How does Deal or No Deal work? Game rules revealed

By Alice Dear

Deal or No Deal gameshow rules explained.

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Deal or No Deal is back after an eight-year break, now on ITV and with new host Stephen Mulhern.

The gameshow gives contestants the chance to walk away with a life-changing £100,000, but with the risk of also leaving with as little as 1p.

Deal or No Deal is the ultimate game of luck as well as strategy and never fails to leave viewers on the edge of their seats.

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If you're struggling to keep up, or just need a refresher on how the game works, here's the rules of Deal or No Deal.

How does Deal or No Deal work?

Here's a rundown of the rules of Deal or No Deal and how the ITV gameshow works:

• There are 22 sealed boxes all with a number on the front and a hidden cash prize hidden inside, each contestant on the show gets given one box each

• At the start of each episode, one of the 22 contestants is randomly chosen to play and takes their box to the players table

• Oppositee them is a board which shows all the cash prizes hidden in the boxes; the blue side shows values from 1p to £750 and the red side values from £1,000 to £100,000

• The cash prizes inside the player's box is the cash prize they could go home with - if they choose to day 'No Deal' to the Banker

• There are six rounds throughout the game

• In the first round, the player picks five boxes from the remaining 21 around the studio and in the following rounds three boxes

• The player is aiming to remove as many of the blue cash prizes from the board - this means they are eliminating the chances of having a low-cash prize in their own box and will also usually drive the Banker's offer up

• After each round, the Banker offers the player a pay-out for their box which they then reply 'Deal' or 'No Deal'

• If the player chooses to deal, they go home with this cash prize from the Banker, but must play on to find out what they could have won if they had said 'No Deal'

• Or they can say 'No Deal' and continue to play with hopes they have a high cash prize in their box or that the Banker could offer more after the next round (depending on how much the board changes)

• At the end, there are two boxes left and the player finally gets to find out how much they have in their box - their reaction will depend on whether they dealt with the Banker or not

• There have been times in the past where the Banker has offered the player to swap their box with the other remaining one

How to apply for Deal or No Deal

It appears that casting for the 2023 series of Deal or No Deal has come to an end, with the show be pre-recorded.

Applications to apply for 2024 are currently not open, but you can keep an eye out for announcements here.

Read more:

• Stephen Mulhern 'to replace Phillip Schofield' as Dancing On Ice host
• Who is the Banker on Deal or No Deal?
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