| Host | |
| Jim McKrell | |
| Chip Lady | |
| Annette Marroquin | |
| Announcer | |
| Charlie O'Donnell | |
| Broadcast | |
 | |
| Packagers | |
| Richard Reid Productions/NBC | |
"It's the card game where Ace is always high, and Deuce is always low. Turn any two cards in the deck face-up, then just try to fit a card in between that's neither higher, nor lower. It's just that simple to play the all-new big-money, big-prize game, Split Decision! And now, here's your host, Jim McKrell!"
Split Decision was an unsold show based around a game of cards.
Gameplay[]
Two players competed in a game where they had to get cards with values that are between two cards drawn.
Main Game[]
For each hand, Jim gave three possible answers followed by the question. The question itself required two of the three answers. The first player to buzz in and give the two correct answers earned control of the cards; otherwise, the opponent earned control. Three cards were dealt one at a time, and the player in control chose where to place them (either for him/her, the opponent or in the center [the center being the "Common Card"]). The idea was to make the largest range for him/her and the smallest range for the opponent. When all was said and done, another question was asked under the same parameters except that this time, whoever was in control decided to either take that card in hoping that the card in question would come within range or pass the card to the opponent hoping that the card would go out of range. A correct decision won the hand, but an incorrect decision gave the hand to the opponent (in case of a tie, the controlling player automatically won the hand).
The first player to win three hands won the game.
Bonus Round: Pot Limit[]
The winner of the game went on to play Pot Limit for cash and prizes. To start, he/she was spotted $1,000; the contestant could bet as much as he/she wanted on three hands. On each hand, three cards were dealt with the third card placed face down. As before the player decided where to place each card. He/She had to then bet any or all of his/her money with the minimum bet being $100. Each successful hand added the wager, but an unsuccessful hand deducted the wager. Also as before, ties were also considered a win.
Pot Limit Deck[]
The deck used for Pot Limit was a special 64-card deck. The base deck of 52 playing cards was augmented as follows:
- Four additional aces & four additional deuces, for a total of eight & eight, for an overall total of 16. This allowed the contestant to have an easier chance to win.
- There were also four jokers in the deck. Each time a joker appeared, the contestant immediately won $1,000.
Insurance Cards[]
During the main game on occasion, insurance cards would appear. Whenever an insurance card was dealt, it was put aside until it was time to play Pot Limit. The winner of the main game claimed all the insurance cards and traded them in for insurance chips. Like the "Power Chips" on Catch 21, they could be a lifesaver; for whenever the winning player saw a card he/she didn't like, the player could turn one in and change that card.
Prizes[]
Each time the winning contestant passed a certain amount, he/she won a prize. These were the prizes involved:
| $2,000 | Paris Vacation |
| $4,000 | Paris Trip & a Fur Coat |
| $5,000 | The first two prizes & a Lincoln Continental |
More Screenshots[]
.jpg "Split Decisions (July 11, 1985).jpg (108 KB)")
Music[]
Theme – "Sunset People" by Donna Summer
Commercial Bumper Theme – "Say You're Wrong" by Julian Lennon
Inventor[]
Richard Reid
Taping Location[]
NBC Studios, Burbank, CA
Trivia[]
The game was centered around the casino card game Acey-Deucey (aka In-Between, Red Dog, Sheets or Maverick).
This was one of the few pilots to have a commercial slide instead of a black screen; others included Dream House (Eubanks) and Family Feud (Dawson).
NBC considered using the show as a replacement for reruns of the primetime show Silver Spoons, but it got lost to Your Number's Up.
This was also the name of a short-lived pricing game from The Price is Right seen from 1995 until 1997.
Links[]
Split Decision @ Game Show Galaxy
Split Decision @ usgameshows.net
Jay Anton's Split Decision Page