The classic Card Sharks theme song! (1.03 MB, 2:15)
Broadcast History
Main Game
Two players competed The object
of the players was to complete a line of 5 playing cards (dealt from a
regulation 52 card playing deck) by predicting
whether each card was higher or lower than the one 
that
proceeded it. Before they could start calling higher or lower on the
cards, they had to answer a high/low toss-up question. All of the
questions were based on the polls of 100 people. Example: "We asked
100 Japanese women, have you
ever yelled at your husband?" One player guessed the number of
people, the other guessed whether the answer was higher or lower (The
guesses would rotate back and fourth each question.) A limit of four
questions was played, and the winner of each 
question played their cards. The winner had the choice
to keep or change their "base" card. If the player made one mistake
while calling, they lost all their cards back to their base card and
their opponent got the chance to play their cards (The loser of the
question could NOT change their card however.) If a player came up
with a card they didn't like, they could "Freeze" their position,
protect their cards, and the
card froze on would be their new base card. The first to complete
their line of cards won the game and $100. If they made it to the
fourth question, that was the "Sudden Death" question. In "Sudden
Death" one wrong call would lose the game. The winner of that
question had the choice to either play or pass control to their
opponents, hoping their opponent would make a mistake. The game was
played in a two out of three match. The third game was a
"tie-breaker" game, and was played with only three cards for each
player and three questions, with the same rules applaying..
The
winner of the match went to play the "Money Cards."
In the Money Cards, the player bet money and
called higher or 
lower on 7 cards, which were on three different levels.
They started off with $200 and three cards on the bottom level. They
then got another $200 and three more cards on the second level. The
third level was the "Big Bet" line, with only one card. On that line
the player had to bet at least half of their money. Minimum bets were
$50 on the first two levels. A player had the choice to change the
base card on each level. (Originally you could change your first base
card ONLY.) Also, if a same card came up that resulted in a loss
of
money until the final season, when it became no win/no loss. The
maximum money that could possibly be won was $28,800 (won ONE
time.)
Click here to watch a classic Money Cards round!
eventually made it to the air. Johnny Olson was the
announcer (he subbed once in awhile on the series, but Gene Wood was
the regular announcer), there were four cards and three questions on
the tie breaker, and there were minor set differences. Jim also
didn't have a microphone, which made for some weird differences at times. The first pilot had famous game show pilot contestant Jack
Campion as a contestant, and in the second, a player went all the way
in the Money Cards for $28,800.
