Caesars Challenge - Gameplay

Gameplay

Three contestants competed, and three rounds were played. The object in each round was to solve a jumbled word displayed on a 9-screen slot machine on stage. Seven-letter words were used in round one, eight-letter words in round two and nine-letter words in round three.

Each new word fit into a category that was originally revealed to everyone, but later only revealed to home viewers. Rashad asked the players a toss-up question with three choices based on the category, and a player who buzzed in with the correct answer won money and the right to choose a letter to be placed into the word. Correct answers paid off at $100 in the first round, $200 in the second round, and $300 in the third round. If two of the three players failed to answer any question correctly, the money and letter choice were awarded to the third player by default.

After the player's selected letter was placed, he or she was given five seconds to try to guess the word. Doing so won the player additional money based on how many of the letters were not placed; otherwise, play continued until the word was correctly guessed. The first two rounds were played with two words apiece, and the third round was played with as many words as possible played until time ran out.

During the time when the category was only revealed to the home audience, Rashad announced the category of the word to the contestants after the word had been correctly guessed.

In round one, each word was seven letters in length, and the contestant who solved the word received $100 per each unplaced letter. Round two featured eight-letter words, and the unplaced letters were worth $200 each. Round three's words were all nine letters in length and the value for unplaced letters increased to $300.

One of the nine screens in each word was designated the "Lucky Slot", signified by a red border surrounding the screen. If a player placed a letter in the Lucky Slot and solved the puzzle immediately after, he or she won an instant cash jackpot that was added to their score along with the money the player earned from unplaced letters. The Lucky Slot started each day at $500, increased by that amount for each word it wasn't won, and reset to $500 once it was claimed.

If a word was in play when time was called in the third round, signified by the sound of a car horn, the Lucky Slot was taken out of play and the remaining unplaced letters were placed one at a time until someone guessed the word and earned the remaining money left from the unplaced letters. Buzzing in and answering incorrectly during this time locked a player out of the rest of the round.

The player with the most money at the end of the game won, kept his or her money, and advanced to the bonus round. Originally, the winner shopped for prizes with their winnings; later, he or she were given a prize package equal to their winnings. The other players left with parting gifts, including dinner for two and tickets to a headliner show at the Circus Maximus showroom at Caesars Palace. In the case of a tie, another speed-up round was played between the tied players.