The Ultimate Price is Right Strategy Guide: Coming or Going

Coming or Going

Rules

A prize is shown as are 4 digits that slide on a platform. The contestant must decide whether the digits should be coming toward them or going away from them. If they guess correctly, they win the prize.

Random fact 

When this game first debuted, it didn't have a price tag to reveal the price; instead, Bob or Drew simply asked if the contestant was right and the platform would flash if they were.

Win-loss record

• Actual (seasons 32-46): 223-149 (59.95%)
  (Note Coming or Going was introduced in season 32.)
• What it would be by random chance: 1/2 (50%)

# of times each choice was right

• Coming: 176 (47.31%)
• Going: 196 (52.69%)

Based on the initial digit on the platform, what was correct? (seasons 40-46)

Digit  Coming  Going 

  4       4       2 
  5      20      21

  6       9      26

  7      16      33

  8      20      11
  9      18      10

Strategy 

Know the price. If you're completely clueless about the price, you can use the above table to suggest that if you see a 6 or 7 when the prop is first shown, then select "going" while you should set an 8 or 9 as "coming." But that's not really enough playings to recommend that as a pattern. And they're very careful with the 5s--not only was it basically 50/50 as for whether the correct answer was coming or going when 5 was the initial digit, but overall, there were 34 prizes that ended in 5 and 29 that started with 5 from seasons 40-46. So this is a "know your prices" game.

Addendum: there is a very common pattern! Thanks to GameShowFan9001, 123123123, and Kev347 at golden-road.net for pointing out a pattern in this game. In every playing since 12/11/2015, "going" has been correct for every trip and "coming" has been correct for every non-trip. So if you just remember that you're going on a trip or coming home to a prize, you'll win this game every time (at least unless they change this pattern.)

Season 49 edit: there were a couple of playings in season 49 for trips that did NOT follow this rule. All non-trips did follow this rule. Be aware.