'Price is Right' Contestant Explains How His Historic Bid Got So Close

A 'Price is Right' contestant nearly made Drew Carey's head explode -- 'cause one of his bids came within a single dollar of the actual value ... and now, he's telling us how he did it.

Patrice Masse bid $39,500 for a prize package valued at $39,501 on Friday's show -- and his near-perfect guess made him a double showcase winner -- with a grand total of $83,068 in prizes. Past players have guessed within a few dollars -- but never this close ... it's a first.

DC was stunned while PM and his wife were going berserk with joy over his major score ... which included a brand-new Kia K5 GT-Line, luxury trips and designer apparel. On the heels of his epic performance ... Masse talked to us to explain how he landed on the right number.

Check it out ... the guy explains what went into the calculus of this -- and, as it turns out, it was just damn good luck ... with Masse telling us he ultimately just went with his gut here.

Patrice says he tried to do some quick math in his head about what the high-end loot and trip could be worth, and blurted out his guess ... and was immediately sure he blew it based on how Drew reacted.

When a stupefied DC announced that not only did the dude just win, but he also made show history ... PM tells us he went into a euphoric haze for a few minutes. Understandable, TBH.

Friday's episode of the iconic CBS show was filmed back in April ... so the guy and his wife had to sit on their major secret this whole time. Also, because he didn't officially win until Friday, he can only NOW claim his prizes.