Games

The best game for the money in my opinion has to be the Guessing Game. The prizes are decent, there is a very good chance you'll win if you have them guess weight (this is coming from someone who has been a guesser), and it takes no skill on your part.

The only problem with the guessing game is that weight is a bad option for kids. As is age. And when you get down to it a two month spread on the birthday gives the guesser nearly a 50/50 shot.

I don't know if CP has it, but the dime toss at Geauga Lake to me was the easiest game to win a big prize. Just push an existing dime into the circle.

Ring toss is easy... if you cheat ;)

We had the same problem with an XL prize not fitting in our car. Solution? Make a small hole on one of the seams, let out enough of the stuffing in a CP trash can, so that it will fit in your car. (Preferably, not all of it.) When home, purchase stuffing from Walmart or your favorite store. Fill XL prize, sew seam. Daughter is happy. :)

I recommend the book How to Win at Carnival Games by Matthew Gryczan. (Available at most online book retailers). Pick one game and get good at it. I used to dominate the bushel basket game thanks to the techniques in that book. Of course they removed the game last year...

My friend Dave won the "guess your age" over and over again one year. We were 19 or 20 and he had a fake ID that said he was 25 or something, kept his real ID in one of his front pockets and his fake in the other. It also helped that he looked like he was 16, there were a quite a few times he would've won anyway. Got himself a pair of binoculars that he looked through while riding Millie, scared the hell out of him.

Ok, so he cheated and then violated park policy.

Does he kick puppies and steal candy from babies too?

Only if he can get plastic binoculars out of it.