Card Sharks - Money Cards

Money Cards

The winner of the main game played the Money Cards bonus game for a chance to win additional money. The Money Cards board consisted of a series of eight cards on three levels. On the 1970s Card Sharks, a contestant was able to change the base card on each of the three levels (originally only the base card at the beginning of the game). The 1980s series gave the contestant a choice of three pre-dealt cards to use for changes. Contestants were originally allowed to change cards at will (even three times on one card), but the rules were changed to one card per line in early 1986.

$200 ($700 in 2001) was given to the contestant at the beginning of the first level, and they would use that money to wager on whether or not the next card was higher or lower. Making a correct guess added the value of the wager to the contestant's bank, while an incorrect guess cost the contestant the wager.

When the contestant cleared the first level or ran out of money ("busted"), the last played card was moved up to the second level and the contestant received additional money ($200 on the NBC series, $400 on the 1986–1989 editions, and $700 in 2001) to bet with. Minimum bets on the first two levels were $50 and had to be made in increments of $50 ($100 on the 2001 edition). If a contestant still had money left after clearing the second level, the last card was moved to the top line for the "Big Bet" ("Major Wager" on the 2001 version, and reaching this level also added another $700). There, the contestant had to wager at least half of their remaining bank on one last call. However, if a contestant busted on the second or third row, the game ended. The most a contestant could win on the NBC version was $28,800, which was accomplished only once by contestant Norma Brown. Contestants could win up to $32,000 on the 1980s series; the highest amount won was $29,000. Contestants on the 2001 edition could win up to $51,800.

Originally, if a contestant turned over a duplicate card (i.e., two consecutive Aces), it was counted as a loss. Beginning on October 20, 1980, a contestant was no longer penalized in the Money Cards for duplicate cards. After that, the hosts encouraged contestants to bet all their money on Aces and twos as they were guaranteed not to lose any money. This rule was abolished partway through the 2001 version.