OT: Jeopardy

[The X Man]

So last night had the highest 2nd place finish in Jeopardy history.

Holzhauer dodges 'Jeopardy!' threat, wins by $18

Sports bettor James Holzhauer survived a scare in his 18th appearance on "Jeopardy!", holding off Adam Levin of Massachusetts in Monday's episode that came down to Final Jeopardy! and $18.

www.espn.com

 

[storrsroars]

I think Jeopardy should invite Levin back. Guy sets a record for highest 2nd place winnings ever, loses only because he's facing a machine.

 

[djct1999]

I think Jeopardy should invite Levin back. Guy sets a record for highest 2nd place winnings ever, loses only because he's facing a machine.

Levin wasn't any better than a ton of other players. He was forced to play James's game. He went all in on a daily double and then bet it all in final jeopardy. If anything, Levin showed us two things. First, he proved that the only way to beat James is to play his game. Second, and more important, Levin actually proved how and why James actually broke Jeopardy.

 

[NJHusky]

This will be the pattern to beat James...James getting a DD wrong when he is all in, and someone else has to find the DD and not be afraid to really double up. If Levin had buzzed in on the 2 high value questions at the end of double J, he could have beaten him...but alas, James controlled the board at the end

 

[8893]

Oof. Back with a vengeance tonight.

 

[UConnMike04]

Insane...$2000 and $1000 to his $96,000. It was a bloodbath.

 

[huskiesNhoos]

It was over after he answered all 6 $1000 questions in a row out of the gate

Or did he question all the answers?...jeopardy is weird

 

[jleves]

Just cause I love numbers and this guy is ripping it up, the most you can win on a single day of Jeopardy would be $844,800. That would be by answering every question right, having the the double jeopardy questions be in the lowest value in both rounds at the end for maximum double ups and doubling on final jeopardy.

 

[UConn Esq]

Unbeatable Jeopardy Champ Shares Keys to Success

From the Onion.. "My approach is pretty simple: I wait until a few seconds before a new round starts, get the other players’ attention, and tell them I’ll bash in their g*ddamn skulls if I don’t win,” said Holzhauer, 34... "It’s really less about knowing a lot of trivia, although that’s definitely important, than it is to be able to really hone in on how you’ll bludgeon them to a bloody pulp before attacking any of their loved ones in the studio audience if you lose.”

 

[progrocks]

Man, the look on his opponents faces when they realize that they are being runover.

 

[Seattle Guy]

I am thinking the show might start putting the daily doubles more toward the top of the board and making final jeopardy increasIngly difficult.

 

[donyell34]

Guy is unbelievable and this could go on a long time. The wife and I are into it and are rooting for him. They'll probably make a movie , professional and successful gambler is also a mega game show star.

 

[Waquoit]

Back in the days when they had mechanical stopwatches, timers were instructed to use their index finger instead of their thumb. Supposedly it was faster. I wonder if that's the way to go on the Jeopardy buzzer?

 

[8893]

Hearing a rumor that John loses tonight.

Spoiler: Spoiler

SEE IT: Viral clip purportedly shows ‘Jeopardy!’ star James Holzhauer’s defeat

A video clip appearing to show “Jeopardy!” phenom James Holzhauer’s historic run come to an end made the rounds Sunday on social media.

www.foxnews.com

 

[Mano]

Hearing a rumor that John loses tonight.

Spoiler: Spoiler

SEE IT: Viral clip purportedly shows ‘Jeopardy!’ star James Holzhauer’s defeat

A video clip appearing to show “Jeopardy!” phenom James Holzhauer’s historic run come to an end made the rounds Sunday on social media.

www.foxnews.com

Yea, he probably had a proxy place a crap ton of money on him to lose in Vegas first.

 

[Madmannsucks]

Hmmm...saw the clip.

 

[UofCT]

Hmmm...saw the clip.

Same.

 

[UConn Esq]

While the amount of money per game is no doubt amazing, it just shows how insane Ken Jennings consecutive game streak record is.

 

[Deepster]

No clue why he turtled up on his final jeopardy bet. Shakespeare is a must know category for jeopardy contestants. Seems odd.

 

[8893]

No clue why he turtled up on his final jeopardy bet. Shakespeare is a must know category for jeopardy contestants. Seems odd.

I think he figured it was his best chance because he was behind and he figured she would bet enough to beat him if she got it right, which was correct.

 

[Deepster]

I think he figured it was his best chance because he was behind and he figured she would bet enough to beat him if she got it right, which was correct.

But don’t you say “I’m getting this right and doubling my total” and force her to get it right and bet enough?

 

[Tenspro2002]

But don’t you say “I’m getting this right and doubling my total” and force her to get it right and bet enough?

He bet correctly. When you have >2/3 of the leader's amount, the right thing to do is bet strategically and basically stand pat.

If you both get it right, you're going to lose regardless of how much you bet.
If you get it wrong and they get it right, you're going to lose regardless of how much you bet
If you get it right and they get it wrong, you're going to win regardless of how much you bet.

But what standing pat does it make it so that if you both get it wrong, you win. That's what James was hoping for, but Emma was all over the Shakespeare category.

Moreover, the fact that the 3rd place guy was just outside of striking distance compelled James to bet as little as he did to make that guy irrelevant.

 

[8893]

But don’t you say “I’m getting this right and doubling my total” and force her to get it right and bet enough?

He loses then, too, though. He knew she would bet enough because she figured she had to if she was going to beat him. His only chance was if she missed it, so he had to make sure he had enough money whether he missed it or not.

My gut agreed with you but once I thought about it I realized it was the smart play.

 

[Waquoit]

When you're 2nd, you first need to bet enough to cover the 3rd place doubling up. In this case, when you have 3rd place covered, you don't want to risk so much that you fall below the 3rd place doubling up if you are wrong. You have to assume the person in first place isn't an idiot.

 

[8893]

Here’s Why James Holzhauer Bet So Low In His Last ’Final Jeopardy!’

The man that made a fortune betting aggressively lost on Monday, but his small Final Jeopardy wager was actually brilliant game play.

uproxx.com