The Price Is Right Rules

The game is played by three to seven players with a standard 52-card deck without jokers. There are no wild cards.

Each player ends with seven cards and makes the best five-card hand from them. The best high hand and the best low hand split the pot.

High hands rank according to the standard poker hand rankings. The low ranking, and whether a low hand must qualify, shall be agreed before play; ace-to-five low is the usual choice in home games.

A unit is a fixed amount agreed before play. Card prices are expressed in units.

Each player antes. The dealer deals two cards face down to each player, and players may look at them.

The dealer turns two cards face up side by side in the centre, with the face-down deck next to them. The prices are:

2.2(a) The face-up card further from the deck: 1 unit.

2.2(b) The face-up card nearer the deck: 2 units.

2.2(c) The unseen top card of the deck: 3 units.

Starting with the player to the dealer's left, each player in turn must either buy one of the three cards on offer or fold. Standing pat is not allowed.

A bought face-up card stays face up in the buyer's hand. A player who buys the top card of the deck looks at it and keeps it face down.

The row is restocked as follows:

3.3(a) If the 1-unit card is bought, the 2-unit card slides across to the 1-unit position, and a new card is turned up for the 2-unit position.

3.3(b) If the 2-unit card is bought, the top card of the deck is turned up to replace it.

When every active player has bought a card, there is a betting round begun by the player with the best hand showing.

After the fifth betting round, when everyone has seven cards, each remaining player declares high, low or both. The method (simultaneously with chips held in the fist, or in turn) shall be agreed before play.

The best high hand among those who declared high takes half the pot, and the best low hand among those who declared low takes the other half. Under the usual convention, a player who declares both must win, or tie, both ways.

Three up cards. The row may hold three face-up cards costing 1, 2 and 3 units, with the top card of the deck costing 4 units.