during the show's run, and a reigning six-time winner was allowed to compete again during the show's 1997 episode at Arlington Race Course and then retire. When there was no champion, the top money winner took that position in Pot O' Gold and the runner-up played as the opponent. Flamingo Fortune renamed this game Treasure Island. The rules were the same, except that the "Big Money" step was replaced by a picture of a treasure chest, and it used 10 coins ranging from $50,000 to $500,000 in increments of $50,000. The champion won $25,000 for defeating a challenger. Rules (Illinois' Luckiest) On August 22, 1998 the show underwent a revamp in terms of set, name, and gameplay in addition to Tony Russell replacing Bill Barber as announcer. Eighteen contestants were selected to play three games. Before each round, six contestants chose an envelope with an answer to a polling question asked to people all across Illinois (Ex.: What is the best food invented in the past 1,000 years?). The three people holding the Top 3 answers would continue to play the game. On January 29, 2000 the show had yet another rule change. This time, there were 25 people instead of 18 (although on the episode Kollmeyer mentioned there were still 18 contestants), and they divided amongst themselves into five teams of 5 each. Each team stood in one of the pinball slots from 1 to 5, and whoever's slot was picked would play the next game. Lots were drawn before each game to determine the captain for each game, and it was possible for the same team to play all three mini-games. Teams were not allowed to pick the same step. Mini-games Knockout Played during the first format, this game underwent a rule change to accommodate the new format. Contestants bid on how long the bouncing cube could bounce around a circular table without knocking down one of two cylinders on the table. If the cube didn't knock a cylinder down, the high bidder(s) won money: $2,000 in Round 1, $3,000 in Round 2, and $5,000 in Round 3. If a cylinder was knocked down, everyone but the bidder won the money. A $10,000 bonus was awarded to the player with the most money after Round 3, and was split if a tie occurred. The maximum payoff was $20,000. Freefall Played during the first format, this was revamped version