26 cases...

Half a million dollars...

No convoluted formats...

And a French Canadian guy in a box...

Ladies and gentlemen, this is Le Banquier! And now, please welcome your host, Mark David!

*audience applauds as Mark runs onstage*

Thank you very much! Welcome to the Season 2 premiere of Le Banquier, where one case leads to another, and the right case can lead you to $500,000!

After a productive first season that featured several big wins, we're back to do it all over again. We've also made an exciting change to our game that could see one contestant take home a record-breaking jackpot.

From this season forward, we will be adopting a tournament format. Five games will be played. At the end of the season, the contestant with the highest total will advance to our Winner's Special to play for $1 million!

Kicking off our second season is... willrelf!

Will, welcome to the game ! Let's get started.

Pick a case for yourself, and then six more for the opening round.

Also, be on the lookout for our three bonus cases. They'll earn you some terrific prizes that count towards your final total.

Bonne chance !

I'll have 7 as my case and start with 1 thru 6 please.

Number 7 is yours, good sir.

In bingo lingo, clickety-clicks, it's time to open these cases six.

[1] - $5,000
[2] - $750 | Maxi - You've found the Maxi Case, sponsored by Quebec-based supermarket chain Maxi! That means you've just won a holiday in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada worth $8,000 !
[3] - $75
[4] - $20
[5] - $400,000 - First Power Eight hit, but you're still alive.
[6] - $1

That was a decent opening round. Let's see what your first offer is.

BANKER'S OFFER

$44,000

Five cases to open if you decline this offer.

Est-ce que cette offre est acceptee ou refusee?

May I see the board please?

Refusee.

8 thru 12.

Here are your next five selections.

[8] - $175,000
[9] - $300
[10] - $150,000
[11] - $1,000
[12] - $25,000

Here is the board.

$0.01
$5
$10
$50
$100
$200
$400
$500
----------
Capital One
$50,000
$100,000
$125,000
$200,000
$300,000
$500,000

And here is the offer.

BANKER'S OFFER

$53,000

Acceptee ou refusee?

Not enough to tempt me away Banker, sorry. Refusee.

How many boxes next?

Let me break it down for you.

Next round: 4 to open
Round 4: 3 to open
Round 5: 2 to open
Rounds 6-9: 1 to open

Four to open in the next round, so let's have your next four selections, please .

13 thru 16.

Hmm, I think I've figured out your selection system. Very original .

[13] - $50,000
[14] - $5
[15] - $100,000
[16] - $300,000

You're really chipping away at the Power Eight there, and the Banker is beginning to take notice. He thinks you should take this offer.

BANKER'S OFFER

$60,000

With three cases to open in the next round, est-ce que cette offre est acceptee ou refusee?

It is a highly complicated system, carefully worked out.

I'm confident there's at least another round in this, so refusee.

17 thru 19.

Well, let's hope so.

On ya va pour trois valises.

[17] - $50
[18] - $100
[19] - $200 | Surprise - That's another of our bonus cases. Your prize is an Arsenal fan package, consisting of tickets to all of their home games next season, jerseys, and a stadium tour. This terrific prize is worth $8,000 !

An all-blue round, plus a nifty prize to boot. Not bad, not bad at all. Let's see how the Banker feels about that.

BANKER'S OFFER

$81,000

The half-million is still up there, and you only have to open two cases in the next round.

Acceptee ou refusee?

Keep going, willrelf. You still have the Capital One bonus to claim and you have an excellent shot at a 6 figure offer with this board.

Nice prize, you must have known I'm an Arsenal fan...

Refusee, I've still got a good board.

20 and 21 please.

A little birdie told me .

For what it's worth, I'm a Montreal Canadiens fan. They're an NHL hockey team. No one here except me knows what hockey is .

Speaking of the Capital One bonus, if you find the case that has it inside, you'll win a guaranteed $10,000, which is yours to keep regardless of the game's outcome.

Anyway, on with the show, and your next two selections. Decline the next offer, and you'll be opening one case at a time.

[20] - $400
[21] - $125,000

You've got a pretty good board at this point. Let's take a look at what's still in play.

$0.01
$10
$500
-----
Capital One
$200,000
$500,000

The jackpot is still there, but so is the penny, an amount that's actually been retired here in Canada since 2012. Here comes the offer.

BANKER'S OFFER

$102,000

Acceptee ou refusee?

Without the Capital One bonus still in lay I'd probably take this, but I'd personally NO DEAL in this situation.

I shall go on one more. Refusee.

22.

You're the boss, Will.

We're at the point in the game where you'll be proceeding one case at a time until we reach the final two. Each case you open in the next few rounds could seriously impact your game and shift the momentum either way.

That being said, let's open case 22.

[22] - $500 - Excellent !

Both the jackpot and Capital One are still up for grabs at this point.

The momentum has shifted your way, something that the Banker doesn't like. He wants you out of here immediately.

BANKER'S OFFER

$125,000

The Banker adds that if you take out another blue in the next round, the next offer will be at least $145,000.

Acceptee ou refusee?

I have a feeling 23 is a bad box and due to my OCD tendencies I wouldn't want to miss it out, so for that reason, Acceptee!

Let's see if I'm right about 23.

Acceptee? Okay, then. $125,000 is secure, despite the Capital One bonus and the jackpot still sitting somewhere in the gallery.

But was it the best deal you could've made? Let's open case 23 to find out.

[23] - $0.01 - Nope !

The Banker thinks he might have saved himself a lot of money at this point.

"Looks like like we're not having another Daniel Karmy," he says with a laugh. "What a relief!"

BANKER'S OFFER WOULD'VE BEEN

$146,000

Had you declined that offer, where would you have gone next?

24.