41 (Series Premiere)

[Deleted]

"41" is a card game that is a variation of the similar games of "Blackjack" and "31". It is also a word puzzle game as contestants must solve 7-letter words to control the board.

Two contestants compete in a "best-of-7 hands" game where they are each trying to build 5-card hands as close to a total of 41 as possible, without going over. All cards in the hand must be in the same suit (clubs, spades, diamonds, hearts) to qualify as a valid hand, unless the first two cards drawn by the contestant were a pair. In this case, they keep both cards and can now form a hand from both suits (for example starting with a pair of sevens - clubs and hearts - means that person can form their 5-card hand using either clubs or hearts). In our game, the Ace is always a 1, so the best possible hand would be K-Q-J-10-A which would total 41 since face cards are worth 10. Forming a hand of 41 is an immediate winning hand and earns a $4,100 bonus.

Contestants choose their cards from the top 28 cards of a shuffled deck that includes two JOKER cards which can be used to represent any card. Contestants chose two cards at a time and they must keep at least one of their first two cards (or both if they find a pair). Whichever card they keep at the start determines their suit for that hand. From there, they can take as many as 6 additional 2-card selections (for a total of 14 cards or half the cards on the board) to form their 5-card hand. At that point, their opponent forms their hand with the better hand winning the round.

Hand payouts are:

Control of the board is acquired by correctly guessing the random 7-letter word for that round. Two letters are shown at random and the first player can either guess at it or pass. If they guess incorrectly, the word is immediately revealed and their opponent gains control of the board, otherwise if passed, another two letters are revealed and this continues until one player guesses the word correctly (gaining control for themselves) or incorrectly (their opponent gains control).

The first contestant to win 4 hands wins the game along with $5,000 and plays the bonus round for a shot at a bonus of as much as $41,000! The winner returns on the next show to defend as champion and can continue to do so for an unlimited number of shows, so long as they keep winning of course.

So, if you like card and word games, this show is for you!

I need two contestants please. Who would like to play?

[babytims]

I'll take part!

[Deleted]

Thanks! We just need a challenger for Immanuel and we can get started.

[nelson21]

I'll try

[Deleted]

Thanks Nels, we'll get underway sometime tomorrow.

[Deleted]

(fade in to a dimly-lit studio; cue timpani drum roll)

Johnny Gilbert:

"This...is a game of words.

This...is a game of cards.

This...is a game of strategy.

This...is a game of chance.

This...

...is Forty-One...

(a single spotlight shines on me at the back of the studio)

...and this...is your host - Jack Thompson!"

(theme and audience applause begins as the lights slowly illuminate while I walk forward towards our players)

Thank you Johnny Gilbert, thank you ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the premiere of Forty-One! I'm sure you are familiar with card games like Blackjack where you try for twenty-one by drawing a ten or Face Card with an Ace and some of you may be familiar with the game Thirty-One where the goal is multiple face cards with an Ace. In our game, it's a combination of four tens and face cards with an Ace that would be the ideal hand as that would total forty-one!

This large computer screen behind me is showing our logo as well as concealing the top 28 cards dealt from a shuffled standard deck of 54 cards, which includes two JOKER cards that may or may not be a part of these 28 up on our board. The goal is pretty simple - make a better hand for yourself than your opponent and you win the hand. Win four hands and you win the game.

Let's send it back to Johnny Gilbert who will introduce us to our two players today. Johnny?

Johnny Gilbert: He's a high school senior from Los Angeles, California who loves acting whenever he gets the chance, meet Immanuel Tims! - (audience applauds) - And he's a cashier from Eden Prairie, Minnesota who likes to bowl and make bracelets, meet Nels Snesrud! - (audience applauds)

Thanks Johnny! I welcome you both to our program. Immanuel, you love acting do you? Well, living in Los Angeles you are certainly in the right place to act! What role that you have acted in the past was your favorite that you have performed so far?

[babytims]

Recently I've done 2 plays for my school, both of which I cherish. I played Benedick in Much Ado about Nothing, and one recently called "1660 Vine", I played a character named Chance!

The latter show was my favorite to work on, since it was a debut show, our school was the first to do it!

[Deleted]

That is awesome Immanuel! If you have any video of you in action, let our producers know and perhaps we can put it up on our video board here at some point during the show as we'd love to see it! The best of luck to you on our show today Immanuel!

Nels, Johnny says you like making bracelets? That sounds like an amazing hobby, what kind of bracelets do you make? Do you have any photos of something you've made that you'd care to show us?

[nelson21]

It's rubber band rainbow loom don't have a pic

[Deleted]

Well I have no idea what that is, but now I have something to Google later, so thank you! - (audience chuckles) - Best of luck to you as well Nels. Let's take a look at our scoreboard.

(ding)

Let's digest what we have here. At the top, we keep track of how many hands have been won and both of you have zero at the moment obviously since we are about to start the first hand. Whichever one of you reaches 4 hands won first wins the game.  Once you have 5 cards in your hand, it qualifies as a scoring hand and then your points scored for this hand will appear at the top. Also, as we proceed through the game, whatever money you have won along the way appears there as well.

Next we have the cards that are in your current hand. This area is showing placeholder numbers right now for each of you and these will be filled in once you start selecting cards from the board.

Finally, we have 7 question marks and this is the area concealing the word for this hand that will decide who controls the board.  Here is how this works: in a moment Immanuel, since you won the coin toss backstage, you will have first opportunity at solving the word. Two letters will be revealed at random (using Random.org picking a number from 1 to 7) and then you can either guess at what the 7-letter word is or pass. As soon as either of you takes a guess, the word is revealed. If the person who guessed at it was correct, they have control. If they were incorrect, their opponent has control. So each time, there will only be one guess made at what the word is before it is revealed.

I hope all that made sense. If not, feel free players to ask any questions you have along the way. Let's reveal two of the letters at random please.

(ding ding)

Ok, the first letter is an S, the second is a T. Immanuel, would you like to guess at the word or pass to Nels? If you pass, two more letters will be revealed before he guesses.

[babytims]

Pass it to Nels, I’m stumped

[Deleted]

Well stumped is a 7-letter word, so I hope that isn't it! - (audience chuckles) - Okay, let's reveal two more letters for Nels please.

(ding ding)

Aright, well it's not stumped at least! The fifth letter is an I and the last is N. Nels, do you want to take a stab at it or pass it back to Immanuel?

[nelson21]

Pass

[Deleted]

Okay, two more letters coming for you Immanuel.

(ding ding)

All but the third letter revealed now and you must guess at it this time Immanuel. What's the 7-letter word we are looking for here?

[babytims]

Station!

[Deleted]

(ding ding ding ding ding ding ding)

You got it and you have control Immanuel!

Now, there are two ways you can play this out. You can go ahead and begin building your hand now. One advantage to that is that if you can build a hand of exactly 41 right away, you automatically win the hand without Nels even getting to build his hand. So, it's a chance for you to set the pace and force Nels to beat you.

On the other hand, if you prefer, you can pass to Nels right now and let him build his hand first so that you know exactly how big a hand you need to win the round. Of course, Nels would then have the same chance as you would and if he hits a 41 on the nose, passing would backfire on you in that case since he'd automatically win with his 41.

So, it's up to you Immanuel, play and build your hand now or pass to Nels?

[babytims]

I'll start building now!

[Deleted]

You got it!

(ding)

So keep in mind that you can build your hand a maximum of 7 times selecting two numbers each time for a total of 14 cards which then leaves that many for Nels to choose from. On this first choice, you must take both cards if it's a pair of anything and in that case, you can build your hand from either suit. If it's not a pair, you must keep one of the two cards as your suit for this hand.

Unless you have a question Immanuel, choose any two of those twenty-eight numbers please and we'll hope for a pair of Kings, Queens, Jacks or Tens which would be the ideal start!

[babytims]

5 and 7 please!

[Deleted]

Alrighty, what cards are associated with those numbers please?

(ding...ding)

The Jack of Diamonds and 3 of Spades. Well, you didn't get a pair of face cards, but you got one at least. So, you must keep one of these cards Immanuel meaning you will be building your hand in either diamonds or spades. Which card would you like please sir?

[babytims]

I'll keep the Jack and build on diamonds please

[Deleted]

(ding)

Okay, let's go find some diamonds Immanuel.

Your next two selections please.

[babytims]

21 and 28

[Deleted]

21 and 28 it is - let's reveal those cards please.

(ding...ding)

Well, a spade and a heart, no diamonds there unfortunately.

Try again Immanuel.

[babytims]

Ok...let's go 13 and 22

[Deleted]

Very well, let's see those cards!

(ding...ding)

A pair of diamonds, nice! In this case Immanuel, you can take one, both or neither of these cards. You have 4 more selections you can make after this (8 cards total), so one course of action might be to take the 7 but not the 2 and hold out for better diamonds over your next selections. Of course, there's no guarantee you'll find any more diamonds, so the flip side there is to take 'em while you can get 'em. What do you think? What would you like to do here?

[babytims]

Let's keep the 7!

[Deleted]

(ding)

You have 17 now with three cards to fill and up to eight cards to choose from. Choose your next two numbers please Immanuel.

[babytims]

1 and 2

[Deleted]

The two in the top-left are

(ding...ding)

The Jack of Hearts and 8 of Diamonds! I assume you'll take that snowman Immanuel?