OFFICIAL RULES FOR THE CHATROOM SHOWCASE SHOWOFF GAME -- SEASON 9!!
It's (still) Season 41 of The Price is Right!!
For major changes to the format for the second half of the season, please note the portions that have been bolded.
The Chatroom Showcase Showoff (CSS) will be played every day in the 2012-2013 season (Year 41) on the Golden-Road.net site, during all first-run East Coast daytime telecasts of "The Price Is Right" on CBS during the Showcase, occurring around 11:45AM Eastern time. The game revolves around the Showcase on the TV series, and Golden-Road.net participants will bid on the showcases as the stage contestants do in an attempt to be the day's best bidder.
The season will start on Monday, February 4, 2012 and will include all first-run daytime shows (except dual airings). Any Primetime or Million Dollar Spectaculars will have a CSS played, however will not count towards the end-of-season results.
GAME OFFICIALS
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cu2010 is your host.
Being in the chatroom is not a requirement to play. We welcome all players on a variety of communication devices such as iPads, mobile devices, smart phones, etc..if it can log you into the site, and load the PM system to submit your bids, you can play.
OFFICIAL GAMES
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The CSS is played during all first-run episodes of "The Price Is Right", both daytime and Million Dollar Spectacular versions, which air in the Eastern time zone. Between 150 and 165 games will be played during a typical regular season, however, due to the shortened nature of this half-season, it is estimated that between 75 and 90 games will be played during this year's regular season
The CSS will not be played if...
1. The program is not a first-run episode from the current season.
2. Any part or all of the Showcases are interrupted by break-ins or pre-emptions to the network. Isolated local incidents are not grounds for cancellation; members may request a readback in the chat room if they cannot see the Showcases for whatever reason.
3. There are problems with the website such as freezes or other failures during the showcase.
4. There are spoilers emanating from network press releases or local newspapers which divulge winning amounts and/or items in a particular showcase for a day's program
5. The game host or senior official deems play void.
If only the price reveals are pre-empted on a telecast, the game will be official if the ending of the showcase airs in another time zone.
All golden-road.net members who attend tapings of the show are honor-bound not to participate in that day's CSS nor to divulge details of the show to other members. Those who attend tapings now have the option to "opt-out" and take $5,000 and 50.00 CSS points to be added to their total score. As this provides a rare opportunity to earn cash and points without having to be present in site chat, being forthright on show attendance is encouraged.
During weeks in which there is a double run of episodes each day, only the 11AM EST episode will be counted that day.
ELIGIBILTY
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All people on golden-road.net may participate in the CSS, including the game leader and moderators. The two contestants on TV compete as a combined entity known as the "Stage Player." This competitor is a constant foe of all chat room participants, and as such is the only player to be represented in each game of the season.
GAME PLAY
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Using the FORUM PM feature, send a PM to the host specified in the CSS forum and in that day’s chat (a link will be provided) with BOTH of your bids at the same time. Please label your bids accordingly so there will be no discrepancy as to which bid is for which showcase. Obviously, wait until after the second showcase is revealed, but please send it quickly afterwards. If the time stamp is after the time of the reveal, your bids will not count. The approximate reveal time is usually around 11:57AM EST or so, but may vary. Bids accepted outside of this general timeframe will not count. To ensure you bids are sent, please make use of the "Save a copy in my outbox" feature within the PM system in case bid validation is required. If needed, reveal timestamps from the chat will be used it needed.
Bids may only be accepted during the actual play of the showcase on the show. They may not be messaged at any other time in advance of the show, whether it be one day, one week, or ten minutes in advance of the showcases. This feature keeps the game fair and valid for all and prevents otherwise absent contestants from "proxying" bids to stay in the game.
Once a bid comes in for a showcase it cannot be changed. Most players in the chatroom, or those watching the show elsewhere will know when a showcase is over, but if any player submits an early bid for a showcase and an additional prize is subsequently revealed, the bid stands. Bids will be considered AS written, unless the submitter submits an immediate correction, and only for an OBVIOUS TYPO. In the event that SC bids aren't labeled, the first number will be considered to be SC 1, while the second will be for SC 2. CHECK YOUR BIDS CAREFULLY.
Chatroom players' differences on the showcases will then be calculated based on the actual retail price (ARP) the TV host reads for each showcase (and as verified by the official recap thread and Recordings). Scores are then recorded for each player. These results will generally get posted after 3PM Eastern on the same day the episode airs.
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GAME SCORING -- POINTS
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Please note: For the purposes of Season 9.5 we are reverting to the classic scoring system.
The day's winner is the player with the highest point score, which represents a percentage of the player's bids against the ARP of both showcases. Important: For a player's score to count, the player must bid under the ARP on each showcase. If a player is over on one or both showcases, that player's score for that day is zero. Over on one, over on both.
Scores are calculated in the following manner:
(Total of Player's Bids)
-------------------------------------- x 100 (x Any multipliers) = Player's Score
(Total of the ARP's of Both Showcases)
POINTS MULTIPLIERS & DOUBLE VALUES
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(By and large no substance changes, just wording changes)
Show-specific point bonuses:
— Points and Money Awards are always doubled on Friday.
— In the event of a perfect show (all six pricing games won), points are doubled.
Game-specific point bonuses:
— In the event that Plinko is played, a special mini-game will commence. Immediately after the reveal of the final “small prize’s” actual retail price, participants shall PM the host their estimate of the contestant’s final Plinko winnings. The two players closest without going over will have their scores doubled. In the event of a tie, the player with the best score in the CSS itself will receive the bonus. In the event the player awarded the doubler goes over, that doubler shall be forfeited except in accordance with tiebreaker procedures as mentioned previously.
Showcase-specific point bonuses:
— DSW. If the player scores less than $250 away from the ARP of one showcase, WITHOUT GOING OVER ON THE OTHER, they will have their points doubled (2x) and will receive the money value of both showcases, in addition to any other episodic or game-related multipliers.
— QSW. If the player scores less than $250 away from the ARP of BOTH showcases, they will have their points quadrupled, in addition to any other show or game-related multipliers. They will receive also receive money equal to the value of both showcases if someone beats them on at least one showcase’s value; otherwise they will receive the value of both showcases, times two (i.e.: a double DSW).
— BLITZ. If the player is the ONLY player to receive points that day (STAGE PLAYER must be over as well) then they will receive double points (2x).
— EXACTA. If the player bids exactly right on either showcase (i.e. Terry's a showcase), the player will receive an additional 2x multiplier for each exactly-priced showcase, in addition to the DSW/QSW/Blitz multipliers. This can occur with BOTH showcases, resulting in a DOUBLE exacta.
For an double exacta (w/QSW) Blitz on a perfect Friday, the day after another double exacta, with the Plinko doubler, this would result in a total multiplier of 256X!. (4x for Double Exacta, 4x for QSW. 2x Blitz, 2x Plinko, 2x Perfect Show, 2x Friday). Should someone actually achieve this multiplier, the site administrators reserve the right to purchase them some sort of commemorative ribbon.
-- Please note that with the beginning of Season 9.5, the .06 Bonus has been retired.
If the player goes over on either showcase for that day, all multipliers are forfeited.
GAME SCORING -- MONEY
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For each showcase, there will be a designated "showcase winner", who will receive the ARP of that showcase added to their money score. The "showcase winner" is the player who has the highest acceptable bid on each showcase -- without going over on the other. Just like with the points scoring, if you go over on one showcase, you’ve lost both. The showcase winner for each showcase also will receive the ARP of the other showcase if that player is $250 or less away from the ARP of that showcase. If the player has the best bid on each showcase and both are $250 or less away from the ARP's, in essence the player wins twice the ARP of both showcases.
Money scores will double on Fridays. Money scores now also double with perfect shows.
- RAT RACE CASHER
If the pricing game "Rat Race" is played during a first-run show, a player may earn a cash bonus of up to $25,000 applied to their total earnings for correctly predicting the finishing order of all five rats (Yellow, Orange, Blue, Pink and Green). These guesses should be sent immediately when the game is revealed as the number of rats the stage contestant earns is not relevant. The FIRST contestant submitting a PM with the proper order of all 5 rats win a $25,000 bonus. If there is no player to correctly guess the finishing order, the player who comes closest will be awarded a $5,000 bonus per correctly ordered rat. At a minimum any winning player must at LEAST correctly order 2 rats. In the event of a tie, the top 2 CSS finishers will receive the bonus If the contestant earning the cash bonus goes over on either showcase, or does NOT play CSS that day, the bonus will be forfeited and awarded to the next eligible player. If the winning player earns any cash multipliers that day, these will be applied to it as well, including Friday doublers.
WEEKLY RESULTS, AND NEW TOURNAMENT FOR SEASON 9.5
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Due to the shortened nature of Season 9.5, and with interim hosts rotating on a week-to-week basis, a slightly revised gameplay format will be used for this season ONLY. The format for season 10 and beyond will be decided upon this summer by the new CSS host.
Results will appear in the CSS forum the game is played sometime after the recap is posted, as these results will include Stage Player differences that may act as spoilers. The table will be sorted by point score, and will also denote the two showcase winners for that day and their money scores.
Statistics for the game period will be kept and tallied throughout the week. Every weekend there will be a new leaderboard released featuring the cumulative point and dollar scores. The chart will track average score based on number of games played (as we go on there will be a minimum number of games to qualify for this), number of daily wins, DSW's, QSW's and various other statistics, as well as a recap of the week's action. While it will be up to the host(s) to keep season-wide stats at their discretion, only single-week stats will be used for tournament purposes.
The eligible players with the highest average points and cash totals for the week will be declared that week’s winners – and will receive berths into this year’s season-concluding CSS tournament. In order to qualify as tournament-eligible in any given week, a player MUST play in at least 60% of that week's shows. For weeks with either 4 or 5 first-run episodes, three games must be played to be tournament-eligible. In weeks with 3 first-run episodes, two games must be played. In the event of a week with fewer than three first run episodes, overall results will carry over to the next week of first run episodes.
If the top scorers in either category each week have already qualified, then the postseason invite will fall to the 2nd place finisher in that category. If the player in 2nd place has *also* already qualified, then the 3rd place player in the category will become eligible. If the 3rd place player is *also* already qualified, then no postseason invitation will be awarded in that category for the week. Entry into the post-season will also be awarded to any player who guesses the ARP of a showcase exactly right (Exacta) during any first run show without going over the retail price of their other showcase bid.
In the event that the same player wins a tournament berth by finishing first (or second) in both categories, then the second playoff berth will go to second (or third) place in average points. Also, in the event that a player earns both playoff berths while finishing in different positions (Ex: 1st in cash, 2nd in points) then the playoff birth will first fall to the highest ranked player not yet in the tournament (in this case, 2nd in cash). At no point shall a player earn a playoff berth for either category while finishing outside the top three in that category. (Except for showcase exactas).
This weekly championship format is designed as a fill-in for the usual above-the-line system of post-season entry due to the week-to-week nature of host/statistician tryouts and due to the shortened season.
POSTSEASON
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Tentatively scheduled for mid-June 2013, there will be an invitational tournament to determine the season's winner. All players who have received entry into the postseason will compete in a two week tournament to decide the winner for the season. In the event of a preemption during the tournament’s scheduled dates, the show is lost and will not be made up. In the event the final day is pre-empted, then the last completed episode will serve as the conclusion.
The final two weeks of shows will be played as one single tournament among the qualifying participants, with no weekly winner at the conclusion of the first week. Scoring and all bonuses will remain the same. Because of the invitational entry method being used this year, there will be no ranking bonuses. All players start with a clean slate. The playoffs will be played for points only – no cash. During the tournament, not playing will result in a score of 0 for the day. Whoever is in the lead at the conclusion of the 2nd week WINS!
Official dates for the CSS Postseason Tournament will be announced at a later time.
GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE!
