The Price is Right’s host of games within the game are as iconic as the long-running game show itself, games like “Plinko” or “Cliff Hangers,” with that awesome yodel that is arguably the second-best sound effect of all time on the show (nothing, and I repeat nothing, will ever top the losing horn). From the very first game to be played on the show in 1972 (“Any Number”) to its newest (2006 entry “Stack the Deck”), fans of the show have become so familiar with them that many believe they’ve uncovered secret strategies for winning. One such strategy has been revealed for “Cover Up,” from a Reddit user who believes they’ve cracked the code or, more appropriately, uncovered Cover Up.
The Price is Right’s “Cover Up” game is played on a gameboard with a series of numbers. On the bottom is a row of spaces, and above each space are blocks of numbers, two above the first space, three above the second, right up to six above the final fifth digit. The contestant has to select a number from the column above each space to arrive at the price of… a new car! If any of the digits are correct, they are lit up on the board. If they’re not, they have to pick a new number from the same column. The contestant either wins the car by correctly placing all five digits in the spaces, or gets that iconic losing horn. Did I mention my fondness for the losing horn?
‘The Price is Right’s “Cover Up” and How to Beat It

The secret strategy to beating “Cover Up” is posted on Reddit by user Suchgallbladder, who has the gall to suggest they’ve got it. The way Suchgallbladder (no relation to Muchspleen or Analogousappendix) sees it, the usual strategy of picking the correct first digit first isn’t the way to go. That answer is typically pretty obvious (given a choice between a 2 and a 4 for the first digit on a new car is going to be 2), so fight the urge to get it right and select the incorrect number. The second number is relatively easy as well, so pick it, and for the last three digits, take your best guess, burning off potential choices if you’re not correct.

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Following this method give you a “free” guess in the second round, because you already know the first digit and, if you haven’t already, should have the second as well. Then make your next 3 picks. Assuming you haven’t already won, it’s on to round three, which, at worst, leaves 2 numbers for the third digit, 3 for the fourth and 4 for the fifth. If that third digit is right, the options left at spots 4 and 5 are that much easier. If all goes well, round five is down to two numbers for the fifth digit, giving the contestant a 50:50 one-time shot at bringing home… a new car! Or… that’s right… bum-bum-ba-dum, waaaahhhhhh.
There’s No Shortage of Strategies to Beat ‘The Price is Right’ Games

The strategy behind “Cover Up” is just one of a multitude of strategies that have been discovered by fans of The Price is Right. A hack was recently discovered for what is arguably the show’s hardest game, “3 Strikes,” for example. But most of these strategies don’t have the same credentials as Justin L. Bergner, Yale-trained game theory expert and author of “Solving the Price is Right.” CNBC, in an article published on May 5 2024, revealed five of Bergner’s strategies. The first is knowing when to stop spinning the big wheel in the Showcase Showdown. The first spinner should spin again at $0.65 or less, otherwise stop, while the second spinner should spin again at $0.50 or less (third spinner is pretty much left to their own devices).
Secondly, place the Plinko chip directly in the center row, which gives you the best odds at 23% o winning the $10,000. Third, if you’re one of the first three contestants on Contestant’s Row, avoid underbidding, with a rule of thumb to increase your planned bid by 10%, and if you’re the last bidder, the fourth strategy is to “clip” the previous bids by at least $1, or just bid the $1, giving you a 41% chance of winning. Finally, after following all of these strategies and you’re on the Showcase Showdown, bid on the first showcase, which results in better outcomes. To the best of my knowledge, there is no strategy for “Cliff Hangers,” so yodel along. The Price is Right is available to stream in the U.S. on YouTube TV

Release Date

September 4, 1972

Cast

Bob Barker
, Janice Pennington
, Drew Carey
, Lanisha Cole

Main Genre

Game Show

Seasons

52

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WATCH ON YOUTUBE TV