Two weeks ago, James Holzhauer reached a new Jeopardy! record for the most money won at a single game. This week, he’s practically the runner-up for yet another, seeing himself reach second place behind Ken Jennings for the highest accumulated winnings overall.
News Highlights
- Holzhauer surpassed his own record for most money won per single game.
- So far, the contestant’s winnings amass to over $1M, and counting!
- He now wants to beat Ken Jennings’ $2.5 million record.
Holzhauer Makes Jeopardy! History…Again!
The 34-year-old sports bettor from Las Vegas has once again managed to put on a show for the audience in the game aired on Tuesday. His earnings throughout the night reached $118,816, ultimately pushing the total sum to $1,061,664, becoming the second in history to surpass the $1M mark.
Despite what “The Social Network” says, $1 million felt really cool.James Holzhauer
Breaking Records Left and Right
This win came right after two consecutive game nights in the past couple of weeks, each seeing James break a record in highest win per single episode of the show. Just as a reminder, James broke the standing record previously held by Roger Craig. Craig had reached up to $77,000 in a single episode, and Holzhauer easily surpassed it by amassing $110,914 that night.
After that, he even managed to break his own record and hit a total of $131,127 at a single game. So far, he has managed to dominate a total of 14 games over the course of which he won his first million, and it doesn’t seem like things are slowing down either.
Two Down, One to Go
While he managed to beat both Roger Craig’s and his own records on the highest winnings per night, hitting the million has definitely made yet another record much more attainable.
Jeopardy! players are able to amass quite the small fortune over the course of their winning streaks, and this is exactly what Ken Jennings managed back in 2004. Over a series of 74 shows, the current record-holder won a total prize of $2,520,700.
With only 14 games played so far, Holzhauer is already approaching this next challenge, and everyone, including record-holder Jennings, are waiting to see what happens next. This is what Jennings had to say right after the contender for his “throne” hit another win last week.
This is absolutely insane. I’ve always wanted to see someone try Jeopardy! wagering this way who had the skills to back it up.Ken Jennings
How Does He Do It?
In a past statement he gave to the press back when he managed to get his first record win, Holzhauer explained his learning method. The parts that he found most difficult to understand in science books would always be better illustrated and explained in children’s literature. He says they are “are a great way to learn the nuts and bolts” about all kinds of things, and his recent results in Jeopardy! definitely prove him right.
The Forest Bounce Method
It is thought that his Forest Bounce method is helping his case since it allows him to affect the remaining players and get them to lose focus. This method was primarily invented by another Jeopardy! player, Chuck Forest, and used by many over the years, but never to such a success rate. As it turns out, James Holzhauer’s skills set made Jennings’ wish come true.
