 2002.

S14, Nov 16 1984
A game host and a contestant stand beside the Poker Game board, displaying the player's poker hand as 55009 and the house's hand as 00985.

The lowest known winning Poker Game hand is two pair, fives and zeroes.

S23, Mar 19 1994
A host interacts with a contestant in a colorful game show setting, while another contestant is visible in the background.

Janice and Roger have noticed that the prize labels have been placed on the reveals in the wrong order.

A scene from the Poker Game on a game show, featuring a host speaking into a microphone, a contestant in a red shirt interacting with a game table, and a female presenter in a blue outfit observing.

They double-check the prices and switch them up before revealing the wrong price!

S35, May 10 2007
A scene from the 'Poker Game' segment on a game show, featuring a host pointing towards a board with cards representing the house and player. Contestants stand beside the host, with colorful background decorations visible.

Poker Game lasted until 2007, although it was rarely played in its final decade. At 32 years it’s by far the longest-lived pricing game to be retired.

S29, Dec 21 2000
A contestant stands beside two prize displays labeled 'Sewing Machine' priced at 0 and 'Crystal' priced at 9, with festive decorations in the background.

Never once did Poker Game offer a prize worth more than $999! The most expensive known prize package it offered was only worth around $3,600.