Round 5 - continued

13 - Mark - £5

The Banker points out the £75,000 went. He says the game doesn't care how lovely Jackie is, and he'd love her to go home with 1p.

BANKER'S OFFER

£10,220

Jackie gets a bit emotional with the offer. Les tells her to take it and run! Jackie says she doesn't want to be greedy. Matthew gives Jackie some advice and says it's a good offer.

Jackie says:

DEAL

Offer known at @ 47 minutes.

She's dealing... 100% obvious & predictable

Round 6 - proveout

17 - Harry - £50,000

10 - Meg - 50p

Round 7 - proveout

19 - Alana - 1p

Stephen opens box 12 to reveal £25,000

15 - Jemma - £3,000

There goes what Jackie had yesterday, 1p

£25,000 winner denied

It's obvious she would have dealt the next two offers if she didn't at five box.

No chance Jackie would have won the £25K. She'd have had to decline the 2-box AMO which would be foolish to do.

Still a banker victory but hopefully a sign of luck turning. Realistically the maximum extra she could've won is 5k, because who would risk 15.4k on a 3k/25k finish?

This era of the show is quite extraordinary. The highest anybody has won from going to the end and actually opening their box is what, something ridiculous like 5k?
And then when we do get players who brave it, against offers that realistically you’re daft to turn down, then it never pays off

Also it is INSANE that such a big thing was made out of £3,000 being the highest ever second offer. That’s such a low amount to be the highest ever second offer and sort of demonstrates how this era’s view of the show isn’t that interesting till at least round 4.

Two separate players (Ronnie and Jack) have both won 25k by playing to the end.

Though given how nearly all 2-box offers are on or above the mean, usually above, it's no big surprise not many play to the end unless it's a total train wreck of a game.

I just think it's remarkable how staid the Banker calls are. Ever since it was pointed out that Mulhern just repeats what he has been told. Exclusively. No deviation. I just focus on that.

Why hasn't the phone been ripped from his hands yet?

I remember the old banker saying that the ideal opening round is all of the lower reds. He offered something like 10k whenever that was achieved. Considering Stephen makes out that losing 2k in the opening round is a terrible thing, it’s no wonder the first half of the game always feels like a bit of a slog to get through.

When I do watch, it's now from halfway in. You miss nothing unless it was an immediate monumental trainwreck ALA Mark 2k12.

Mulhern acts like the low reds are a disaster cos the script calls for it. Same way blues are almost always cheered unequivocally even if they are some of the higher values remaining.

Jackie hit the jackpot in the last box before the 4th offer. Is there a more momentum halting place to hit it, particularly on a strong board? I remember (back when I even remotely cared) it used to sap the soul out of me.

Obviously it's worse hitting it in the final box or two at round 6, but at that point momentum gives way to knifeedge dynamics.

I don’t mind the narrative that’s being created that the 4th round is where it’s all going to go wrong because there is evidence for that and that is a rare mind game from this banker…I just wish he’d go harder on the psychological stuff instead of whatever guff he comes out with which Stephen just repeats. Talk to the player! Drip feed poison into their ears directly! I wonder if this banker just doesn’t have the skills to think on their feet like Glenn Hugill had. He managed to create a genuine foe in this character who we literally thought was an evil genius. Each game and each offer tailored for the player. It’s easy to fix. They just have to be bothered enough to do it.