Sam's game today.

Noel says he has been polling the pilgrims recently to see which part of the show they enjoy, lots enjoy the Banker's calls, and when he is nasty. Olive loves the bit when the player acts shocked when their name is announced.

Sam has box 18 today.

Sam is from Newport in Wales, and is a student primary teacher. We get to see some of Sam's pictures and one is of her in New Zealand where she would like to emigrate if she wins enough money. Another is of her doing volunteer work abroad, and another of her nan. She has her sister, dad and friend in the audience for support.



Here we go...

Round 1

Sam doesn't have any special numbers

4 - £750 Annette

14 - £10,000 Beryl-Anne

19 - £50 Hayley

16 - 1p Olga

8 - £10 Newbie Karen

Banker time

What a great opening round says Noel. Noel winds the Banker up about Sam being Welsh. The Banker says it couldn't be worse, Sam is Welsh, in her 20's and also a do gooder!

Banker's offer:

£7,000

Sam says

NO DEAL

Noel calls a break...

She takes out 4 blues including 1p and the only red gone is £10,000. Yet all the Banker can offer is £7,000?!

did anyone else think the first offer was an anti climax after all the talk of the welsh wizardry and luck?

We're back

Round 2

15 - £100 Stacey

6 - £5 Danni

11 - 50p Anthony

Banker time

Definitely a reversion to an older offer plan at the opening, we have become accustomed to five-figure openers for rounds that good.

Flipping heck it's the same 14-box as Aaron "bushy" - four blues, the three oranges, and the top seven! He got £30k, this may be half that...

That is unreal says Noel.

Banker's offer:

£10,000

Sam says

NO DEAL

It was ridiculous as was the second offer. Why did he not just offer a swap offer rather than put a joke offer out there. I've seen 15k offers on worse boards. They are running scared of an early deal and hoping for a mid board crash.

Have we got the 2005 Banker back? Are the producers that terrified she will take the second offer? Is she, in fact, really that fiscally cowardly?

Round 3

Noel says that Sam wins enough money she wants to donate £6,000 to her charity that she works for to build a school in Kenya.

13 - 10p Leroy

Oh wow! Says Sam.

20 - £250,000 Poppy

Noel calls another break...

All blue round and it's a lousy £3k increase. WTF Banker?

Well they continue to play on the curse of the 'welsh'. She has so many reds to target, she could still have a nightmare mid game to 11/8 box which would stifle the offers. Seen a few players who start out with miracle early rounds with pathetic offers then have terrible crashes. The story of the show however would be wrecked if we had someone deal at 17 or 14 box and the producers wouldn't know what to do.

The fact she is coming from a philanthropic point of view is pretty much a rarity on DOND. We are more used to the tales of debt, greed, cocky, and various sob stories.

We're back
Last box before the Banker

5 - £50,000 Gary

Banker time

Noel says that Sam has another ambition of being a man! She explains that everyone has something they would like to try, and she would just love to know what it feels like to be a man, and says that she thinks most men would love to be a woman for a day. The Banker says he would love to be a woman for a day, he says that was a terrible round.

Banker's offer:

£9,000

Sam says

NO DEAL