Jeopardy

[SoCalDukeFan]

Anyone else watching? This guy is unbelievable.

Before him, the one day regular show record was $77,000. He has been on 10 shows and is averaging $69,778 per show. He has won over $100,000 3 times.

On today's show he answered 40 times, all correctly, and got the Final Jeopardy question to set the new one day mark of $131,127.

He is a professional sports gambler living in Las Vegas. He bets big when he gets a Daily Double. Also likes to start with the bigger valued answers. I don't that he anticipates and hopes he knows the question, just think he is very quick.

Fun to watch. Feel sorry for those that go up against him.

SoCal

[duke74]

Incredible. Ballsy play. And pleasantly quirky.

Top four winning days in the show’s history.

A long way to go to top Ken Jennings, who won $2,520,700 during his 74-game winning streak. But quite a streak going.

[DUKIECB]

I've been watching as well. He isn't just winning, he is obliterating the competition. He missed a daily double late in the first round a couple days ago where he bet everything and five minutes later he was in the lead again and ended up with something like $50k on the day. I think I've seen him answer incorrectly maybe twice. Unreal.

The real challenge won't be the money though. Jennings won 74 games in a row to get to his $2.5 million. I don't know if that can ever be beat. Simply amazing but James sure is fun to watch.

[CrazyNotCrazie]

I read about him last night and hope to tune in tonight to see him - he sounds like a lot of fun.

[weezie]

It's a riot watching him. He's terrific, just cuts through and keeps moving like a shark.

I think the other contestants are now just staring at him and marveling.

Surprising how many answers he and I get right!

[PackMan97]

The real challenge won't be the money though. Jennings won 74 games in a row to get to his $2.5 million. I don't know if that can ever be beat. Simply amazing but James sure is fun to watch.

The key to Jeopardy is in pushing the button. Jennings won because he basically locked everyone out. Sounds like this guy is doing the same. I'll have to catch some episodes.

[tbyers11]

The key to Jeopardy is in pushing the button. Jennings won because he basically locked everyone out. Sounds like this guy is doing the same. I'll have to catch some episodes.

Exactly. Jennings was quoted as saying "“Almost all of the contestants know almost all of the answers almost all of the time.”

Great article from The Ringer about how great Jeopardy champs, including Holzhauer, have the button-pushing down to a science

[aimo]

I feel so bad for those people who have waited so long to get on Jeopardy, and they end up matched against this freak of nature. I find him annoying, mostly because I don't see how he will ever lose. He is too quick on the button and he knows EVERYTHING. No topic seems to be a weak spot for him. He must have a photographic memory, which begs the question Does this give him an unfair advantage?

[JNort]

If I'm not mistaken he also uses important days to him to decide how much to get on daily doubles or on the final question.




- Yeah it's him. He used his anniversary with his wife 9/8/12 as a bet recently and his grandmother's birthday.

[CrazyNotCrazie]

Exactly. Jennings was quoted as saying "“Almost all of the contestants know almost all of the answers almost all of the time.”

Great article from The Ringer about how great Jeopardy champs, including Holzhauer, have the button-pushing down to a science

Great article - thanks for sharing. I had also always heard that much as the tie goes to the runner in baseball (at least before there was replay), if two players buzz in at the same time, the person who got the last question right gets the edge. Though I'm not sure how they would program the buzzers to do this.

[Neals384]

Well, successful gamblers know that aggressive betting creates bigger payoffs, but also increases risk. James' super aggressive betting - together with very high % of correct responses - are the ingredients for a one day record, but not necessarily for a lifetime winnings record.

[PackMan97]

are the ingredients for a one day record, but not necessarily for a lifetime winnings record.

Well, he's already #2 on the all time winnings chart. So, it's clearly working...and it will keep working until he gets a late double jeopardy wrong (or even a final jeopardy).

[Neals384]

This Jeopardy fan site has stats for James' first 10 games vs. Jennings' first 10. Pretty impressive!

James	right	wrong	total
Regular	311	10	321	96.9%
Daily Double	21	2	23	91.3%
Final	9	1	10	90.0%
Total	341	13	354	96.3%
Jennings
Regular	322	12	334	96.4%
Daily Double	19	4	23	82.6%
Final	7	3	10	70.0%
Total	348	19	367	94.8%

[Indoor66]

Face it: this guy is real good at this.

[Duke79UNLV77]

He's like the Zion of Jeopardy.

[Bluedog]

I actually personally know the person #2 on the number of Jeopardy consecutive wins all-time (20). She was also a great contestant, but her daily winnings were definitely on a lower side and won $430k in those games. She was pretty conservative with her betting. Different strategies and all...

[tteettimes]

It’s so inconceivable to me that he could possibly know ALL the answers ....he’s so young
He gets answers by recall...from what?....study?? That’s BS...he’s not old enough to have experienced life to have anywhere near that amount of memories...educated? Obviously...not just recall but INSTANT recall
It is AMAZING to me as well....

[-jk]

It’s so inconceivable to me that he could possibly know ALL the answers ...he’s so young
He gets answers by recall...from what?...study?? That’s BS...he’s not old enough to have experienced life to have anywhere near that amount of memories...educated? Obviously...not just recall but INSTANT recall
It is AMAZING to me as well...

Young? Wasn't he the governor of NC back before Jim Hunt 1? (And the first in a long string of Gov Jims...)

-jk

[Turk]

I've seen the last few runs. What cracks me up is his "smile" - reminds me and Mrs. Turk of a kindergarten kid getting his class picture taken...

Dude sure knows how to hammer the clicker, no doubt about that...

[tteettimes]

Young? Wasn't he the governor of NC back before Jim Hunt 1? (And the first in a long string of Gov Jims...)

-jk

I think he was a republican though....no way he was this fast