Thank you to Rowman & Littlefield, Prometheus and to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I enjoy watching The Price is Right and when I saw this book was available to request I thought it would be interesting to read.

This book is definitely well researched, but it definitely got a little boring after a while. It was good but you really have to love The Price is Right and math to love this book.

I really wanted to like this book given the author's incredible passion and enthusiasm for the topic! He watched over 350 episodes over two seasons to come up with his observations. The Price is Right is the second longest running television series (60 minutes is #1). Bob Barker and Drew Carey have been the two hosts and I grew up watching Bob Barker so am familiar with the show. I should have known this book would be heavy math, probabilities and statistics by reading the subtitle "How Mathematics Can Improve Your Decisions on and Off the Set of America's Celebrated Game Show." As someone who does not love math, and in fact would say I have undiagnosed math phobia - when he started showing the math and tables to explain how different players bid, etc., it lost me. I would say this is a book for those who are comfortable with the math and enjoy game theory and statistics. For those of us who need more of what I will call a "lay person's" guide to game strategy or even understanding cases of random chance, this book is not for you. The reason I am giving it a couple of stars is his incredible passion for the topic! His enthusiasm shines through.

Thank you to Netgalley and Rowman & Littlefield for an ARC and I voluntarily left this review.

I watch virtually every episode of The Price Is Right. A book that breaks down the strategies and probabilities that affect the game play on this show seemed to be perfect for me! It largely delivered on its premise. The most interesting parts of the book relied on the patterns derived from observing two full seasons of results of the various pricing games. The author effectively used this data to discover patterns and ways that could improve a contestant’s chance to win.

I was already familiar with some of the tips presented in the book from watching the show regularly, but it was enlightening to see the actual data to back up my previous observations. I liked that the author presented tables breaking down everything from win percentages to average prizes, amounts won, and rankings of all the pricing games based on contestants’ earnings. Having this information up front before diving into the details of each game is helpful to have as a reference point when reading through the strategies.

Possibly the most interesting inclusions in the book for me were the tips that were based on observations rather than math. For example, in some of the car games, there were some digits that rarely (or conversely, almost always) appeared as the fifth number in the price. I liked that the author took the time to explain that these patterns were beyond what could be explained by random chance. These types of patterns do not require any kind of advanced math knowledge and would be easy to remember for contestants to use on the show, or for viewers as they play along.

Many of the conclusions presented are based on probability and statistics. The author presents various formulas and frameworks that he uses to derive conclusions. These breakdowns would be most appreciated by people who have a strong interest and/or understanding of math. They may get lost on others, but they can also be safely skimmed over because there is plenty of narrative to explain the conclusions that goes beyond the formulas.

Other aspects of the book are mixed. There is a summary of every pricing game, which can be appreciated for people unfamiliar with the games but are straightforward enough that anyone who has seen the games at least once or twice will not learn anything new from reading these parts. It may have been better to put these descriptions in an appendix to make them easier to pass by for those readers who are already familiar with the games. The book also contains several examples of various concepts related to the pricing games that apply in real world situations in the worlds of finance, investing, etc. I thought these were great additions that could have been expanded on even more.

There is enough here to intrigue fans of The Price Is Right who also have at least a mild interest in math, probability, statistics, etc. For everyone else, the appeal is limited. The information is presented in a straightforward, dry way which adds to the clarity but does not lead to much excitement among people who are not invested in the subject matter. My rating for this book is indicative of my level of interest in the subject matter, but the rating could easily be one star higher for people who are strongly interested in the mathematical concepts while being big fans of The Price Is Right. Conversely, the rating could be one star lower for people who do not have much of an interest in math and/or the show.

Thanks to NetGalley and Rowman & Littlefield for an ARC of this book.

So many facts. So many. Definitely have to love facts and The Price is Right. Love TPIR..
Thanks to publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.

Have you spent a lot of time analyzing The Price Is Right? Justin Bergner has. And like Ted Slauson (of the Perfect Game documentary), he's spent a lot of time analyzing each and every game, prize, and price involved. Only he's spent the time running the math on absolutely everything.

This is a math heavy book. If you don't want to spend time running through stats, you might want to avoid this book. Otherwise, it's definitely worth a read to look into the stats and strategies behind your favorite pricing games. My thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

I just couldn't finish this. I love math and I love The Price is Right, but this book made my eyes glaze over and trying to finish it felt like a chore. I didn't go into it realizing exactly how much math was included, so that part was interesting, but as I have no intention of actually going on the game itself, it felt needlessly detailed. If math and strategy are your thing, like really really your thing, this is the book for you.

Solving The Price Is Right caught my eye, but I guess I should have read and comprehended the subtitle of it a little better before I dove in to read it.  "How Mathematics Can Improve Your Decisions on and off the Set of America's Celebrated Game Show."  I'm a software engineer - I've dealt with a LOOOOOT of Math in my life.  I don't really need to be seeing graphs and percentages when I'm trying to read a book about a game show.  So unfortunately this book became my first DNF of the year.

However. If you're looking for statistics and an in depth analysis of The Price is Right and how to make your wagers should you ever find yourself on the show - and you're ready, sooo soo ready for tons and tons of math - GO FOR IT and read this book.  It just wasn't the right match for me but I am sure there are more statistically minded people out there who would absolutely love this one.

I received a free e-copy of this book from NetGalley in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

This was a fascinating look that examines all of the nuisance and game theory involved in trying to win on the Price is Right. Bergner went into great detail on how to master each game and the mechanics, theory, and bias present in each game. At times I had a hard time understanding the math theories since I have never taken statistics. That said, this book was a fascinating read and will appeal to fans of the show and game theorists.

I have loved The Price if Right since I was a young girl, into my time as a new mom, and on through the years. I love seeing my adult daughter enjoy it as well. I have to admit that I've never thought about how statistics and odds might come into play. This book has more strategy and less anecdotes, but I really enjoyed it. Thank you to NetGalley, Rowman and Littlefield and the author for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you for providing me the opportunity to review “Solving The Price Is Right“. I am appreciative and leave my sincerity review voluntarily.

What did you most look forward to when you were homesick from school in the nineties? For me, it was the Price is Right. The Price is Right has been a beloved game show for decades despite the fact that most who attend lose. In Solving The Price is Right, Justin L. Bergner uses probability theory and data analysis to explore the strategies and biases that not only influence success on the show but success in our lives. Whether you're a fan of the show or just interested in the science behind decision-making, this book is a must-read.