You start the game with 1 million dollar, banded in 40 bundles of $ 25,000. They must risk the entire amount on each of eight multiple-choice questions.
For each question, the contestants choose one of two categories, then indicate which answer(s) they wish to risk their money on by moving the bundles of cash onto a row of trap doors, termed "drops," each of which corresponds to one answer. However, they must always keep at least one drop "clear" with no money on it. In addition, questions have a time limit (60 seconds); any money that is not placed on an answer when time runs out will be lost.
Once the money is in place, the trap doors of any wrong answers are opened, and the cash on them falls out of sight and is gone. The contestants then continue the game using the cash they had placed on the right answer. If they lose everything before reaching level 8, the game ends immediately and they leave with none.