Here Are the Rules For ABC's 'Press Your Luck'

ABC’s Press Your Luck has become a social media phenomenon. Contestants get the opportunity to win thousands of dollars, but there's also hilarious commentary, and with host Elizabeth Banks, the program is pure TV gold.

Learning how a game show works makes it easier to be invested in the program. Plus, it may allow you to build up the courage to attempt to become a contestant. And of course, you’ll be able to figure out whether a show is rigged or not. So, what are the rules for ABC’s Press Your Luck? Here’s everything we know.

As with any game show, it’s important to know and abide by the rules in order to claim victory. When it comes to Press Your Luck, there are a variety of rules in place, but they’re pretty easy to understand.

For starters, in the question rounds, only the player who is first to tap their buzzer will be able to answer the question, per Press Your Luck Fandom. Additionally, if a contestant runs out of time to answer a question after tapping the buzzer, they will have to sit out for the answer portion of that question. The other two players on their team will then play out the multiple choice portion of the question.

There are also 15 spins available in the round. However, a contestant can only win nine spins in round one. As for round two, 20 spins are available, but a contestant can only snag 12 spins.

Per Reality Titbit, a contestant can earn three spins if they guess a correct answer. Keep in mind, a correct multiple-choice answer is only worth one spin. And after four questions, contestants shift gears to the Big Board.

As mentioned above, the game starts out with the question round. From there, it shifts to the Big Board round, where the contestant with the fewest spins starts. The player who earns the most money in round one goes last in the second round.

Plus, there are a few more perks for contestants. If the round ends in a tie, the player with the fewest spins gets to play. On the flip side, if there’s a tie for spins and money, the player on the left goes first. Press Your Luck Fandom also shares that should all players end up with the same amount of money in the first round, the question round serves as the tiebreaker. Also, the player who wins the most spins in the second question round gets to play last in Round 2.

Another fun perk is the power of passing on your spin. If a player thinks that they may spin a whammy and is tired of pressing their luck, they can pass their spin to the player in the lead. If they are the player in the lead, the contestant can pass their spin to the second-place player.

The contestant will then have to go through all their passed-on spins until they hit a whammy or simply run out of spins.

Upon the final spin, a player can claim victory if they avoid hitting a whammy while in first place, land on a specific square that gives them enough money to surpass their opponents, or earn a cash amount with a spin to stay alive. Contestants can also win if they're in second place and decide to pass the spin to the first-place contestant in hopes of them spinning a whammy.

Lastly, if the player spins while behind at $10,000 or more, stopping on a square that gives them an extra spin to stay in the game may work in their favor. The contestant who ends up with the highest score at the end of the game wins their earned cash and gets the chance to return for the next show.

Catch new eps of Press Your Luck Thursdays at 8 p.m. EST on ABC. You can also stream the show on Hulu.