Two contestants one a champion competed in this game of skill and luck. In the 1970s version, host Trebek read a general-knowledge question; the contestant answering correctly decided who would control the dice, while an incorrect answer left the control up to his/her opponent. Randomly scattered on a three-by-three game board were the numbers 1 through 9 (e.g., 6-5-1, 2-4-8, 3-7-9). By rolling two oversized dice on a table, the contestant could remove numbers from the board either one at a time or in a combination of numbers; for example, rolling a 5 could allow a player to remove the number/number combinations of 1-4, 2-3 or 5, and claim whatever prizes were concealed beneath. One row, dubbed the "hot column," could always be cleared with a single roll of the die in this case, rolling a 12 allowed the player to remove 6-5-1 and claim a bigger prize package. Numbers cleared from the board are removed from play. A round ended when a contestant rolled a number that could not be removed from the board at that time, or if he/she removed the last remaining number, with those winning a round getting to keep whatever prizes he/she had claimed. The first player to win two rounds was champion and faced the "Big Numbers" board, where he/she again faced the numbers 1 through 9. Each safe roll won $100, with a jackpot of $5,000 for the player clearing the board of all nine numbers. Players remained on the show until defeated. In the 1987 version, gameplay was the same as before, with a few differences: Clearing a column and winning a round allowed a player to play any one of an assortment of no-lose games involving the die, with cash, trips and cars offered as prizes; and players winning the "Big Numbers" game won $10,000. |
