Five Things You Should Know About James Holzhauer

The record-breaking Jeopardy! contestant, James Holzhauer has gained quite a popularity over his 25-game winning streak. Seeing him amass over $1.9 million so far, many predict that the Las Vegas sports bettor could ultimately surpass the current record holder Ken Jennings. He accumulated his $2.5 million winnings over the course of a 74-game winning streak, which may just be the next record Holzhauer would break.

5 Fun Facts About James Holzhauer

If you have watched a show or two featuring this amazing Jeopardy! player, or even read about him in the newspaper, you may as well know of his tendency to win specific amounts that link to important dates in his life. However, there is more than meets the eye with Holzhauer, with some particularities about the persona showing a completely new side of him.

Ever since the young age of 4, James Holzhauer was recognized for his math skills. At that early age, Holzhauer gained recognition in a Chicago Tribune article on gifted children and was further boosted into confidence by his grandmother, who had emigrated from Japan.

Later on, his skills got him skipping through second grade at his mom’s behest, and continued benefiting him through college, as he graduated in mathematics from the University of Illinois. Ultimately, his calculation and estimate skills had Holzhauer making successful gambling bets, bringing in the first profits from his talents.

During an interview with the Athletic, Holzhauer commented that his childhood dream was working for an MLB team in the front office or a baseball job in the analytics department. In fact, he even came up with a few positions he could readily fill in – both in the front office of an MLB team or in the analytics department of any baseball club.

Holzhauer recently joked on Twitter:

I always dreamed of working in an MLB front office and ruining baseball, but I have to settle for ruining @Jeopardy instead

Kevin O’Toole

Much has been said about his Jeopardy! gameplay technique, with opinions ranging from awe, through terror to disapproval. It is known as the “Forrest Bounce“, and sees the player head straight for the big payouts, moves through the Daily Doubles and ultimately goes all-in on his bets.

Holzhauer’s past is not a secret, as he is openly proclaimed as a professional sports bettor. This might explain his willingness to make radical bets in the current Jeopady! craze. However, his career in sports betting only started when he moved to Las Vegas looking for a more sustainable way to draw up a bankroll.

Online poker was a known pastime of the current game show star, as well as the cause of his frequent absences from class. Moreover, he is known to be a competitive bridge player as well, with numerous appearances on tournaments.

There is no saying what will become of his daughter, who is still no older than 4 years, but all evidence point to future game show success. After all, James Holzhauer had already taken part in another game show before Jeopardy! known as The Chase, where his memory, knowledge, and interest in trivia got him quite the reputation.

His wife, Melissa Holzhauer, also has a game show history. She took part in an episode of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” back in 2012, and went home with no less than $28,800.