On the other side of the ocean, the US had a very similar TV program called The Price Is Right.

The major difference was the game they played, which was Plinko. Funny enough, Plinko later became bigger than the original program. So in this article, it is worth understanding whether O Preço Certo is successful enough and how it compares to the world-famous fame of Plinko.

First, on Plinko

When we make a comparison between the American and Portuguese shows, one thing must be clarified: Plinko in the US was not the entire show itself. It was just a segment, but it became so beloved by people that every time contestants jump up and down when they find out that’s the game they are going to play. This kind of interest could not stay only on television, as it resulted in new formats of the game. After online casinos became popular among gamers, they immediately offered something they used to love: the Plinko game for money 24/7, so this time the stakes got higher for consumers.

Here is how the game works. A contestant starts with one chip for free. Then they can win up to four more chips by guessing the prices of small items correctly.

Credits: Client; Author: Client;

Plinko on digital gaming sites has many variations, including versions tied to sports and even Halloween.

Screenshot from: Here

After that, they take their chips to the top of a big board with many little pegs. They drop the chips one by one and watch them bounce down the board.

At the bottom, there are nine slots, and each slot gives a different amount of money. The middle slot is the best one and is worth $10,000. The slots on the sides are worth less. If a contestant gets all five chips into the $10,000 slot, they win $50,000.

How O Preço Certo Got Started

The Portuguese show is very similar to The Price Is Right because participants are asked to guess how much something costs. As this is all about money, the name of the show was slightly modified in 2002 when Portugal adopted Euro, and the new name became O Preço Certo em Euros.

But the big change happened on 29 September 2003. That was the day Fernando Mendes started hosting the show. He was only supposed to do it for three months. More than 20 years later, he is still there, and the show has aired over 4,000 episodes.

How the Two Compare

It may seem unfair to compare O Preço Certo, which is a full TV show, with Plinko on American television, as it was just a small segment there. But the bigger picture tells us something else: it is all about cultural impact. The Portuguese TV program has had decades of investment in entertainment, and it is more than just a show. Similarly, Plinko became so huge that it left television and became a global gaming and even gambling phenomenon.

One thing that connects them is simplicity. But is that not what all good entertainment wants to be? People gather in front of the TV, or a computer nowadays, to spend some quality time after a tiring day.

Both have also lasted a very long time. O Preço Certo has been on the air in some form since 1990. Plinko has been around since 1983. In the fast-moving world of television, that kind of staying power is rare.

Why one depends on the host and the other on the game

There are also some clear differences. O Preço Certo is all about the host. It was not an accident that we described the appearance of Fernando Mendes in the show as a big moment in the beginning of this article. The host has a major role, and perhaps the charm viewers come for.

Plinko, on the other hand, is all about the game itself. The big board, the bouncing chips, the feeling of watching something you cannot control — that is what people love.

The host matters, of course, but Plinko has survived a change of hosts (from Bob Barker to Drew Carey) without losing any of its appeal.

Credits: Client; Author: Client;

The beloved host of the Portuguese TV show, Fernando Mendes. Image: Here

Why Plinko traveled beyond the US so easily

If Plinko’s main driver had been the host, there would have been too many cultural differences and too much uniqueness for people abroad to be so keen to follow it. But when the main attraction is the game, it has no country of residence or nationality. It therefore travels through the borderless world of the internet with no limits.

Plinko’s move into online platforms also changed how it was presented to users. Many gaming websites do not rely only on the game itself, but also on marketing tactics such as welcome bonuses and low-pressure entry points for newcomers. One Instagram post from a platform that offers Plinko shows this logic clearly.

Well, some platforms offer such bonuses as a regular welcome perk, and this does serve as a starting point for those who used to enjoy Plinko only on the TV screen. This is the evolution Plinko has undergone, while others, like the famous Portuguese show, have remained on television.