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Punch a Bunch

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Punch a Bunch (also occasionally, if incorrectly, known as Punchboard) is a pricing game on the American television game show The Price Is Right. Debuting on September 27, 1978, it is played for a cash prize of up to $10,900, and uses small prizes.

Though the top prize is $10,900, the announced top prize is $10,000, as is it relatively rare to be able to win more than that (see below), and the game is not designed with that eventuality in mind.


Gameplay

The contestant is shown four small prizes, one at a time, each with an incorrect price. The contestant must decide whether the correct price is higher or lower than the price shown. If they are correct, they win that item and earn one punch on a 50-hole punchboard.

After all four prizes are played, the contestant literally punches out however many holes in the Punchboard they have earned. Each hole on the board contains a slip with a dollar amount written on it.

The slip in the first hole punched is removed and shown to the contestant. They then decide whether to keep the cash amount and quit, or give it back and look in the next hole. This process repeats until all of the punched holes have been looked in; if the contestant has not yet quit at this point, they win whatever is in their final hole.

The only way to win nothing in Punch a Bunch is to be incorrect about all four small prizes and earn no punches. The values on the Punchboard, and their distribution, are as follows:

Value Frequency
$10,000 2
$5,000 3
$1,000 5
$500 10
$250 10
$100 10
$50 10


Second Chance

Four slips – one each of the lowest four values ($50, $100, $250, and $500) – also have the words “Second Chance” written on them, entitling the contestant to punch out another hole. The slip in the new hole is immediately revealed and added to the amount on the Second Chance slip. This total amount must be accepted or given back by the contestant. If a contestant’s Second Chance punch reveals another Second Chance slip, they receive another punch which is added to the total of all previous Second Chance slips.

The Second Chance slips make the largest possible win $10,900, despite the announced grand prize. This can be accomplished by the contestant punching out a Second Chance slip, then punching out the remaining Second Chance slips on each consecutive Second Chance punch, until finally punching out a $10,000 slip on the final Second Chance punch. Several contestants over the years have actually won more than $10,000, although no one has ever found multiple “Second Chance” slips before finding the big prize. The most ever won in Punch a Bunch with the “$10,000″ grand prize is $10,500 (the $500 Second Chance slip and a $10,000 slip).


History

As of Season 30’s Military Specials, Punch a Bunch’s top prize in primetime is $25,000. The “Second Chance” slips are not used, and the frequency is:

Value Frequency
$25,000 2
$5,000 3
$1,000 15
$500 15
$100 15


Original 1978 rules

Punch a Bunch was first played in 1978 and had somewhat different rules on its first eleven playings.

Each time a small prize was correctly guessed, the contestant selected two holes:

  • One hole in the top row, which spelled out the word “PUNCHBOARD.” Each hole contained slips with the numbers “1″ through “10″ written on them.
  • One hole in the big field of 50 holes, whose slips revealed a multiplier. Those slips could say “Dollars” (20 holes), “Hundred” (20 holes), or “Thousand” (10 holes).

The two amounts were combined and became the contestant’s winnings (e.g., a “5″ slip and a “Hundred” multiplier slip meant the contestant won $500). The contestant could keep the cash prize, or give it back and guess with another small prize. The contestant won what was shown on the last draw, unless they opted for a fourth draw and incorrectly answered the prize question, in which case they won nothing.

The original “PUNCHBOARD” holes remained in place until the current set was unveiled in 1996, even though they no longer had any purpose after the original format was abandoned. The “PUNCHBOARD” holes were more prominent on camera than the game’s actual logo, which led many viewers to believe that the game was actually called “Punchboard.” However, its official name is and always has been Punch a Bunch.


See also

  • The Price Is Right
  • List of The Price Is Right pricing games

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