Hello, and welcome to a brand-new series of Le Banquier: The Forum Plays. I'm your host, Mark David, and today Ben will take on the Banker for a shot at half a million dollars.

We play with U.S. rules here, so let's get things started right away. Pick one case for yourself, Ben, and then six more for Round 1.

Also, don't forget about the bonus things. They can show up at any time.

Good luck !

I'm going to use a unique but straight forward system that I call "play in the odds" in choosing my boxes.

Since Case 19 has big in it whenever I keep track of which cases hold which amounts, I'll select that as my case.

1, 3, 5, 7, 11 and 13 to start, please.

How did I know you'd select one of the "nine" cases for yourself? You gotta explain what that Selfridges thing is about to me later on, because I've never heard of it.

We're going to be the antithesis to the TV version of this show and avoid faffing about at all costs. It's juice and jam time.

Round 1
[1] - $150,000 - Not the greatest amount to begin with, but it's okay for now.
[3] - Surprise / $200 - A bonus in only your second case. Since you're the self-proclaimed Coupon Boy, here's a $7,500 gift card to use on Groupon.com.
[5] - $500
[7] - $0.01 - Come on, get in, as our British friends say .
[11] - Vidéotron Mobile - That's your second bonus in this round. Ten grand in guaranteed cash for you !
[13] - $200,000 - Ehh, it's fine.

Kind of an up-and-down round there, but the board looks pretty good. Here is your first offer.

BANKER'S OFFER

$41,000

Est-ce que cette offre est acceptée ou refusée?

It's early days and the offer is less than half of the average, so REFUSEE.

15, 17, 21, 23 and 25, please. May the odds fall ever in my favor.

The "odds," eh? I see what you did there .

Round 2
[15] - $400,000 - Well, that wasn't very good.
[17] - $10 - But that was!
[21] - $5,000
[23] - $100,000 - Another Power Eight amount gone.
[25] - $750

More big money eliminated. Let's see what kind of effect that had on the offer.

BANKER'S OFFER

$48,000

A slight increase, despite what happened.

As always, it's your call. Acceptée ou refusée?

I still have 4 six figure amounts and there's only a 1 in 1,365 of eliminating all of them in this next round, so REFUSEE.

26, 24, 22 and 20 next, please.

From odd numbers to evens. Let's see if this strategy pays off.

Round 3
[26] - $20
[24] - $500,000 - And there goes the half-mill .
[22] - $1
[20] - $50,000

That was a rough round. As you might expect, there is one very happy Banker at the other end of this phone.

BANKER'S OFFER

$33,000

Acceptée ou refusée?

Again, only removing all of the six figure amounts will see the offer crash, and that's still a 1 in 165 chance, so REFUSEE.

18, 16, and 14, please.

We've seen people make amazing comebacks on various versions of Deal; perhaps this game is headed for the comeback trail as well.

Round 4
[18] - Sunwing / $100 - You've won a trip to Punta Cana worth $8,000. That's $25,500 worth of prizes guaranteed to you, should all go wrong.
[16] - $300
[14] - $50

An all-blue round ! You probably needed that after the last round.

Your board at this point:

$5
$75
$400
----------
$1,000
$25,000
$125,000
$175,000
$300,000

And now, for the offer.

BANKER'S OFFER

$52,000

Acceptée ou refusée?

I'm in a golden position at the moment as I can't find all off the 3 six figure amounts in the next round, and even if I find the top 2 the offer should still be above $20,000.

With that being said, REFUSEE.

12 and 10, please.

You make a valid point there, Ben. Let's see what pans out with your next two selections.

Round 5
[12] - $5
[10] - $75

Another all-blue round leaves one blue left in play. Naturally, that's going to have an effect on your next offer.

BANKER'S OFFER

$85,000

Acceptée ou refusée?

The mean is $104,000 and change. $85,000 is definitely a good offer for the board at 82% of the average, but even if I find the $300k the average will still be $65,000 so while there is only a 50/50 chance of improving the board at this stage I think it's worth the risk, so thank you Banker but REFUSEE.

Case 8, please.

I wish the contestants on the TV version had your smarts, Ben. It might have resulted in some better games.

Anyway, on we go with Round 6.

Round 6
[8] - $400

You've done it! The left side of the board is clear !

The offer continues to trend upwards.

BANKER'S OFFER

$106,000

Our first foray into six figures. Take your time with this one.

Acceptée ou refusée?

Now this is an even trickier one. The average is now $125,000 and change, but the offer is also in six figures.

At this stage I think $125,000 can be classed as a neutral amount, so there's still a 50/50 chance of the offer going up after the next case. Worst case scenario and the average of the board is still $81,500, so I still think it's worth the risk.

REFUSEE and Case 6, please.

This has been a most interesting game thus far. As long as the top three amounts remain in play, you can expect the offer to rise.

We're still progressing one case at a time, with every case more crucial than the last.

Round 7
[6] - $1,000 - Yes !

This game was on the brink of disaster just a few rounds ago, but it's a much different scenario now. Keep this up, Ben, and there could be big money in your future. However, the Banker is getting increasingly concerned, and he wants you out as soon as possible. Perhaps this offer will do it.

BANKER'S OFFER

$135,000

Take some QTT to mull this over as we await your answer.

Yipee.

I'm guaranteed over $50,000 in cash and prizes regardless, and the offer is still some way below the average, so definitely REFUSEE.

Case 2, please.

Declining what some people would say is a good offer to open another case. Good luck, Ben; I hope this works out for you.

Round 8
[2] - $125,000

That's okay. It's not great, but it's fine for now. $300,000 is still on the board, and as previously stated, if it continues to stay there, the offers will continue to rise.

Your new offer is...

BANKER'S OFFER

$144,000

Acceptée ou refusée?

Given you basically confirmed that taking out the $175k will still send the offer up, this is another easy REFUSEE.

Case 4, please.

Sorry for the extended delay there, my friend. I'm back, and ready to continue this most exciting game with you.

Before the break, you selected case number 4. The goal here is to keep the $300,000 alive, as doing so will ensure that the final offer increases.

Let's open that case right now.

Round 9
[4] - $175,000

Bad news: The safety net you had earlier is now gone. Good news: You have a 50-50 shot at 300 grand.

But before you can make that decision, you have to make this one. With a final two of $25,000 and $300,000, your final offer is...

BANKER'S OFFER

$150,000

For what may be the last time in this game, est-ce que cette offre est acceptée ou refusée?

Hmmmm.

That offer, while Fair for this finish, gives me a slight desire to go all the way. Worst case scenario involves still leaving with over $50,000 in cash and prizes, and $300,000 would be the highest win in Le Banquier history (from the conventional game ).

You know what, I'm going to break out of my analytical she'll and just go for it. REFUSEE.

Also, since I already chose my case and intend to stick with it I will also say REFUSEE to the switch if it is offered.