TPiR Recap - 9/26/2018

[ThatDonGuy]

I couldn't understand how the contestant could throw back $5000 on that first slip. There was only a 5 out of 50 chance, 10%, that she could have punched a higher dollar amount than that. I think she got REAL lucky to have hit another $5000 on the last punch. If it was me, I would have been like Steve Miller and "Take the Money and Run".

You seem to forget that the had three punches remaining, and not just one.  The chance of her getting all three of her remaining punches less than $5000 was 30/49 x 29/48 x 28/47 = about 22%.  If she gets another $5000 on her second or third punch, then it's an entirely new problem.

It's sort of like rolling one car and $3000 on Let 'Em Roll; the decision on what to do may depend on whether the contestant has one roll left or two.