I actually thought Richard's game was more exciting than that.

I can't pretend I didnt have an inkling that the biggie got won again as there were subtle hints on the spoiler thread, but there's absolutely no way on earth I ever thought it would be won on the banker's gamble!! I thought the extra 5 mins advertised and the speed at which the first two parts went through all pointed to a massive finish, so when she dealt with about 20 mins left (I was watching the More 4 repeat), I was absolutely astounded, than tried to work out the possibilities of the banker's gamble due to the time (the only one I actually thought would produce it was £20k/£15k but that wouldn't need 10 mins build-up!!). £35k/blue would be a no-brainer to refuse and it couldn't possibly be £250k/blue. I even don't think it would have been offered had it been any other blue apart from the penny!!

Once she was offered it, I knew she'd take it. I think almost anyone would unless you needed £17,500 for a life-saving operation or someone would kill you if you didn't pay them that money within a certain time period!

So the swap was the agonising decision, there's absolutely no way on earth I could see anyone swapping there, lucky number on the wings or not. If you gave away £250,000 that was sitting in front of you the whole time, for 1p, I think I'd be suicidal. They even played the same background music of when Orry swapped!!!

Her lucky number 3 which container the lucky number WAS lucky for her - if she'd left either of the other last two boxes left on the wings near the end, she'd have had a red with the quartter-mill and a proveout offer of about £100k and Noel being unbearable.....so Box 3 actually allowed her to get the £250k in a funny way!!

So pleased it happened to her anyway becuase she was well fit - no more curse of the hottie!!

But - I hope this is the only time this ever gets done, I agree with Alex. It'll kill the game if anyone who's dealt anything beforehand will expect the banker's gamble of power 5 v peanuts. Especially £250k v peanuts. It could mean more deals like Richard's or several others from the summer, really don;t want to be back there again!

But absolutely well done Alice, you're a star!

Haha I know


Knew I wasn't going to get away with it!

James, that's a point - because this was won in an unconventional way, this will have an unconventional effect on the other 21! Laura's was won by No Dealing six times, and most of the other contestants seemed to decide they had to do the same, and even the ones who didn't nearly always took a risk I wouldn't even have considered!!

Without a doubt, that was a thrilling climax to what would have been a relatively run of the mill game otherwise.

However, and I know this goes against the general celebratory nature of this thread, I do feel slightly cheated as a viewer.

In my mind, a £250,000 win should be earned. By that, I mean having to have the courage to turn down huge offers to get to the jackpot. How much more exciting would it have been if a player had to turn down a 5 box offer of £30-40,000 with the chance that they could still win a blue?

Having said that, many congratulations to Alice on her win. I just wish it had come about through conventional gameplay.

oops used the wrong username

Have to agree there

If I could offer a few words to the players right now, they would go along the lines of:

Please keep your targets in perspective, don't get carried away assuming the banker will do the same in your game as what happened with Alice....The banker will be hurting like hell right now and will be like a wounded animal and there's nothing more dangerous than a wounded animal....Savour Alice's win by all means but play the game that's true to yourself and don't get reckless

And I'm not saying Alice was reckless, far from it but I just don't want to see loads of players crashing and burning and going away with peanuts

I agree, I remember Craig's game so well when he played it the day after Laura's!

And judging by their later actions most of the rest of the wings didn't... I think some of them believed in you too much as well but you didn't really have much say in that!!

Players must play their own game. They cannot let the feeling of Alice's win cause them to blindly chase the big money, nor can they assume Alice's route to the big money is going to open up again.

I see what you mean there - players could either throw caution to the wind in the hope of winning big like Alice, or they could play extra cautiously in the hope that they'll get a generous banker's gamble. So surely those two options are likely to cancel each other out, resulting in no change in attitude? I suppose we'll have to wait and see.

Just another thought - I never realised Alice was from the same place as Laura until I watched the end again on YouTube (I never noticed on the original viewing as I was shaking!!) - she might have been the same age (24) as well, she looked in her early 20s so possible though she's probably a bit younger as she's still at uni?

Still I expect every early 20s female from Monmouth to start applying!

Or various players will do one of the above causing unprecedented gameplay variety?

What a game indeed!

The £17,500 offer was a pivotal one; either it was going to be a good round to follow or a bad one...and for her it would have been a good one. That £30,000 + extras proveout offer would have had the rest of us out for sure.

The Banker's Gamble was inevitable on that finish - I hate to sound like everyone's favourite banned member but any sane person would have been lynched on here for not taking that Gamble...even without knowing the outcome I'd have seen the incentive to go for it - the first person to attempt the jackpot since Laura, and it paid off!

Now the killer question is...will it be followed by a trainwreck this time too? Here's hoping Friday the 13th does NOT provide said trainwreck...

The banker's gamble is one of the best innovations on DOND because it adds interest to the proveout.
I think we will see many more banker's gambles being offered but I find it hard to believe that
we'll ever see one more generous.

There are several ironies in the game:

1) The disappointment of the 50K going first box
2) Subsequent disappointments of taking out 75K and 100K
3) A relatively cautious deal at 8 box
4) The proveout going wrong for Alice causing her noticeable distress!
5) A non-Wakeyist player playing a conservative game winning £250,000 !


Hopefully we will see another quarter millionaire through similar generosity
from the banker!

Well, I knew it was going to happen, seeing as it was referred to by Mark Olver at the studios when I went in February...

Bravo, Alice!

Didn't one of the "Christmas star" players get it too with the £250k in the final 2? Can't remember his name - Ian or Alan I think.

Wow. I got home to be told that today's DOND was unique and whilst watching I heard the word "stupid" mumbled so I feared the worst (in fact the "stupid" remark came because my family members were convinced she had the 1p because they thought I'd have known about the £250k win - which I didn't)

The irony of today's game is that had she taken the risk at 8 box, in my mind she would have probably taken the 5 box offer and I don't think she would have taken the banker's gamble for £30k and the stunt package. In the end, her first act of caution brought about the chance for her to have the agonising decision at the end.

I think that lucky number or not, it would take a player with balls of steel to take the swap with the £250k in play.

Thanks for everyone for not spoiling the game today (although had I not seen the show today and then wanted to read parts of the forum, I'd have been annoyed to see the front page today).

Yep but that was £71k on a £3k/£250k finish which is a completely different kettle of fish.

21 according to the various online news reports.

Exactly!

Something I've just realised upon watching the repeat: the very moment it all kicked off, photographs were taken! So in a fair state to the show to immortalise the moment it happened, I reckon the moment she confirmed she wanted to win her box contents, the producers were told she had it. That's my theory at least

You serious? £232,500 gain against a £17,500 loss.. Its a clear cut 'deal' of the bankers gamble!

Would anyone here seriously accept £17,500 on a 1p/£250,000 finish? People thought that sort of sum is insulting for a 1p/£100,000 board so when you add £150,000 to the red value surely the offers far far more insulting!

The game itself was pretty naff considering i had it spoilt for me.. there was no build up, no cheering before the box was opened, total silence and a pretty short ending. Mehhh!