[Stephen Tu]

Former Jeopardy champion scrutinizes Holzhauer's strategy


Hey miamijd, above article is yours, no?

In any case I disagree with this analysis of the strategy. I think James's strategy also maximizes his winning chances each game, not just money won per game. He is trying to achieve a lock before Final Jeopardy which can be a crapshoot if the correct "question" is very obscure, and give 2nd place often a chance to win just if you are wrong, not requiring both you wrong and him or her correct if you don't have a runaway before FJ. If you look at his wagers, in single jeopardy, even if he wipes out on the daily double, his deficit is not going to be more than like one $2k clue in the DJ round, 2 at most; he can recover. And in DJ, he never goes all-in, he is using the healthy cushion developed in SJ to make big wagers but that still leave him with a decent lead even if incorrect, and the second DD if he hits both he is maintaining runaway status if he has already achieved it. I think this strategy of going for the runaway game is correct for maximizing winning streak, period. As long as you can answer the DD's with comparable accuracy rate.