James Holzhauer

[Dan]

How is there not a thread on this guy yet?

Simply amazing what he's doing night after night!

[Traveler718]

I know firsthand how hard it is to do what he's doing - I was on Jeopardy and lost the very first game!

[Dan]

I know firsthand how hard it is to do what he's doing - I was on Jeopardy and lost the very first game!

Link?

His breadth of knowledge is simply astounding.

[JuryDuty]

Dan, we should get you up there

[Dan]

Dan, we should get you up there

I do well in some categories, but James is just unreal. Seems to know everything.

[JuryDuty]

I do well in some categories, but James is just unreal. Seems to know everything.

He's certainly unreal.
A lot of us would spend a whole lot of miles just to see you play, though

[Zalc]

https://castbox.fm/vb/152499829

Recent Planet money podcast about and featuring him.

They do a good job explaining his unique methods, and the planet money host is his relative, so they are pretty open.

[Traveler718]

Link?

A link to my game? It's not online, though I have the video of it on my laptop. Somebody on the Antarctica cruise asked me to show it at one point, but there didn't seem to be too much interest.

If you check here you'll see me listed as a participant (under my English name): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeopardy!_Teen_Tournament

Obviously so much of what James has accomplished is his knowledge (he gets 97% of his buzzes correct vs. only 91% for Ken Jennings) and his unprecedented willingness to bet with no fear, but a lot of it is also reflexes.

In the Teen Tournament that I was on, the clues are much easier, and most of the contestants know most of the answers. It's just a question of who can figure out the timing to be the first one to buzz in as soon as they let you. Buzz too early and you're locked out for .2 seconds, which is a lifetime in the world of Jeopardy!

Sadly I was matched in the first round against the guy who won the whole tournament with his amazing reflexes (and knowledge).

[Jellybelly]

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/james-holzhauer-could-be-two-weeks-away-from-jeopardy-immortality/

[moish]

Best way to watch online?

[shaulyaakov]

While he will likely pass Jenning's $ record, I can't see him lasting 74 games. His strategy is high risk/high reward. He bets a lot on Daily Doubles. If he gets a big one wrong, that could cost him the game.

[Dan]

While he will likely pass Jenning's $ record, I can't see him lasting 74 games. His strategy is high risk/high reward. He bets a lot on Daily Doubles. If he gets a big one wrong, that could cost him the game.

It's more sophisticated than that. He clearly factors in his opponents scores and their abiility to challenge him in Final.

[Mootkim]

It's more sophisticated than that. He clearly factors in his opponents scores and their abiility to challenge him in Final.

Definitely. He bets amounts that would still keep him unreachable if he gets it wrong and the opponent answers correctly.

[Mootkim]

Best way to watch online?

ABC app by live at 7

[Dan]

Definitely. He bets amounts that would still keep him unreachable if he gets it wrong and the opponent answers correctly.

Exactly. Though he's more aggressive when the competition is weaker.

[Mootkim]

While he will likely pass Jenning's $ record, I can't see him lasting 74 games. His strategy is high risk/high reward. He bets a lot on Daily Doubles. If he gets a big one wrong, that could cost him the game.

Just a couple of games ago (one of the only ones that was not a runaway which I think was last week) if the other person would have risked more on the daily double which he got right, he would have gone into final with more money than James and could have unseated him. Someone will figure it out eventually.

[Dan]

Just a couple of games ago (one of the only ones that was not a runaway which I think was last week) if the other person would have risked more on the daily double which he got right, he would have gone into final with more money than James and could have unseated him. Someone will figure it out eventually.

Of course someone will figure it out eventually, but most people don't bet irrationally on the DD. James can bet big as knows nearly every answer.

[Mootkim]

Of course someone will figure it out eventually, but most people don't bet irrationally on the DD. James can bet big as knows nearly every answer.

But what is the reason not to bet like him?? Its not like 2nd and 3rd place keep the money they accumulated. They just get 2k and 1k respectively which pales in comparison to what you would get for 1st place where you keep the actual winnings. So if you are guaranteed 1k for coming in last, why not go all in if the risk is just a difference of 1k while the reward can be significantly greater?

[Dan]

But what is the reason not to bet like him?? Its not like 2nd and 3rd place keep the money they accumulated. They just get 2k and 1k respectively which pales in comparison to what you would get for 1st place where you keep the actual winnings. So if you are guaranteed 1k for coming in last, why not go all in if the risk is just a difference of 1k while the reward can be significantly greater?

Because it wasn't a runaway in that game. Why gamble that away if you only know 60% of the answers?

[Mootkim]

Because it wasn't a runaway in that game. Why gamble that away if you only know 60% of the answers?

Because he will not lose. You need to proactively go and beat him.