‘Jeopardy!’ phenom James Holzhauer rides big bets past the $1 million mark
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This image made from video aired on “Jeopardy!” on April 17 and provided by Jeopardy Productions, Inc. shows James Holzhauer. For more than two weeks, a professional sports gambler from Las Vegas has been dominating “Jeopardy!” with a calculated strategy, an affinity for risk-taking and a deft buzzer hand.
For more than two weeks, a professional sports gambler from Las Vegas has been dominating “Jeopardy!” with a calculated strategy, an affinity for risk-taking and a deft buzzer hand.
The contestant, James Holzhauer, 34, surpassed $1 million in total earnings today, becoming the second contestant to do so in “Jeopardy!” history and continuing his record-breaking streak.
Holzhauer won $118,816 in the game that aired today, having capped off his winnings by correctly answering this Final Jeopardy clue: “On May 1, 1869, these two men met at the White House, four years and three weeks after a more historic meeting between them.” (Can you guess? The answer is at the end of this article.)
On the show’s hall of fame, which documents the highest single-game winnings, Holzhauer now claims the top seven spots. Holzhauer’s earnings of $1.06 million so far amount to less than half of the $2.52 million that Ken Jennings took home in 2004. But Jennings amassed that prize over 74 games, while Holzhauer took only 14 games to reach his total.
Holzhauer’s strategy boils down to this: Go for the high-value clues first, hunt for the Daily Doubles and, when he finds them, bet everything he has.
“I’m going to get the Daily Double right a lot more often than I’m not going to,” he said in an interview with ESPN on Monday. “I want to maximize that bet.”
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He will be going for his 15th win Wednesday. (Episodes are recorded in advance, but players are told not to publicly discuss results of games that have not aired.)
Of course, strategy alone is not enough to guarantee “Jeopardy!” domination. In practicing his buzzer game, Holzhauer told ESPN, he relied on the e-book “Secrets of the Buzzer” by Fritz Holznagel, a repeat “Jeopardy!” winner.
As for the sources of his knowledge, Holzhauer has said that an underrated strategy is reading children’s books because they cater to readers who might not be naturally interested in the subject matter.
(The answer to Tuesday’s Final Jeopardy: “Who are Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee?”)
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