Deal or No Deal on Paper

Remember Deal or No Deal? You know, that crazy game show with Howie Mandel, a bunch of briefcases, and the extreme anxiety along the contestants and their family members?

Well guess what: now YOU get to join in the zany action! YOU get to relive the experience right in your living room with your own family and friends, and YOU don't have to spend a single penny! Behold, my custom-brewed Deal or No Deal template!

Here's what you'll need to play:

• The Deal or No Deal Money Board PDF
• Briefcase Cards PDF
• A pencil
• A host
• A contestant
• A banker
• An audience (optional, but highly recommended. Supportive but overreacting people preferred.)

To set up the game:

• Print the two PDF's.
• Cut out the money board and briefcase cards.
• Fold the money board in half so it stands up like in the picture.
• Shuffle the briefcase cards and flip them to the other side. With your pencil, write each of the 26 dollar amounts ($.01 to $1,000,000) on each card.
• Shuffle the cards again and present the cards face down as shown in the picture.

To play the game:

• The contestant begins by selecting a briefcase he or she thinks has the million dollars inside. Without flipping it over, the host moves that briefcase next to the contestant.
• After that, round 1 begins. The contestant selects six different briefcases he or she thinks has the least amount of money inside.
• The host then flips over each selected card. The dollar amounts shown on each card are taken out of play. The host writes an X next to each dollar amount on the money board.
• After the round, the banker makes an offer based on the money still in play. He or she writes that offer beneath the Bank Offers area.
• The contestant must then say "Deal!" or "No deal!"
• If the contestant says "Deal!", he or she takes the banker's offer and ends the game.
• If the contestant says "No deal!", the game moves on to round 2. This time, the contestant selects five briefcases to remove from play. Based on the results of that round, the banker revises his or her offer.
• If the contestant keeps saying "No deal!", he or she keeps opening briefcases. Open four briefcases for round 3, three for round 4, two for round 5, and one for every round afterward until there is one card remaining in the set.
• If the contestant hasn't made a deal at this point, he or she wins the amount of money inside his or her reserved briefcase. The contestant may swap briefcases with the remaining one in the set if he or she desires.

Some tips:

• The host should add an element of suspense each time he or she opens a briefcase. He or she should also occasionally question the contestant's motives.
• The banker should create offers that cause the contestant to say "Deal!" with the least money possible.
• The contestant should allow the audience to aid in his or her decisions.
• Consider offering real prizes to the contestant to increase the game's intensity. For instance, during my play test, I offered 1 quarter per $10,000 won to the contestant ($1 million = 100 quarters). Just like the real show, the banker could also offer non-cash prizes relevant to the contestant's interests. (added September 8, 2015)

Have fun hosting your very own Deal or No Deal game night. Let the anxiety commence!

_{^{I'm releasing the two PDF's in the public domain. That means you can anything you want with the PDF's, even claim that you were the one who created them!}}