Beginning on December 12, 1978, hitting $1.00 not only won the $1,000, but also a bonus spin. When the wheel first premiered, getting $1.00 awarded $1,000.Throughout the series, there was a bonus for getting $1.00 exactly (either by hitting the dollar space on the first spin or by making a dollar in two spins).While the wheel can both be spun upwards and downwards, only downward spins count. If the game ends in a tie, the tied contestants play a Spin-Off game where each player gets only one spin, and the highest number wins.

If the first two contestants both go over, the third and final contestant automatically advances to the Showcase but only gets one spin to see if they can get $1.00. When all three contestants have taken their spins, the contestant closest to $1.00 wins the game and goes into the Showcase round. After the first spin, the spinner can choose to either stay with what he/she landed on or spin again (unless his/her score is less than the leading one, in which case he/she must spin again), on the second spin, whatever the contestant hits will be added to the first score, and (as previously mentioned) if he/she went over $1.00, that contestant is eliminated from the game, otherwise, that player stands under the scoreboard and waits it out. Each player will take up to two spins of the wheel, the wheel must go all the way around at least one time, or the contestant in control would get jeered and must do it again. The wheel is positioned on $1.00 prior to each spin. The object of the game is to come as close as you can to $1.00 without going over.

If the coin shows tails, the second contestant goes first. If the coin shows heads, the first contestant goes first. If two contestants winnings are equal, they will have a coin toss backstage to decide who goes first.

The contestants are lined up by their winnings (lowest to highest). The amounts on the wheel are for gameplay purposes only, but there is a chance to win real money (see below). The game is played on a carnival wheel dubbed 'the Big Wheel,' which is filled with various cent values in increments of fives from 5¢ up to $1.00.

Wheel game money prize