Card Sharks

Two contestants, one a champion, competed. The host read a question asked of 100 people in a certain group. The first contestant had to predict how many of those 100 people answered a certain way, while his opponent had to guess whether the actual figure was higher or lower. The contestant who was correct played a card game based on Acey-Deucy; he/she was shown their base card (they could play it or change it) and had to guess whether the next card was higher or lower than the one previous. Any incorrect judgement allowed the opponent a chance at his/her row of cards (no change of the base card allowed); players could "freeze" at any point to keep their opponent away from their cards or to gain an advantageous position. Up to four questions were played per round, with the final question being "sudden death." The first player to win two rounds played the Big Money Cards; if a third round was required, a "Sudden Death" round, with three cards and a maximum of three questions was played. In the Big Money Cards, the champion used an initial purse of $200 to bet on a series of seven cards. The final card, if they didn't "BUST" before this point, was the "Big Bet," where the contestant had to bet at least half of his/her bankroll. Up to $28,800 was possible. Champions continued until defeated or until winning seven games. After the Big Money Cards, players could use any jokers found in the deck to help them win a new car; later, this was changed to a question read about the 10-member polling group, with a player winning the car for guessing the number exactly.

IMDB Profile
Chris-Lambert.com Card Sharks
Tim's TV Showcase - Card Sharks
Card Sharks - Bill Rafferty
Card Sharks web-site
Streetcarmike.com - Card Sharks
Loogslair - Card Sharks

The "New Card Sharks" Episode Guide
Card Sharks - Tim's TV Showcase