Time for more Deal or No Deal from our Irish neighbours.

Previous games:
Game 1: Anna 13/11/09
Game 2: Aoife 20/11/09

Today's player is Hannah O'Connor, a student-teacher from the city of Galway. Hannah's here to play on behalf of her Mum, Cherie, three players in a row who didn't buy the scratchcard themselves. Hannah's parents own a shop, and the family love to play golf. She's joined by her Dad, Gerald, in the audience.



Hannah's friends from college and volunteers (the "Green Box Club") are opening the boxes. There's 26 boxes she can bring to the table, and she picks box 20. 6 boxes to the first phone call.

First round:

14: €3,000
16: 5c
10: 50c
11: €5. Keith's calling it a "really good start".
19: €1! He says it's "very rare" to have this happen.
17: €35,000. A reality check, but still a great start.



Hannah says "It looks good at the moment. Some of the big reds will have to come out eventually". She's remarkably calm, much more so than before she started, her eyes transfixed on the hole in the top-left hand side. Banker rings, says "The Big Bad Banker is not beaten yet", and apparently isn't worried "at all".

Banker asks why she got into teaching; To mould the next generation, or long holidays? "A bit of both" is her response! He notes that she's young and free spirited, a rebel, but wants to know if she's a risk taker. "To a certain extent, I would be." She says her nickname's Goblin, as she laughs with a high pitch like a goblin when she's on the circuit with the girls!

Hannah's first offer is €12,000. She calls it a "pretty good first offer", but quickly no deals.

Second round:

12: €1,000
25: Rachel W thinks it's about time for someone to teach the banker a lesson, even though he's only played two games before!
... 1c! Keith: "This is going so, so well. I know that you will have angered the banker."
5: €25!

We are now in serious chances that she will win big. She has ripped out 6 of the lowest 8 blues, and only 2 reds taken. Keith calls a break, and I'm sure almost everyone will want to come back to watch this.

24: €500!! The nightmare game for the banker, and it's only game 3!
8: €2,000, fine when there's so many reds remaining.

Hannah's happy with that round. She says her Mum is "more cautious-like, whereas I'm more of a risk-taker", and that she's been given free rein to do what she wants. Though with a board like this, even her Mum might feel confident about playing on in spite of a good offer. Keith says she's having "a run of good luck at the moment."



Banker says he isn't smiling, and that as a student-teacher, she might be teaching him a lesson... or maybe she could be "just too cocky and too confident". She doesn't think so, and she appears to be honest, too. He reminds her that 10 cents is still on the board, though Keith interjects the 1 cent did go last round.

Hannah doesn't have a target, and is prepared to take as much money as she can get from the banker. The banker asks "So is greed the sort of attribute you want to teach all of these children?!" She laughs. "No, positivity! All my class will be positive!", to whoops and cheers from the studio.

Hannah's second offer is €19,000. She grimaces slightly at the offer. That could be because it's money that she would like to have for her family, or because it could be too low for her, or both. She notes there are 6 above the offer, though €20k is just €1k more.

On the one hand, it appears the banker could be underestimating her. However, the average is surprisingly low at just above €45,000, and it's near-certain that reds will fall on a 9-6 split board. He does not want it to go to a 7-4 board, or worse, 8-3, so this could be a decisive round.

Keith asks the question, and Hannah no deals.

Third round:

13: Tom (GBC), who's also opened boxes in the last two shows, says he can feel the good vibes from her friends and colleagues, and wants this to be a blue.
... €250. Gets a thumbs up and thanks from Hannah.
15: Roisin (pronounced roshene) tells her "Winners never quit because quitters never win." Keith asks Roisin if she would go all the way, and alledgedly she would!
... €10! "This is incredible", Keith says. A 9-4 split with 2 boxes to go!
18: 10c!! She is decimating the left-hand side of the board! Keith is running out of superlatives to describe the board.

With one to go, Hannah says that she would be happy to leave with any amount left on the board. She finds it "unbelievable" what she's seeing. Keith is even prepared to contemplate what could happen if it's another blue, such is the power of what could happen, that "the banker is going to be absolutely livid!", and calls it "an unreal game", though what's happening is very real.

7: €20,000, the highest red since €35k went. That still gets applause because of the strength of the board.



Keith thinks some mind-games from the banker are coming. Hannah: "Unbelievable board, I couldn't believe it. Still can't believe it. You couldn't have wished for that to go any better. You dream up the perfect two rounds, it's unbelievable."

Keith and Hannah accept that at least one red like the €20k had to go. The fact that it was just one, still amazes me. He reminds her the top 5 is still in place. Banker calls, and Keith predicts he isn't smiling. Keith puts the phone next to his microphone, and we get to hear a muffled and quiet low scream from the banker!



Banker asks her if she has a system, and she says if she does, then she would be the first to know! Though it's a random pick, he doesn't believe her, and she says he can believe what he wants to! He wants to speak to her directly, and Keith doesn't want to pass the phone on, but after some insistence, says "I've got to put the phone on [to you]".

He asks her again if she has a system, and she keeps repeating she doesn't. "No system. No, system! Any other questions? No system!" He asks how much to get her out of the chair. "€250,000!", to whoops and cheers from the audience! This line of questioning is about as threatening as the Spanish Inquisition making you sit in the comfy chair until lunchtime, with only a cup of coffee at eleven!

"It's going to take a lot. Name your price." After a couple of seconds, she hands the phone back, and Keith remarks the banker may have met his match today. Banker thinks she's formidable, and wouldn't crack. He's going to offer her "a life-changing sum of money".

And that offer is... after Coronation Street! Thirty minutes later, viewers find out the offer is €28,000.

She asks her Dad for advice, who says she still has the top 5, and "luck is with her at the moment". Sinead, her sister, says no deal, because even though she could take out the top 3, there are still 2 above the offer.

Hannah: "It's got to the stage where there's a niggling part of me that's saying, that's huge, like, huge money. But then there's the risk taker, the rebel in me saying, as Sinead said, you've got much bigger amounts left on the board, 5 amounts bigger on the board."

Keith reminds her she has 3 to open next round, and asks the question. "With that board, no deal."

Fourth round:

1: €15,000, which the studio realises is alright after momentary apprehension.
6: €50! She is one box away from achieving an 8-box with the top 5 intact!
23 (Sinead): €750!! She's done it!

This board has to be seen to be believed. I recommend you scroll down carefully for the rest of this post!

Final 8:
€100
€5,000
€10,000
€50,000
€75,000
€100,000
€150,000
€250,000

Keith: "I have absolutely no doubt at this moment in time that banker's now getting sick!"

Hannah has achieved something, completely by chance, of producing a board at this stage that will probably not be surpassed in any future show, at least not with this version in Ireland. To have kept the top 5 to 11-box is 1/142. To keep the top 5 at this stage is 1/1174.

More stats: To have a 7-1 red split is 1/70. To achieve an 8-0 split, is even less likely than keeping the top 5: 1/1214. I would always prefer this board to 8 random reds, but if it were the top 5 and 3 random amounts, that would be a closer decision.

Keith says she has "7 big reds", and that she should compose herself, as the banker will try to bully her, as he must believe one of the "super six" on the board is in her box.

The banker calls, and goes crazy on the phone, screaming in Keith's ear. Banker pleads for her father to talk some sense into this "foolish goblin", but he's just shaking his head!


"Hasn't worked in the last 20 years, isn't going to start working now!"

Banker tells her that he can give her a 10-year start in her career. But with an average of €80,000, can he shift her? Keith says he's impressed by Hannah and Gerald, and calls them "as cool as cucumbers".

The banker's "unnerved", and talks about an amount that "students only dream about". Keith walks up to the board, and talks it up, and gets ready to tell her the offer.



€50,000 is the value of her box. Hannah calls it an amazing amount of money, but notes she only has two to open. Tia says it is a good amount of money, but luck is with her, and she should go for it.

Keith "has a strange feeling where this is going", and asks the question. "€50,000, Hannah. On behalf of your Mum Cherie, deal or no deal?" "No deal!"

Fifth round:

9: €150,000. There's still clapping, despite being the highest amount taken out by a large margin.
21: Emma thinks the €100 is in her box.
... €100! It is! Hannah screams loudly in celebration as the last blue goes.



She calls the board "unbelievable" several times. Banker rings. Keith: "I'm not going to even ask how you're feeling!"

The banker says he will give her enough money to finish her education, and to change everybody in her family's lives. After some thought, the offer is... €60,000.

Hannah: "That's a good offer. I think anything at this stage is just, brilliant money."

Keith asks her Dad what he would do, who would consider "taking the money and run". She thinks the offer will still be good even if the €250k goes. Keith talks the board up again, and asks the question:

"Hannah O'Connor. €60,000. Deal or no deal?" She looks at the board pensively, and says no deal, looking slightly uncomfortable. The studio cheers her decision.

Sixth round, part 1:

4: €75,000, to some applause.

Banker says she is a credit to the family, and has an opportunity to bring credit to her family. The offer is the same, at €60,000.

While the average has increased slightly, the volatility has also gone up, so this is a more difficult decision, even though it's a familiar one.

She calls it "tricky", and asks her Dad. He thinks the odds have "diminished a lot", though she notes it is one box. Keith says even if the €250k goes, the offer will be a "substantial amount of money."

"Hannah O'Connor. The offer right now is €60,000. Deal or no deal?" "No deal!"

Sixth round, part 2:

22: €100,000, again to some applause. Keith: "That's a blow, but the €250,000 is still there."

Banker rings and says "The rashness of youth, could cost you a serious amount of money."



If the €250k is revealed in the next box, the offer will likely plummet. The offer drops to €45,000. Keith tells her she's had a small run of bad luck in an amazing game of good luck.

Keith asks what's going on in her mind. She asks her Dad what he thinks, but he leaves it to her to make the decision. She doesn't look happy at what's happened.

Keith: "At €45,000, deal or no deal?" "I've come this far, so, no deal."

Sixth round, part 3:

3: €50,000. The hole gets bigger. More limited applause from the audience.

All of a sudden, one of the best boards possible is turning on her, and there is a serious danger that she will leave with just €5-10k, losing €50+k in the process.

Keith thinks the banker will still have to offer "a very strong amount of money". A brief shot of Tia shows her friends and family's apprehension at the turn of events in the game.

Banker wonders if it's just him who's feeling the pressure! She admits she is "a bit". Banker asks Gerald if she should have dealt earlier, but he is happy with her decisions. The offer is €35,000. Keith knows everyone's disappointed, but calls it "a lot of money".

€35k is an offer I would expect from the UK banker. If it were played the same way, if €10k goes, the offer would be between €50-70k. If €5k, between €70-80k. Of course, if €250k went, it's all over.

Hannah: "When I've come this far, I do want to play it out, like." Keith: "Hannah, €35,000. Deal or no deal?" "No deal", comes the resigned response. It all comes down to this.

Sixth round, part 4:

Keith says she is on the brink, and could win the €250k. Hannah notes that it would be easier to pick boxes with a system. After a few seconds of eyes flickering, she decides on box 26.

Keith: "Before we open box 26, did you just do eeny meeny miny mo?!" She did, and everyone laughs.

26: €5,000! "Yes!" exclaims Keith, "Come on!" from Hannah, and the studio goes wild.



Everyone looks relieved. Keith says she could become famous for being Ireland's first quarter-millionaire, and that her Dad should expect her to have a big offer.

So close to the end, the sound cuts out on the video, so nothing can be heard from the exchanges between Keith and the banker. But she is visibly amazed as the offer comes in as...

€89,000.

If she declines this offer, she will win either €10,000 or €250,000. Her friends and family look stunned. She asks her Dad for advice, and I think she's cajoling him that she might go on! Hannah is thinking long and hard aboiut her decision, and is talking things through.

While the link exists, you can watch her decision here, a 30-second clip of the show included in the prize draw for the next show.

If you don't want to watch that, or are unable to, read below.
















Keith asks Hannah is she would regret dealing, and seeing the €250k in her box. "Hannah O'Connor. The quarter of a million is still in play. At €89,000... deal, or no deal?"

After looking for several seconds at the bord, she turns to Keith, and says "Deal!"

Hannah's family is now €89,000 richer. But was it in her box?

In her box, 20, is... €250,000! It was there all along! Box 2 has the €10,000. She doesn't look too disappointed, though would have liked to have had it. Niamh with box 2 looks delighted, even without the €250,000!

In the draw for the next game, Hannah says "it was too much of a gap", and that she dealt for her Mum, though if it was her money, she might have risked it. Cherie is said to be delighted with the money, and will make a good Christmas gift for the family.

That's all from this recap. It's been too long again, I say I'll keep trimming it down, but this is about as believable as JK Rowling's claims about Harry Potter, then a larger one pops out again! Stay tuned to this forum for game 4!

You couldn't trim down that!!!

One of the best games I've ever seen, and the Banker paid a hefty price for sending the offers down as backups went - you wouldn't catch the US or Dutch Bankers doing that! He learned his lesson by the end, and if it weren't for that it'd have been a jackpot win on episode 3!!

Thanks!!!

Great game!

Thank you, Big Davey! Yeah KP, this game was the reason why I started doing the transcripts.

In the first game, I felt sure that the producers from our version were overseeing the offers, at least intially. But now I think there is an Irish Banker, and he's learning from experience.

He didn't appreciate the opportunity to buy the box at 4 and 3-box, instead using the offers to punish her, a serious mistake! Some of the best games are when mistakes are made from Bankers, though, especially with a game like this one!

This is going to be a fascinating learning experience, as while this format is familliar worldwide, the compressed board structure, players appearing on the show taking chances with scratchcards, and the Irish being generally more receptive to a flutter, anything can happen.

But at the same time - and this is why I said I was so glad this show started in 2009 and not 2006 - the country is so battered by recession that risk-aversion in the general public has surely, surely risen dramatically...

You're not the only one! In 2006, there would have been an over-charismatic presenter, with 26 uncomfortable-looking women holding cases on a large set, and a top prize of €500,000. It would have been cancelled within a year.

I think it's quite brave of them to attempt a primetime show with a top prize of €250,000, with a board similar to the UK one. The game itself wouldn't work in 2006 because the board would have been too safe and gambler friendly, for the same reason the UK one wouldn't have worked with a "one to open" system (that is, until recently, hence the experiments).

Risk aversion is everywhere at the moment. Initially I thought that Endemol were adding too many risk averse players to the UK show, but since Corinne's game, I've realised she's the exception, that most players no longer see it as a game. Most players have some need for money, and Ireland's public are in even worse debt than we are.

The big question is, can the show be successful in a primetime slot? The scratchcards and the new format will help the show, as there'll be plenty of people wanting to play, and the game itself is sound, though maybe too safe with the offer structure.

The presentation is the big problem. The show is 10 minutes longer, but there's less action. The player in the chair for most of the time, and Keith Barry is wooden on the show at the moment. The set is too big, as it can take around up to 30 seconds to walk to a box opener, compared with less than 10 here.

I'm concerned that the show is too game-focused, when the great thing about our version is that the game is only half the show. If they can make it more dynamic and interesting, it could be a success, as it's still being compared with the UK show at the moment in that regard. The best way of achieving success is when they can make it work without comparisons, as they're halfway there already.

Read: in 2006, on this board, no Irish contestant would ever Deal. A nation of casual gamblers, near the top of a bubble, with a hypnotist in a highly responsible hosting role and producers who have proven their willingness to manipulate their game shows on many occasions, DoND but a fraction of them? I shudder at the thought of how bad that would have been.



Endemol have probably desperately looked for players who do dismiss the game that trivially, but probably just end up with one person after another who either faked recklessness in the auditions or genuinely did think that way until they started to actually think upon arriving in Bristol. Noel has become merely modestly interventionist too, and not even consistently towards pushing players on. From what little I've seen, Keith drops occasional but highly unintended hints in that direction, mostly through being tied a bit too tightly to the Edmondsian phrasebook (though not its overtly Wakeyist chapters).



They seem to be in thrall to the UK version, while trying to make it their own by dint of being a bit less jocular, more serious, more clearly primetime-big-money-show. The 6-5-4-3-2-1-1-1-1 format definitely helps fill the time, but then the Dutch show manages to get a full game with those rules inside about 35 minutes of television, which works out as a 45-minute slot with ads - and that's with prediction bonuses and much higher stakes!

Can I very quickly congratulate you two on becoming the new International Mods - you guys look after this section nowadays, with Mad Mark "retiring" and you two actually bothered about the show!

You certainly can, Big-Davey! Thank you for the congrats! My name looks very orange, matches the avatar well though.

Hope to get some new recaps up soon. Currenly 6 episodes behind, oops!