Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

This 'Jeopardy!' Champ Has Hit $1 Million In Winnings In An Insanely Short Amount Of Time

This 'Jeopardy!' Champ Has Hit $1 Million In Winnings In An Insanely Short Amount Of Time
Jeopardy!/Youtube, @Greg_Tieman/Twitter
Make us preferred on Google

Jeopardy! phenom James Holzhauer is already being called the best player of all time after just 15 days as champ, but will he catch up to the game's all-time winners and can the show survive someone who seems to have "solved" Jeopardy!?


Back during Ken Jennings' legendary 74-game reign as Jeopardy! champion in 2004, few could have imagined anyone coming along to topple Jennings as the undisputed quiz show king, but 15 years later, professional gambler James Holzhauer looks like he's making a go of it, and he might just do it in record time.

Over the last 15 shows, professional sports better James Holzhauer has not just been winning Jeopardy!, he has been dominating it and smashing almost every record in sight.

Holzhauer now holds the records for the highest single-day win, the 5-day win record, and highest successful Double Jeopardy wager.

His winnings also topped the $1 million mark in just 14 appearances, faster than anyone else in the show's history, and it doesn't look like he will be slowing down any time soon.


James Holzhauer: 10 Wins and New Jeopardy! Records | JEOPARDY!www.youtube.com


Aside from his encyclopedic knowledge, much of Holzhauer's success comes down to his simple but ingenious strategy. Unlike most players, James starts off with the more difficult, high dollar questions so when he lands on a Daily Double he has more money to wager.

James also likes to have fun with his betting, purposefully winning $110,914 one night to honor his daughter who was born on Nov. 9, 2014. So far Holzhauer's strategy seems to be working.

While most players win about $20,000 in one night, James has taken things to a whole new level, averaging around $75,000 per game, but even that number is low compared to his record setting wins.

On April 17 he set the record for highest single-day winnings with $131,127, though he didn't stop there. Holzhauer currently holds the top seven single-game winnings records. Jeopardy! has even set up a "James Holzhauer Tracker" so fans can keep up with his record breaking streak.

Almost over night, Holzhauer became a household name and a certified Jeopardy! legend, though fans still can't believe just how good he is.









Though given his background, James' success makes a lot more sense. Holzhauer who lives in Vegas with his wife and two children makes his living as a professional sports gambler. He also holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics, so if there's one thing James knows it's numbers.

James' trivia knowledge may be one thing, but fans seemed even more impressed by his ingenious strategy.






In just 15 appearances Holzhauer is quickly catching up to the $2.5 million regular season winnings record set by former champ Ken Jennings and at this pace he might surpass it in no time.

"James is just a perfect 'Jeopardy!' machine," Jennings told The Associated Press.

But some are wondering if the show's prize budget can withstand such a dominant champ.

If reports of host Alex Trebek's salary are accurate Holzhauer is currently earning more per episode than Trebek himself.

Fortunately game shows like Jeopardy! typically are insured against unexpectedly large payouts, and as Ken Jennings proved with his impressive streak the publicity big wins generate for the show can end up being worth it.

So the only question left may be one even Holzhauer can't answer -- just how long can he keep the streak going?

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

 Image of Timothée Chalamet from Dune: Part Three.
Warner Bros. Pictures

We Just Got Our First Look At AMC's New 'Dune: Part 3' Popcorn Bucket—And They Really Went There

Remember when a Dune popcorn bucket sent the internet into a collective meltdown? Well, AMC Theatres apparently looked at all that chaos and thought, “Cute. Let's double it.” The popcorn bucket madness continues with Dune: Part Three, and this time, the sandworms are coming in pairs.

AMC is pitching its new Double Sandworm Collectible as a way to make sharing popcorn easier. A thoughtful gesture, really, although the two gaping, tooth-lined mouths suggest the design team may have had a little too much fun with the assignment.

Keep ReadingShow less
Emma Roberts; Julia Roberts
Rick Kern/Clarins/Getty Images; Manoli Figetakis/Getty Images

Emma Roberts Wishes Aunt Julia Roberts Happy Birthday With Sweet Photo—And Fans Are Swooning

Though she isn't as readily in the spotlight anymore, Pretty Woman and Erin Brockovich star Julia Roberts is still on people's minds. And American Horror Story's Emma Roberts obviously couldn't forget her Aunt Julia on her birthday!

For those who do not know, Emma Roberts' dad is Eric Roberts, Julia Roberts' older brother. While Emma and Eric might not be that close, suggested by some interviews in the past, Emma and Julia always have been, and Emma wishes her aunt an annual happy birthday.

Keep ReadingShow less
Barack Obama; Donald Trump
Megan Varner/Getty Images; Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Obama Makes Mic Drop Point About Trump's Furious Response To His 'Cheesecake Factory' Jab—And He's Spot On

Former President Barack Obama made an important point about the Trump administration's disproportionate response to Obama's joke that President Donald Trump's White House renovations look like "Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory."

Speaking at a campaign rally in Ohio on Saturday, Obama asked voters to consider if Trump "spends time at the White House thinking about" issues impacting average Americans.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Tom during Fox News interview
Fox Neews

Fox News Asked A MAGA Rallygoer Why He Was Attending–And They Were NOT Prepared For His Brutal Response

A Fox News reporter got way more than he bargained for after he asked Tom, a Trump rallygoer in South Carolina on Thursday, to tell viewers why he was there.

As luck would have it, Tom was the last person the network likely wanted its far-right viewers to hear from. He actually evoked the Jonestown Massacre in his response.

Keep ReadingShow less
Patrick Stewart
Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Tributes Pour In For 'Star Trek' And 'X-Men' Icon Patrick Stewart After His Death At 86

On Thursday, people received the news of the passing of lauded stage, TV, and screen actor Sir Patrick Stewart. Already an accomplished actor in his beloved Britain, in 1987 Sir Patrick gained international fame as he joined Starfleet and the Star Trek universe for the first new television series since 1969.

For the next seven seasons, Captain Jean-Luc Picard would command the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) on Star Trek: The Next Generation on the small screen, then follow as it made the leap to the silver screen where Stewart would play the role for four feature films. He would don the uniform again for his own series, Picard, for three seasons.

Keep ReadingShow less