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Three Strikes

One of the “Big Three” car games on The Price is Right, along with Golden Road and Triple Play. Ever since the 1990s, played exclusively for luxury cars worth more than the average car.

Each of the digits in the price of the car are shown and placed in a bag, along with three “strikes”. Each turn, the contestant reaches in the bag and blindly pulls out a ball.

If the contestant pulls out a number, they contestant guesses in which position in the price of the car that number should be placed. If they are wrong, a buzzer sounds and the number goes back in the bag; if they are right, the window lights up and the ball is removed from play. If the contestant can light up all windows in the price of the car before pulling three strikes, they win the car!

There are few moments more exciting and tension-filled than the final pulls of Three Strikes with a full count!

A host stands next to a contestant in front of a large green game board with the words '3 STRIKES' displayed prominently, while a baseball-themed hopper sits on a table.
26th pricing game to debut
S4, February 12, 1976 – Present
Rumored to be created by Frank Wayne, though given to “somebody else” to present, possibly Jonathan Goodson
Strategy
Stats
FAQ
S4, Mar 19 1976
A model stands next to a vintage Chevy sedan on a game show set, with colorful geometric panels in the background.

Connie is playing for a 1976 Chevy Nova! Three Strikes was played for “normal” cars for the first two decades of its existence.

Host pointing at the Three Strikes game board on The Price is Right, with a female contestant watching.

The four digits in the price of the car are concealed in these four windows. She’ll have to light all four up before getting three strikes.

Bob Barker reveals four chips in the "Three Strikes" game before putting them in the bag.

The four digits in the price of the car, in scrambled order, are 9, 4, 1, and 5. Bob puts them in the bag and mixes them up further.

A hand holds three red strike chips with a black 'X' symbol, displayed against a blurred background.

But the three strikes also go in the bag! Avoid these!

A contestant smiles while interacting with the host on a game show stage, featuring a green container and colorful backdrop.

Connie reaches in the bag and pulls out…

A game show host holds a white ball with the number '9' printed on it, while gripping a microphone with a colorful striped tie visible.

…a 9. Does the 9 belong in the first, second, third, or fourth digit in the price of the car?

A contestant on a game show, featured with curly hair and wearing a light-colored outfit, looking towards the camera while speaking.

Connie says that it belongs in the third window…

A large green number 9 displayed on a black background, flanked by two empty frames from a game show set.

…and she’s right! The 9 chip is taken out of play.

A contestant smiling while holding a chip drawn from a green bag, with a game show host standing beside her, in a colorful studio backdrop.

Connie got a strike on her next draw. Well, the bright side is this increases the odds of her pulling a number next time…

A hand is pointing at a game board with two red 'X' marks, indicating incorrect guesses in the game Three Strikes.

Oh no! She’s drawn strike two… one more, and she’s out!

A vintage game show set for '3 Strikes', featuring a female contestant beside the host, with four numbered windows displaying a '3 STRIKES' sign in green.

Hey! This is a promising comeback. She pulled the 4 and the 1 and placed each of them correctly, first try! We’re up to a full count, bases loaded…

A contestant smiles at the host while preparing to play a game on The Price is Right, with a green game prop in front of them.

Only two chips left in the bag, a number and a strike! It all comes down to the final pull!

A Price is Right contestant in 1976 pulls a chip out of a bag, and reacts with excitement at winning a car

CONNIE GOT IT!

S6, Mar 18 1980
A contestant focused on the game during a tense moment on The Price is Right, with a colorful background.

Stacey’s mother won a range from Bob Barker on Truth or Consequences 20 years ago. Will Stacey make history today?

A contestant excitedly holds up a chip while talking to the host during a game of Three Strikes on The Price is Right.

Unfortunately, she did… Stacey became the first player to pull three strikes in three pulls!

S4, Feb 22 1978
A contestant celebrating with enthusiasm alongside the host of a game show, both smiling and engaging with the audience, set against a colorful game show backdrop.

On the flip side, Cyntha became the first known contestant to light up all four windows without pulling a single strike!

S11, Feb 2 1983
A contestant and host reveal the numbers '791' in the game 'Three Strikes' on The Price is Right, with a vibrant set featuring colorful lights and decorations.

By the early 80’s, the “3 Strikes” sign had gone gold and a baseball was added to the front to make sure the theme hit home.

S15, Nov 26 1986
A sign displaying the word 'NO' in bold orange letters against a green background.

A dramatic zoom with this “NO” graphic signified that a contestant’s guess was incorrect and the number had to go back in the bag.

S11, Jan 3, 1983
A contestant on The Price is Right covers her eyes while Bob Barker asks a question, with a colorful backdrop emphasizing the show's vibrant set.

Konnie had a habit of looking down at the bag as she pulled, so for her next draw, Bob asks her to cover her eyes!

S13, Jan 15 1985
A model stands next to a bright orange 1986 Nissan 300ZX sports car on a game show set, pointing excitedly at the car.

Wow, it’s a Nissan 300 ZX sports car! There’s no way this car will fit on a regular Three Strikes board…

A host points at the scoreboard for the game '3 Strikes' featuring empty chalkboards and a baseball-themed design.

It’s more than Three Strikes… it’s Three Strikes PLUS! Jane will have to place all five numbers. It’s tougher, but the rewards are greater.

A host stands in front of the 'Three Strikes' game board displaying the numbers 7, 4, 2, and 3, with striking designs featuring baseballs and red 'X' icons indicating strikes.

$17,423 was a pretty pricey car for 1985. That’s nearly as much as both of the day’s showcases combined!

S14, Mar 12 1986
A colorful display from the game 'Three Strikes' featuring the numbers 3, 0, 7, 8, and 9. The graphic includes a sign with the game's name above the digits.

So is this CORVETTE! Heather won by pulling all five numbers, left to right, with no strikes!

S18, Jan 16 1990
A contestant holds up a number 7 while standing next to Bob Barker when playing Three Strikes on The Price is Right.

The game alternated between “3 Strikes” and “3 Strikes +” from 1983-1994, and by 1990 the bag got a baseball-themed makeover.

S20, Feb 28 1992
A woman in a black and white striped top gestures excitedly next to a black sports car, as another person in a pink shirt stands nearby, expressing surprise.

In one of the all-time memorable Three Strikes playings, Toni couldn’t wait to play the game before running over to get a look at this Porsche 968 Coupe!

A group of excited contestants in colorful outfits, reaching out with their hands and cheering, with a patterned curtain in the background.

She’s drawn a 9. Her son says it’s should go in the third position, so Toni tries that…

Tony, a contestant with short hair wearing a pink shirt gestures excitedly while playing Three Strikes. The background features colorful decorations.

…but she’s wrong. “YOU DON’T KNOW ANYTHING!” screams Toni in a moment of exasperation.

A scene from the game show 'The Price is Right' featuring the game 'Three Strikes+' with the contestant and host. Numbers '5' and '7' are displayed prominently on a board.

She lights up the seven, but her next two pulls are strikes. “Have you noticed you luck has changed since you said those unkind things about your son?”

A contestant appears anxious while interacting with the host, who has a baseball-themed prop at his waist, during a game on The Price is Right.

“Oh, I’m sorry, baby!” Toni will have to place a 4, 8, and a 9 without drawing any more strikes.

A contestant points to the number 4 displayed on a game board during the Three Strikes game on The Price is Right.

Two down, one to go! She has a fighting chance at this $45,000 Porsche…

Tony pulls a chip out of the Three Strikes bag, and reacts with excitement at finding out she's won a Porsche on The Price is Right.

On her final pull, Toni picks up a chip… and abruptly drops it and switches for the other… and explodes!

S25, Dec 4 1996
A contestant prepares to play the 'Three Strikes' game on 'The Price is Right', holding a ball while the host stands beside a large game board with $ and empty slots for digits.

By the mid 90’s, four-digit cars had been inflated out of existence, and the “+” was dropped. Five-digit Three Strikes took quite a bit longer to play, so the game wasn’t seen nearly as often…

S27, May 7 1999
A model excitedly poses beside a gold Cadillac car, with colorful lights and plants in the background.

…but to compensate, the game PERMANENTLY offered models of cars too expensive to use in other car games. Here’s a $42,000 Cadillac El Dorado!

Doug Davidson S1, Oct 4 1994 (primetime syndicated)
Three Strikes game display featuring four concealed windows, with the dollar sign and one revealed digit.

The Davidson version gave the first digit for free, but the CBS version seemed to prefer keeping the game as a rare treat with a bigger prize and longer buildup.

S27, May 14 1998
A female contestant celebrates with her arms raised while Bob Barker holds up a chip in the game 'Three Strikes' on The Price is Right.

A 1998 rule change rebalanced the difficulty in favor of more exciting finishes. Only one strike chip was put in the bag; pulling it three times ended the game.

S28, Sep 23 1999
A large green sign labeled 'NO' with a baseball graphic, indicating an incorrect guess in the game 'Three Strikes'.

The graphic for wrong guesses became a “foul ball”…

S34, Nov 16 2005
A Three Strikes game display showing the numbers , NO, and 5 with a green background while a host gestures towards it.

…and later, a wide shot of the entire price.

S36, Dec 3 2007
A contestant named John holds up a yellow chip displaying the number 4, while a host watches nearby.

John has pulled enough numbers that he should know the price of the Corvette he’s playing for… but he can’t remember which he’s already tried!

A contestant lies on the floor of a game show set while Drew Carey stands nearby, creating a playful and humorous moment.

The audience was kind enough to bail him out 😀

S37, Oct 15 2008
The game board for 'Three Strikes' on The Price is Right, displaying a large '3 STRIKES' sign and the digit '' lit up in green.

Season 37 was a weird time for Three Strikes… the new showrunners experimented on-air with a few different rulesets to speed the game up, like giving the first number for free.

S40, Sep 19 2011

A Price is Right contestant wearing a blue shirt with the name 'Jacob' stands next to Drew Carey, who is holding a strike chip, while a baseball-themed Three Strikes game setup is visible in front of them.

Eventually they returned to putting all five numbers and three strikes in the bag.

S39, Apr 22 2011
A game setup for 'Three Strikes' on The Price is Right, featuring a display with the numbers 4 and 2 shown in green, alongside a 'NO' sign and a baseball graphic.

There’s still no limit to the number of draws a lucky contestant can get. Nine times ended up not being enough for Lesa…

A contestant celebrates enthusiastically while holding their arms up in excitement after having won an electric car on Three Strikes.

…but she won the electric Chevy Volt on her twelfth draw!

S41, Apr 25 2013
A model excitedly poses beside a shiny black Ferrari sports car on The Price is Right set.

Buckle your seatbelts! Big Money Week 2013 saw the most expensive car EVER offered on TPIR… a FERRARI 458 SPIDER!

Contestant stands excitedly next to the host on the set of The Price is Right, with the '3 Strikes' game display showing the price 5,716.

It’s took SIX windows to reveal this price! That Ferrari STILL holds the record for the single most expensive object ever offered on any version of TPIR!

S47, Oct 15 2018
Game display board for 'Three Strikes' featuring the game title in bold yellow letters and empty slots for displaying numbers.

TPIR must have some baseball fans on staff! Three Strikes got a massive, MASSIVE refurbishment in 2018.

S47, May 31 2019
A host holds a baseball with the number 2 while preparing to place it on a large baseball prop that represents the game Three Strikes. Below, several baseballs with the numbers 4, 6, 7, and 9 are displayed, alongside red strike balls.

The chips have been replaced with baseballs, and the hopper now spins like a bingo cage.

A game board for 'Three Strikes' featuring the numbers , _, 4 displayed in a colorful set on 'The Price is Right', with a contestant and host interacting beside a large baseball prop.

Let’s root, root root for the player… if they don’t win, it’s a shame!

S49, Jan 18 2021
Contestant reaches into a giant baseball-shaped container during a game of 'Three Strikes' on The Price is Right, with visible digits and strikes displayed.

Only the contestant was allowed to touch the props during COVID tapings. Does he HAVE to put the strikes in the bag, Drew?

A contestant joyfully jumps next to a red SUV showcased on stage at a game show, while a female host applauds beside him.

That didn’t stop Erik from winning this Range Rover!

S52, Jan 31 2024 (Primetime)
Contestant stands beside a large game board for 'Three Strikes' with one dollar displayed and empty slots for number chips.

We’re playing for a Maserati in primetime, and the 1 is spotted for free. Our prop’s journey began with four windows; it’s grown to seven!