Illinois Instant Riches - Bonus Games - Pot O' Gold

Pot O' Gold

The "Pot O' Gold" game debuted in 1995 which utilized returning champions from previous weeks. The returning champion would stand at the end of a path behind a keypad with three buttons and a red button. The opponent stood at the front of the path, with 8 spaces between the two. The first 5 steps were numbered 1-5, the last three had cash.

The opponent could take up to three steps at a time, but the champion was charged with predicting which step the opponent would pick. After the opponent took his/her position, Goodman would ask the champion to press the red button. If the opponent dodged the trap, the game would continue. If not, the opponent had to return to their original position. Each step had a yellow light that would turn to a flashing orange whenever the booby-trap was sprung, in case the player hit the trap. If the player avoided the trap, the yellow light flashed, and the orange light would light up where the booby-trap was placed.

Opponents won and took over the championship if they landed on one of the last three spaces on the path—the first was worth $10,000, the second worth $25,000, and the last marked "Big Money". If the opponent ended on this space, he/she could pick from a tray of coins worth anywhere from $40,000 to $200,000.

If the champion successfully trapped the challenger twice, the game ended with the champion winning an additional $20,000. There was a six-show limit, only achieved once (although one champion won his 7th week during the show's 1996 trip to Arlington Race Course). For the following telecast the next week (in addition to the first time "Pot O' Gold" was ever played), the top two money winners competed. The top winner assumed the champion's while the runner-up assumed the challenger's role.

Flamingo Fortune renamed this game Treasure Island. The rules were the same, except that the "BIG MONEY" step was replaced by a picture of a treasure chest, and the top prize was increased to $500,000 while the bottom prize from the chest of coins was upped to $50,000. It was won at least once. Blue lights were used to indicate the player's choice, and the booby-trapped step lit up in red instead of yellow. The prize was $25,000 instead of $20,000, if the champion successfully trapped the newcomer twice.