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| TRUMP CARD
|
|
The opening logo of Trump Card.
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| Airdates:
| Syn. September 1990 - September 1991
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| Host:
| Jimmy Cefalo
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| Model:
| Debi Massey
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| Announcer:
| Chuck Reilly
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| Producers:
| Fiedler-Berlin Creations
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Gameplay
Front Game
The three players start filling in their corners
Three contestants competed. Each one was given a Bingo card at the start of the game with 15 numbered spaces. In the first round, the object was to fill in in the four corners of the player's card. Whoever won a random draw at the start of the show picked from four categories, each with a maximum of four questions. Players had to wait until the question was finished before buzzing in. If correct, the player filled in one of the corners on his card and selected the next category. If a player answered incorrectly, he was locked out of the next question. The first player to fill in the four corners of his card won $750. If no one filled all four corners after all of the questions had been asked, no one won the bonus.
The contestant on the left has a Trump Card played against her
In the second round, the object was now to fill in the center line of the player's Bingo card, requiring a total of five right answers to do so. Also, all three players were given one Trump Card at the start of this round. Upon any correct answer for the rest of the game, a player could elect to play his Trump Card against an opponent, subjecting that player to a 1/2-second handicap when buzzing in, as well as requiring the player to answer an extra question correct to neutralize the Trump Card and continue playing his own card. The first player to fill in his center line won $1500.
In the third round, players now attempted to fill in all remaining spaces on their card. Questions were no longer divided into categories in this round. The first player to fill in all 15 spaces on his card won $3000 and advanced to the bonus round.
Bonus Round
A contestant works his way across the board
The winning contestant now had 45 seconds to get five squares in a row on a 25-screen numbered video wall. At the start of the round, the player was allowed to draw a card from a deck of 25, indicating the space that would be filled in for free. If the contestant did not use his Trump Card in the front game, he was allowed a second free space from the deck. The player would start by choosing a number on the board and answering a question. If correct, that square was filled in; otherwise, it became a block and the player would have to try a different line. If the player was able to get five squares in a row either across, vertically, or diagonally, he won $10,000 in cash.
Notes
- The show was taped in the Trump Castle hotel and casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Donald Trump himself made a guest appearance on the first episode to declare his approval of the game.
- Players who won the bonus round became eligible for a $100,000 Tournament of Champions. The tournament consisted of 21 players, whittled down to seven in a series of qualifying matches; the seven winners and two wild card players with the highest scores then played in three semifinal matches with the winners of each match going to the finals. The bonuses for winning the first two rounds were not in play. In the final round of the tournament, the winner of the match received $10,000 and played the bonus round for the $100,000 grand prize. The other two finalists received $2500 each.
