Description

This was based on the classic TV game show original hosted by Alex Trebek along with Ruta Lee (Elaine Stewart in the syn. version) as co-host on NBC Daytime in 1974 and in Syndication from 1975 for which both have ended in 1976 along with a revival under the name (The New) High Rollers with Trebek once again as host along with Becky Price, Linda Hooks and Lauren Firestone as co-hosts respectively which also aired on NBC Daytime from 1978 until 1980. Then was once again revived briefly in Syndication hosted by Wink Martindale along with Crystal Owens and K.C. Winkler as co-hosts respectively airing from 1987 until 1988.

Each number one through nine is assigned a random, secret card that has a value between $50 and $500. The game master begins the round by asking a trivia question of the two players. The player who answers the question correctly wins control of the dice.

The controlling player may roll the dice or force the opponent to roll them. If the player who rolls the dice can use any combination added together of the numbers one through nine to make the total rolled the player wins the value of assigned values of those numbers. Numbers used are removed from play.

A players wins by removing the last number. A player loses when the player cannot make the dice roll using the remaining numbers in play.

The winning player plays the "Big Numbers" round solitaire. Rolling the dice to remove numbers. Rolling doubles earns the player an Insurance Card which gives the player a free roll when needed. Removing all the numbers earns the player $10,000. Failing to remove all the numbers earns the player $100 for each number removed.

The player with the most money wins the game.

When the game was revived in 1978, gameplay was changed slightly. The numbers 1-9 are put in three columns of three and assigned prizes to each column at the start of the game. A player had to remove the last number of a column to win the prizes. The object of the game remained the same, as did the Big Numbers.

The 1975 home games from both the E.S. Lowe and Milton Bradley era were called Big Numbers: The High Rollers Game while the 1988 Parker Brothers home game was just simply called High Rollers.

The show was inspired by the board game itself called Shut the Box.