“Get ready to match the stars!...”

“As we play, the star-studded big-money…”

Nighttime was the right time for Gene and the panel on this, the weekly primetime version of CBS’ monster hit.

Two contestants compete against each other each week, playing the game just the same as the daytime version…almost. Beginning in the nighttime show’s second season, three rounds were played instead of the daytime version’s two.

As a time-saving measure when the three-round format was introduced, a new sudden-death tiebreaker was devised. Gene would read the contestants a simple blank phrase, such as “Three (____)” and the contestants would each write an answer (Musketeers, Stooges, etc.). Gene would then ask the three regular panelists to give answers, one at a time. The first contestant to match wins the game. (After Richard left in 1978, all six panelists played the tiebreaker instead of just the regulars.)

The winner plays the Super Match. The nighttime show amended the rules to offer bigger money and compensate for the fact that this version had no champions by playing two Audience Match phrases.

The contestant kept the money earned in both, and their total winnings would then be multiplied by ten to determine the value of the Head-to-Head Match. This meant a total of $10,000 could be earned during the first three seasons.

When the Star Wheel was introduced in 1978, the top possible jackpot became $20,000.

MATCHLESS MOMENTS FROM MATCH GAME PM