Slate writer and math wiz Ben Blatt has figured out how to beat The Price Is Right. By applying the principles of game theory—“the science of decision-making used by economists and generals”—and combing through the transcripts of the popular show, Blatt has figured out how to significantly increase a player’s chance of winning almost every individual game. By calculating the odds associated with different strategies within games, Blatt’s data-crunching shows what the most-likely outcomes will be. By using his massive cheatsheet, a player could, in theory, win The Price Is Right without even knowing any of the prices. In an interview with NPR, Blatt was asked if he feels like his findings are going to ruin the fun of the popular show. “I’m trying not to. I’m trying to make it, hopefully, as fun to watch as possible with a little bit of math intersected now when you see it.” So this was all just a ploy to get us to do math …
