The Ultimate Price is Right Strategy Guide: Make Your Move

Make Your Move

Season 48 edit

There's an update for season 48, and it doesn't make the game any easier. They used a $470 prize in the game on November 18, 2019, so the advice about making sure you select a price above $500 for the three digit prize is no longer accurate. The rest still applies. The original unedited post is below...

Rules

Three prizes are shown: one with four digits in its price, one with three digits in its price, and one with two digits in its price. Nine numbers in a line are also shown. The contestant must decide which four of those numbers belong to the price of the four digit prize, which three numbers belong to the price of the three digit prize, and which two digits belong to the price of the two digit prize. Every number in the line must be used exactly once. If the contestant decides correctly, they win all three prizes.

Random Fact

This game is usually easy for contestants to understand, but not always:

Win-loss record

• Actual (seasons 29-46): 83-110 (43.01%)
• What it would be by random chance: 1/6 (16.67%)

Number of times the correct solution was... (seasons 43-47)

• [XX][YYY][ZZZZ]: 2 playings (4.17%)
• [XX][ZZZZ][YYY]: 12 playings (25.00%)
• [YYY][XX][ZZZZ]: 6 playings (12.50%)
• [YYY][ZZZZ][XX]: 8 playings (16.67%)
• [ZZZZ][XX][YYY]: 13 playings (25.00%)
• [ZZZZ][YYY][XX]: 7 playings (14.58%)

Range of values for each prize (seasons 43-47)

• Two digit prize: $18-$95
• Three digit prize: $508-$995
• Four digit prize: $5,129-$9,931

Strategy

Mostly know the prices, but the following tips can help you:

1. As you can see, the three digit prize and the four digit prize always have a price that starts with 5 or greater. So any solution that violates this rule should be discarded immediately.
2. As a corollary to the first point, if the first number in the row is 4 or less, it means the first two digits are the price of the two digit prize.
3. They very rarely have the [XX][YYY][ZZZZ] solution. So be sure of the prices before you choose that ordering--if you have any doubt at all, go for something else. In fact, be sure before you choose the last four digits in the row as the price of the four digit prize, no matter which ordering of the first two prizes you choose.
4. If you see a "99" anywhere in the row, it's very likely not the ending of any of the prizes. From seasons 43 to 47, only 3 of the 48 four digit prizes have ended in -99 and none of the two digit prizes has ended in -99.