If winning game shows was a magazine, Dean Cartechini would be its centrefold! It was the 17th of June 2004 when Dean risked $102,500 to open his own briefcase. Dean could have left with either $5 or $200,000... these choices are the quintessential stuff of 'Deal Or No Deal'! Our plucky salesman was convinced that he had the big one, and was prepared to put his money where his mouth was. Despite the risk, Dean became the first player in Deal history to walk away with the show's top prize. Not bad for a guy who said he was happy to leave with $20,000!

Nathan Cochrane - Deal's Biggest Cash Winner Ever $515,000

'Deal or No Deal' began in Australia as a 1 hour program with a top prize of a staggering 2 million dollars! Claiming a huge piece of this pie was journalist Nathan Cochrane with a cash win of $515,000. Nathan was quickly dubbed 'The Ice Man', given his cool demeanour, saying 'No Deal' to bank offers such as $122,700, $265,400 & $324,200! With his sizeable winnings, Nathan wound up buying a new apartment, and automatically secured himself a place in the Deal Hall of Fame!

Many people come to the Deal-a-Drome after dreaming that they will select the $200,000 briefcase, although not many of them are prepared to risk huge sums of money on the strength of a $200,000 dream! Mathew Tones was - almost! After knocking out every large value on the board except the $200 000, Matthew dug in his heels, explaining that he had dreamed the night before that he would choose the case containing the top prize. Despite his precarious position, Matthew kept playing - a tightrope walk that made for a real nail-biter! Winding up with just the 50 cents and the $200,000 remaining on the board, the Bank offered Mathew $100,000 for his briefcase. He winced, he wobbled, but ultimately Mathew sold out his dream to the Deal banker for $100 000. Which only left one question - was his dream correct? Matthew opened his chosen briefcase 14, revealing a giant, glistening $200,000!

Dave Kenny - The $125,000 Green Machine $75,000

Dave Kenny wound up in one of the most enviable positions ever on the Deal. With just two briefcases in play, Dave had two incredible green amounts remaining: $200,000 & $75,000! What a pickle for the Banker, who offered Dave $125,000! If he played on, Dave would be risking $50,000 to make a further $75,000, and become just the second person ever to leave with Deal's top amount. What would you do?! Dave went for it, and went home with a phenomenal $75,000 silver medal.

The date was March 26, 2006. Two men faced off in the Deal-a-Drome... David Lee, a self-professed gambling greed-machine, and an insidious Banker. The battle? Double or Nothing.
After accepting an $18 000 Deal, the Banker tempted David with Double Or Nothing, trying to recoup some of the funds he had lost to the cowboy gambler. We've all seen Dealers risk money on Double Or Nothing, but nothing like this! David laid $8 000 on the line, almost half of his entire Deal! And thankfully, it was David who had the last laugh, doubling his money and walking away with a cool $26 000.

Here's the rub. You've done a Deal for $17,700. As your game plays out, it becomes apparent that your case contains either $5,000 or $100,000. And then, with only two cases to open, the Bank offers you a 'Second Chance'. Would you risk your entire Deal and take home the contents of your chosen case? Maryanne Molenda would... and did! She accepted the Bank's Chance, and gritted her teeth as she opened her case...which contained $100,000! The Deal Banker wound up with egg on his face, and Maryanne wound up with a cheque for $100,000 (and one of the most stunned expressions ever on 'Deal or No Deal')!

Jon De Laine made Deal history when on the 29th July, 2004 he became the first player ever to leave with Deal's smallest prize - 50 cents! Jon promptly used his winnings to buy his daughter a McDonald's ice-cream. However, Jon's abysmal luck also landed him a golden ticket to return on Deal's Unluckiest Players Special. On this occasion, Jon managed to turn the tables on the Bank, not only leaving with $70,000, but also two tickets to Vienna! The comeback kid!

The odds say that one person in every 358 000 will come onto the Deal and lose the top four amounts in consecutive order with their first four case openings. That person is Josh Sharp! Poor Josh lost the $200 000 with his very first case selection, but things didn't get better from there. He proceeded to lose the $100 000, $75 000 and $50 000 with his next three selections! Some say that your luck has to turn around some time, but not for Deal's unluckiest player ever... Josh ended up playing down to his case, which contained a paltry $10. Josh can at least take heart that his terrible luck means it should be another 1600 years before someone else experiences this sort of ignominy! Enjoy your place in the Hall of Fame Josh, you've earned it!

Peter Popas seemed to be quite comfortable walking the Deal tightrope. With only six cases remaining, the $200 000 was still in play. And even though he had no sizeable backstops, Peter asserted himself as a man amenable to risk, and played on - and lost the entire $200 000! Not one to be intimidated, Peter took another risk, and played down to his case. Again, luck didn't favour him, and when he opened his case hoping to find $4 000, he only found $2! This is when his third and final risk kicked in, and Peter waged his entire $2 on Double or Nothing, only to become Deal's first player ever to leave with nothing except some unforgettable memories...